The classical crossover genre, almost by definition, is designed to calm and reassure the listener ("Stress eliminator" read the billboards of a classical radio station in Dallas), but here's a high-minded release whose goal is to mourn and to change. As the title suggests, composer Christopher Tin offers a memorial for the many species of birds driven to extinction by human activity. Most prominent is the passenger pigeon, which is remembered in the opening instrumental track, "Flocks a Mile Wide." There is also an ...
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The classical crossover genre, almost by definition, is designed to calm and reassure the listener ("Stress eliminator" read the billboards of a classical radio station in Dallas), but here's a high-minded release whose goal is to mourn and to change. As the title suggests, composer Christopher Tin offers a memorial for the many species of birds driven to extinction by human activity. Most prominent is the passenger pigeon, which is remembered in the opening instrumental track, "Flocks a Mile Wide." There is also an instrumental interlude, but most of the music is choral, and indeed a major attraction here is the immaculate blend of the small choir Voces8. The group makes itself sound much larger and stands up easily to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, but the sound can contract to emphasize passages in the text. The poems are all by women -- Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Sara Teasdale -- and they are slightly modified to fit the format. The program has an interesting structure: the first texts refer to birds specifically, but at the end, Tin broadens into a more general tragic tone. The musical language, Tin indicates, is rooted firmly in the 19th century, as is the poetry. The music, combined with the rich instrumental and choral sounds, could suggest other topics than the one explored here, but Tin succeeds in his goal of introducing serious reflections into the crossover genre. This album made classical best-seller lists in the fall of 2022. ~ James Manheim, Rovi
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