By JD88992
08-Oct-2012

Don't judge this disc by its cover!  

I often gripe about paltry documentation on CDs, and this disc is a grave offender. Since it's a lower-priced sampler, the label has dispensed with a booklet altogether: no texts, no information about the artists or composers. Nothing. If that's a deal-breaker for you, stop here. But you'd be missing out on some very fine singing. Musica Intima is a Canadian chamber choir of a dozen singers, based in Vancouver, which has been performing (conductor-less) for 20 years.

My ears perked right up at the program opener, Pearsall's Lay a garland, which sounds like a Victorian take on a Gesualdo madrigal, with eight parts doing some nifty harmonic crunching. Other good things follow: drawn from the group's previous albums, selections include the obligatory Scandinavians, a few Canadian works, and some sacred pieces; all are unaccompanied. The folk songs at the end are a trifle formal, but two of the arrangements--Shenandoah and Loch Lomond--are super.
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By EE115671
14-Oct-2012

Anniversary celebration evokes musical intimacy  

This collection of ballads and songs from Musica Intima marks the 20th anniversary celebration of this Vancouver group. The choir of twelve singers has compiled a “best hits” selection from their previous albums which may provide examples for other choirs and directors. This group is known for unique stage presentation as well as a free kind of singing style, having won competitions and awards for two decades.

This is a modest cover, a cardboard sleeve with red blurred coloring, with “musica intima 20” on the front. On the reverse are listed the tracks, composers, times, and the albums first issued by Musica Intima. It is a current production from Canada. The cover for the CD carries a bare minimum of information, and there is no active website at present.

Music Intima is comprised of singers known for their unique non-conductor approach and a comfortable ease together. However, the staging has awkwardness in some online videos, as the performers seem to be singing to each other rather than to an audience. The songs are lovely, and the parts well-blended. Mr. Erb’s “Shenandoah”, as ever, elicits memories of the Blue Ridge and echoes across the Valley.

The lead soprano voice is too dominant in several selections, though, imposing on the other capable voices. While the high notes are easily found, there is sometimes a piercing quality which detracts from the overall effect. Nevertheless, the quality of training and joy of singing shine through; more sophisticated marketing would enhance the professional “polish” for the group’s anniversary celebration.
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