Aliqua Sinners and Angels

The Aliqua chamber ensemble grew out of the woman's choir Celesta (also represented in this discography) and felt a particular compatibility with my work, which is why this, their first CD, has 10 of its 18 cuts devoted to Hatfield, including a virtuoso gallop through my seldom heard scherzo-rondo "Glettur", an intensely moody and passionate torch performance of the original SSAA voicing of "Double Shot", and the version of "For Elizabeth" I would most want prospective conductors to study. Aliqua experimented with an unusual approach to recording choral repertoire, where instead of the "cathedral-bloom" choirs usually want, they used a dryer, clearer acoustic, "as if we were singing in your living room". Every note, every breath is distinct and unclouded by reverberation, which makes this CD a valuable study guide to hearing the breath control and details of phrasing that are especially striking when a group of nine singers take on pieces intended for the stagger-breathing capabilities of large ensembles: "Missa Brevis" and "Queen Jane" display high levels of musical ingenuity as well as sheer overall musicianship. Conductors and choirs, take note of their approach to my "Amazing Grace", which shows how it can be performed without an instrumental soloist, while their frisky and girlish version of "Las Amarillas" demonstrates more than one way that ensembles can customize the piece. The recording sessions were a blast, and the pleasure can be heard in the performances which have both a youthful translucency and a womanly "zing".