Tenebrae - Poulenc: Figure Humaine and other works (Tenebrae) on CD

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Product description CD Review For purity and precision of tone, and flawless intonation, Nigel Short s chamber choir Tenebrae is pretty much unbeatable. Here, Poulenc s choral masterpieces: sacred works, Second World War cantatas, are all stamped with his uniquely expressive, mongrel style. One moment you re in a monastery, the next a nightclub. Harmonies glide, then wriggle or shriek. It s quite a whirl, but Tenebrae s firm sense of pitch keeps them upright and their beauty radiates like a halo. Warm, affecting music, thrillingly performed. --Geoff Brown, The Times, August 2010 Poulenc's Figure Humaine makes extreme demands on ensemble and intonation, as plenty of commercial recordings can prove. Nigel Short's Tenebrae is astonishing ... a showcase for Poulenc's choral writing, I'm finding it hard to imagine this recital being bettered. --BBC Music Magazine