Baltic Exchange
Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge / Layton
Hyperion CDA67747

Release date February 2010

Baltic Exchange is a stunning collection of unaccompanied choral works by four living composers, all written within the last decade. Gabriel Jackson's informative liner notes begin 'Singing lies at the heart of not just the musical, but the social and ritual life of the Baltic states' and this recording is certainly testament to that. Missa Rigensis written by the Latvian composer Ugis Praulins is a substantial piece and makes for a powerful opening. The Kyrie eleison is as dramatic as it is beautiful and the warmly resonant acoustic of the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral gives an added dimension to the sound. The subsequent movements demonstrate a variety of textures and harmonic ideas but with an underlying feeling of beauty and peace. Praulins often uses tonal clusters to great effect and in the Crucifixus creates a striking raindrop effect within the texture. He also writes for low bass in certain passages that adds a further depth and echoes the basso profundo style. Maija Einfelde's settings of three poems by one of Latvia's best-loved writers follow this. Here each movement is filled again with glorious harmonic colours, created from sustained tonal clusters. The four remaining shorter works are also performed superbly by The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, who are entirely at home with this music and create a suitably solid and authentic sound. Look out too for 'About 2500 Tigers' on the front cover.

Reviewed by Dawn Cooke