Stile Antico - Live Reviews

Reviews of live performances

One of the glories of British musical life is the profusion of professional choirs that have transformed notions of how Renaissance and Baroque music could, and perhaps should, be sung. But the best of those ensembles – the Tallis Scholars, the Sixteen, the Monteverdi Choir – have mostly been knocking around for decades. So the arrival of some new kids in the cloisters is exciting. Especially as the 12 twentysomething choristers of Stile Antico are not only talented but have fresh ideas about how 16th-century sacred music should be presented.

They work like chamber musicians: watching each other carefully, achieving cohesion through interaction... Their interpretations, especially of Byrd’s great multisectional motets, where pacing and mood must be so carefully varied, are done with the conviction and unanimity that comes when an ensemble arrives at its own conclusions... The absence of the conductor throws the audience’s attention on to the singers, who respond by lifting their heads from their copies and projecting straight at their listeners. (The Times)

In the little church of St Norah at Smar Jbeil, built in the Crusader era, with walls lit in blue and white chalk, twelve young English men and women... carried the audience to a place outside time. Stile Antico's sacred vocal music is intense, dramatic, fervent: simply sublime. It translates the passion of these young singers. This group offered to a audience lightly chilled by the cold, music which warmed the heart. (Colette Khalaf, L'orient le jour)

The 13 unaccompanied singers, standing in a shallow arc with vocal groups intermixed, produce a superb consort sound... And they manage all this without a conductor - indeed, in my view, the lack of a conductor is one of the reasons for their undoubted musical success. (Early Music Review)

The hype that currently surrounds Stile Antico is not an exaggeration of their talents... Their mellifluous vocal blend was aided by the favourable acoustics of the opulently-decorated chapel. One of the group's key strengths is their ability to communicate. As a conductorless ensemble, they are forced to maintain frequent eye contact. In turn there is no barrier between them and the audience, facilitating their constant and interaction. Stile Antico's rich timbre is further enhanced by the variety they add at every stage... The nominated animateur of the group created a marvellously jovial and informal atmosphere, with a friendly introduction and informative insights into the various works and composers featured throughout... The group's stage presence, vocal quality and tightness of ensemble is impressive, especially considering the singers' tender years. (Claudine Nightingale, musicalcriticism.com)

Some great polyphonic choral music arose from the religious flux of the late- 16th Century and Stile Antico's 12 voices expressed this turmoil with perfect musicality and grace. I had never realised how distracting someone with their back to me waving their arms was until I saw this delightful ensemble sing Byrd, Sheppard and Palestrina so effortlessly and cohesively without direction (The Argus)

Their encore - Byrd's Miserere Mihi - was evidence of their fondness for freedom of interpretation and recognition of the superb blend in the upper voices and clarity of diction. Stile Antico sing with conviction, their discipline is exemplary and they deliver a unique warmth of tone. (Warwick Today)

Stile Antico moves effortlessly into the first rank... a serious group who know whereof they sing and are confident enough to perform without a conductor. Watching them, I was struck by their intense shared concentration. Dedicated musicianship by the singers and judicious word-painting by the composers made every item telling, whether the slow melancholy of the Babylonian exile, the joy of the Assumption, the lingering contemplation of the pulchritude of the Bride of Christ or the prayerful invocation of the Agnus Dei. Alphas all round. (Oxford Times)