NB: accents

Celebrating 10 years

 

Over the 10 years since its formation in 2004, innovative chamber choir Nota Bene has presented varied programmes of music in a wide range of styles: from classical through to contemporary art music, and including New Zealand repertoire.

This CD brings together excerpts from concerts recorded by Radio New Zealand Concert under music director Christine Argyle and guest conductors Peter de Blois, Michael Fulcher and Peter Walls.

Tracks include NZ composer Sam Piper's Kyrie, the sublime Song for Athene by John Tavener, three Britten songs and the exciting Rytmus by Hrusovsky.

Lindis Taylor, in Middle C, said of NB: Accents:

 

Nota Bene, founded over ten years ago by Christine Argyle, has always been a slightly unorthodox choir, perhaps ‘eclectic’ and ‘adventurous’ might be better words: they often veer towards the not-so-heavy repertoire whether jazz, quasi-pop, art songs, Renaissance polyphony, folk or “World” music, with special attention to New Zealand composers, and not averse to a touch of religiose sentiment. It’s also a choir whose performances are marked by enthusiasm, fun and sparkling precision in their ensemble and diction.

All of which is vividly demonstrated in their CD, NB: accents – celebrating 10 years which includes a few seriously beautiful, mainstream classical tracks. It’s been hard to extract from the CD player in my car for many months: the music is wonderful and it’s a real chance to be spellbound by the choice of music and its immaculate performances.

 

Copies of the CD are available directly from Nota Bene. Please email us to arrange payment and postage.

 

Listen here to tracks from the CD:

 

Kyrie, by NZ composer Sam Piper

 

 

 

Bruremarsj, by Jan Magne Førde (Norway)

 

 

 

Ave Maris Stella, by Edvard Grieg (Norway)

 

 

Rytmus, by Ivan Hrusovsky (Slovakia)

 

 

 

Agnus Dei, by Samuel Barber (US)