Review and More

Our Review

Voci Nobili is a Norwegian women's choir of uncommon ability. The unfortunately named Benjamin Britten A Ceremony of Carols/John Rutter Dancing Day combines two masterful classical holiday works by two master composers. Voci Nobili executes these challenging pieces with fluid, ethereal stylings.

I am a fan of both Britten and Rutter, so it is relatively easy for me to embrace this well-executed release with enthusiasm. Vocili Nobili sings with confidence and clarity; it is a pleasure listening to the group's articulation of difficult chord combinations throughout the range. My favorite segments come from Rutter; the final three tracks (There is no Rose, Coventry Carol, and Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day) are particularly fine (although the harp gets a bit heavy-handed in the final number).

From the artist's website, it appears that Voci Nobili may have ended its run in 2008; if so, that is a shame. This group's music is special. If you enjoy rare and somewhat unusual holiday music such as this, keep in mind that online retail sites such as www.singers.com and www.a-cappella.com specialize in unique vocal offerings, both holiday and not. You can find Voci Nobili's lovely Benjamin Britten A Ceremony of Carols/John Rutter Dancing Day at both locations.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

More

From the liner notes:

Recorded in St. Mark Church, Bergen, Norway, February 16-20, 1995


From the Website:

Voci Nobili's second cd features British composers Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols and John Rutter's Dancing Day.

A Ceremony of Carols was inspired by "The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems", and is written for treble voices and harp. The 'carols' are a product of 15th and 16th century writers, most of whom are anonymous. They retain their unique flavour by Britten's extensive use of old English language in the style of Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." The piece in its entirety shows Britten's mastery of choral music, with each movement in contrast with the next.

In Dancing Day, John Rutter employs the words and melodies of six traditional carols and resourcefully exploits their various rhythmic qualities in this cycle of for SSA voices with harp or piano accompaniment.

Voci Nobili
Maria Gamborg Helbekkmo
Willy Postma, harp

Voci Nobili was established in 1989 by its present conductor, Maria Gamborg Helbekkmo. The choir consists of about 25 female singers, most of whom are students at Bergen University College or the University of Bergen.

The singers are accepted on the basis of an audition. None of them are professional, but they all spend an average of 500 hours a year with the choir, rehearsing, competing and giving concerts.

The choir, which has gained wide recognition as an exceptionally fine vocal ensemble, has given a number of concerts in Norway and abroad, and has won several national and international choral competitions.

While Voci Nobili's repertoire is firmly rooted in classical composers like Bach, Grieg and Britten, the choir does not shy away from works by exciting contemporary composers like Javier Busto, Jeffrey Biegel and Knut Nystedt. Depending on the occasion, they will also mix in an occasional Broadway tune or a Norwegian folk song.

Voci Nobili

Benjamin Britten A Ceremony of Carols/John Rutter Dancing Day

Artist link

Track List