Kakabadse / Choir Of Royal Holloway / Beer - Ithaka [CD]

British composer Lydia Kakabadse (with roots in Greece, Austria, Russia and Georgia) reflects her cultural heritage in music that has western and mediterranean elements - while this is strongest in her choral music, it is heard to good effect in her chamber works, which are often written in modal intonation; her previous recorded collections have been very positively reviewed. This album is in two parts - first the stunning choral work 'Odyssey' - absolutely traditional in it's rich harmony but carrying one or two surprises, a work commissioned by the Hellenic Institute at Royal Holloway College in 2018; and a set of songs written in 2018 and 2019 spanning a range of styles from ballad, to arioso to folk jazz, Romantic, antiphonal and minimalistic! The performers are all top rate: Clare McCaldin is an outstanding mezzo-soprano with a significant recorded legacy already. Paul Turner specializes in chamber music and accompanying singers and instrumentalists. Sara Trickey is becoming well known as a fine violinist and Cecily Beer is in great demand as both singer and harpist. The Choir of Royal Holloway is considered to be one of the finest mixed-voice collegiate choirs in Britain.