Welcome Joy: A Celebration of Women's Voices in Bloomington, MN

The relatively young
Corvus Consort
(young in two senses: the members are young, and the group is new) has gained attention for a pristine choral blend married to fresh programming ideas. Here, the women of the group are especially successful in an entire program of music composed for the unusual combination of female voice and harp. All the music is composed by women, with the exception of several pieces by
Gustav Holst
, including some of the
Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26
.
Holst
's daughter
Imogen Holst
contributes the opening title work, whose name is drawn from a poem by
John Keats
. These have an ethereal quality in the singing of the young choristers, and equally charming is the choral song cycle
An English Day-Book
of
Elizabeth Poston
, to texts from a variety of mostly Renaissance English poetry. The writing for harp is especially adept and evocative in the
Poston
work, and
Louise Thomson
's instrument is superbly recorded at the Church of St. Augustine, Kilbourn, London. Sample the Interlude for harp from the
cycle for an idea. There are also works from younger female composers, including a pair on Hindu sacred themes from
Shruthi Rajasekar
, and there is a great deal of variety here despite the consistent ensemble. A beautiful recording that continues to promise much from its young performers and their director,
Freddie Crowley
, this album made classical best-seller lists in the autumn of 2024. ~ James Manheim