When one is caught up in this album's mysterious ambience, entranced by the haunting vocals of soprano Janet Youngdahl, and hypnotized by the ebbing and flowing textures of the Absolute Ensemble, ably led by Kristjan Järvi, it's easy to kick back, chill out, and abandon all critical thought about Ezequiel Viñao's Arcanum for voice and chamber ensemble (1996), released in 2005 on BIS. It helps, too, that the musicians' gorgeous sounds are exquisitely reproduced in all their varied timbres, dynamics, and dimensions in 5.0 ...
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When one is caught up in this album's mysterious ambience, entranced by the haunting vocals of soprano Janet Youngdahl, and hypnotized by the ebbing and flowing textures of the Absolute Ensemble, ably led by Kristjan Järvi, it's easy to kick back, chill out, and abandon all critical thought about Ezequiel Viñao's Arcanum for voice and chamber ensemble (1996), released in 2005 on BIS. It helps, too, that the musicians' gorgeous sounds are exquisitely reproduced in all their varied timbres, dynamics, and dimensions in 5.0 surround sound, and that the hybrid SACD format is ideal for conveying the depth and spaciousness of Viñao's powerfully evocative music. With all that said, one might still quibble with the composer's choice of texts, which are disconnected, enigmatic, and cryptic for people who don't understand Latin, Greek, and German. Yet these are Biblical quotations and familiar ancient aphorisms, and most are easily recognized when read in English translation in the liner notes. One might also...
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