If you want to hear this music sung by the new generation of specialist advocates, this is the group that will not fail to give you the most polished ensemble sound and technique yet always projecting an expressive aspect that recognizes the human/emotional pertinence of the texts.
David Vernier, Classics Today (May 2014)
Our final concert, in St Louis, MO, took place in perhaps our most stunning venue yet – the vast Basilica Cathedral. Having performed the programme five times already, we limited our rehearsal to an hour or so, giving us time for a relaxing lunch in sunny Missouri. Some of us were more relaxed than others…
Unlikely place for early music? Here’s Ben with a round-up on a great day in Florida… and some bad puns. “Since the first snowy stop in Boston the excitement had been growing about the potential for a bit of seaside fun in Florida, and when we finally arrived yesterday it didn’t disappoint. After landing in…
Correspondent Kate blogs from Jackson, MS “Our editor, in his wisdom, has attempted to ban any more references to food, since this blog seems to be turning into a culinary critique, but I’m afraid I will have to disobey straightaway and tell you all about our fantastic meal in Jackson, MS. The Mississippi Academy of…
“What are the EXACT measurements of Eleanor’s largest suitcase?” A question that has challenged luggage experts for decades. Here, to end years of speculation and suspense, is Eleanor’s answer: “Committed as I am to travelling light, the largest suitcase I own measures a mere 55x35x25cm. There are several reasons for choosing a small case, the…
One night in the home of Honky Tonk – an update from one car as the convoy hurtles down the freeway… After a civilised getting-up time this morning we picked up two hire cars from Cincinnati airport, in order to head to Nashville. Thankfully American cars have plenty of room for six people and six…
Stile Antico gets better and better… What we heard in the glorious St. Paul space was not only beautiful sound from the well-matched and perfectly tuned voices, but fine rhythmic sensitivity to the nuances of attack and phrasing that make this music a joy both to sing and to hear… a magnificent conclusion to a richly varied and rewarding program.
Virginia Newes, Boston Musical Intelligencer (11 March, 2014)
Emma blogs on a successful return to Cincinnati! “Today started, well, yesterday. After a less-than-ideal travel day we eventually reached the Garfield suites hotel at 1.15am. After the most welcome night’s sleep of the tour so far, we were treated to a fabulous brunch of bacon, eggs, pastries and fruit salad in Kate and Becky’s…
It was the Agnus Dei of Byrd’s Mass and John Taverner’s “O splendor gloriae” that gave the fullest account of what Stile Antico can do. Each had the group’s unique sound, which balances richness and clarity and varies color and texture in sync with the text. Both were meticulously paced, building logically to a conclusion either hushed and intimate (Byrd) or virtuosic and thrilling (Taverner). They were brilliantly realized, both technically...
David Weininger, The Boston Globe (10 March, 2014)
Ben looks back on a long trip to Cincinnati “The day started well enough…. … but took a turn for the worse. No tour would be complete without at least one day where the travel plans cascade in front of us like a line of dominoes. It only takes one slight delay to a flight…
Its sound creamy and warm, the group sings with a smooth blend that nevertheless allows individual voices to pierce through: a plangent alto here, a slightly husky bass there… The final selection, Taverner’s “O splendor gloriae,” began as a duet and then built through the ensemble to a shining “Amen.”
Zachary Woolfe, New York Times (9 March, 2014)
Katie’s foody foray “One thing that never disappoints when we tour to the USA is the food. From enormous pepperoni pizzas to racks of BBQ ribs, clam chowder in Boston to ‘grits’, the savoury corn-based porridge popular in the mid-Western and Southern states, there is always something to surprise even the most well-travelled of tastebuds….