Textura: A Christmas Carol #1 Pick in Classical and Opera 2021

01. Skylark Vocal Ensemble: It's a Long Way (HMR) / A Christmas Carol (HMR)

If giving the top spot to not one but two Skylark releases seems like twisting the rules ever so slightly, rest assured both warrant recognition, especially when they're Skylark projects in the fullest sense but also dramatically different. For It's a Long Way, in essence the Boston-based ensemble's response to the pandemic, twenty pieces were recorded over a four-month period, some by its twenty-four vocalists at home or in a studio and the rest in two sessions with a vaccinated group of singers. Works by Pärt, Barber, Tallis, and Schubert appear, and the inclusion of “Wayfaring Stranger,” “Nature Boy,” and a setting of Goodnight Moon by Eric Whitacre enhances the recording's accessibility. The breadth is great, but unifying the album are its elegiac tone and the authenticity of its performances. A “story score” based on the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol (review forthcoming) picks up where last year's Once Upon a Time left off, with professional storyteller Sarah Walker again narrating, and Skylark delivering a powerful score by Benedict Sheehan that incorporates themes from traditional carols and folksongs. Dickens' tale is obviously familiar, yet it feels reborn in this engrossing Skylark treatment, and one comes away from the experience deeply moved.

https://www.textura.org/archives/articles/2021picks.htm