A luminous start to Rachmaninov's anniversary year from Tenebrae

Tenebrae and Nigel Short

Nigel Short

By Benjamin Poore, 28 January 2023

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“create the impression of great, thick clouds of perfumed incense”

Reviewed at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London on 26 January 2023

Rachmaninov, All Night Vigil (“Vespers”), Op.37

Tenebrae

Tenebrae sing Pärt, Tallis and Tavener at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 23rd October

Tenebrae transforms the Elbphilharmonie into a living instrument, exploring centuries of choral music through spatialised sound, Pärt’s tintinnabuli, Renaissance masterpieces and contemporary innovations in a vivid acoustic experiment.

****1

Time stands still in Vilde Frang’s Elgar

Mark Pullinger, 12th September

In an evening pairing two English classics, Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the London Symhony Orchestra in Elgar’s Violin Concerto and an out-of-this-world account of Holst’s The Planets.

*****

A rapt performance from Tenebrae in Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles

David Truslove, 13th May

Thought-provoking and spine-tingling in equal measure, this performance of Joby Talbot’s pilgrimage work showcases Tenebrae as one of the UK’s most significant choral groups.

****1

Light amid darkness: stellar performance from Tenebrae

David Larkin, 22nd January

An exquisite evening of British 20th-century choral music from Tenebrae under Nigel Short at the Sydney Festival, with outstanding renditions of the music of Parry, Bingham and Stanford.

*****

Tenebrae performs Tenebrae at the Sydney Festival

Zoltán Szabó, 21st January

British choir Tenebrae performs Masterworks of the Renaissance in Sydney's City Recital Hall.

****1

Tenebrae weaves a mesmerising spell at Perth Festival of the Arts

David Smythe, 22nd May

Stunningly beautiful commemorative British choral music from Tenebrae under Nigel Short at Perth Festival of the Arts in St John’s Kirk’s wonderful acoustic.

****1

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Benjamin Poore

Benjamin Poore is a writer and critic. His book on psychoanalysis and literature is forthcoming in 2019. He has previously written about literature and culture for the Independent, the Times Literary Supplement, and Times Higher Education. In his spare time he tries to sing Schubert; he has a very patient teacher.