Animals

Matthew Hamilton conductorPelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen Four Madrigals from the Natural World
Giles Swayne The Tiger
Clement Janequin Chant des oyseaux
Meredith Monk Panda Chant II
Judith Bingham Unpredictable but Providential
Roberto Sierra Cantos Populares
Banchieri Madrigale a un dolce usignolo
Capricciata a tre voci
Contraponto bestiale alle mente (from Il Festino nella sera del giovedí grasso)

An a cappella menagerie is let loose by one of the country’s leading contemporary ensembles in this joyously original programme of choral singing.

From Janequin’s 15th-century bird calls to Giles Swayne’s multi-language setting of William Blake’s most famous poem; from howls and yelps to whistles and footstamping, and from elephants to mice, the New London Chamber Choir uses the gems of animal-inspired choral works to bring a zoo-ful of animals riotously to life.

Judith Bingham’s Unpredictable but Providential celebrates the spring arrival of migratory birds, while Madrigals from the Natural World by the Danish composer Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen take their inspiration from elephants, egrets and bat’s sonar. No less dramatic (and often no more polite), madrigals from an earlier generation demonstrate that composers and singers have long felt the need to release their inner beasts.