Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit, FLAC; Decca 4788689 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

This is the big-label debut by the young Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, some of whose work may be familiar from recordings on the enterprising 2L label – for example, the ‘Ubi Caritas’ opening this set is also available as on his Piano Improvisations album [2L-082]. A former Classic FM album of the week (but let’s not hold that against it), this set sees Gjeilo’s work performed by some top-notch singers in the form of Tenebrae and Voces 8, with the strings of the title provided by the London Chamber Orchestra and the piano by Gjeilo himself. It’s a programme of unmistakably Nordic music, ranging from the sacred to the secular, and is treated to a wonderfully detailed and ethereal sound well-suited to the content, especially in the tracks evoking the landscape so familiar to the composer. Yes, perhaps it’s somewhat ‘classical-fusion’, but it’s definitely hugely enjoyable. AE

Sound Quality: 90%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Recorded in Hampstead’s All Hallows’ Church in April 2015, this is a very clean, low-level recording with one to two bits of unused headroom. Piano extends to 10kHz, voices to 15kHz and string harmonics out to 30kHz. PM