Elora Festival Singers & Noel Edison - Poulenc: Mass in G major (2015)

Poulenc finished his Mass in G, a missa brevis (with no Credo), in 1937 and dedicated it to his father a mere 20 years after his death. It marked the composer's partial if confused return to the church, though the joie de vivre of his more hedonistic musical tastes is never far away. Characterised by ethereally high soprano lines, dense harmonies and fearless chromaticisms, the work presents extreme challenges to the a cappella choir. The Elora Festival Singers, one of the few professional church choirs in Canada, cope expertly under the direction of Noel Edison, a key figure there in choral music. Standards are high and, with the Motets for Christmas and Easter, as well as the Sept Chansons, this is well worth the budget price. --Observer, 5/4/15

The silvery quality of the Elora Festival Singers sopranos is brightly to the fore in the Kyrie of the Mass, their vibrato-free production facilitating a vernal tonal quality, which suits the music well. Performance **** Recording **** --BBC Music Magazine, July'15