The choir
Conspirare
has been in existence since the 1990s and has recorded more than 25 albums. The group reliably delivers an ethereal sound with spiritual overtones generated in part by a nice church acoustic from
Delos
; the sound has some depth but never becomes soupy.
has often released thematic albums with coherent, innovative repertory choices.
House of Belonging
, which takes its title from an
included work
by
Shara Nova
, is a bit more general, with texts that emphasize human connection and oneness with the natural world. Here,
and its director,
Craig Hella Johnson
, achieve a musical variety that perhaps exceeds anything they've done previously. There are plenty of sunny tunes like
Nova
's
I Have Never Loved Someone
and
Joy
Margaret Bonds
, but other works are more unconventional. Sample
Michael Schachter
O Vorsehung
, which weaves text from
Beethoven
's despairing Heiligenstadt Testament with the slow movement of his
String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
, subtitled "Prayer of One Recovering to the Godhead." That is one of a group of pieces where the choir is joined by the
Miro Quartet
in a balance elegantly handled by
Johnson
.
Moira Smiley
's "Haiku" is another work with unusual textual content, and this one shows that
's way of having his soloist seem to emerge organically from the texture is undimmed. A wonderful choral release. ~ James Manheim