Treasure Archive

KATI AGÓCS: The Debrecen Passion & other works – Soloists/BMOP/Rose – BMOP

by Audiophile Audition | Mar 12, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

KATI AGÓCS: The Debrecen Passion; Requiem Fragments; By the Streams of Babylon; Like Treasure Hidden in a Field; Vessel – Kati Agócs, sop./Lisa Bielawa, sop./Katherine Growdon, mezzo-sop./Margot Rood, sop./Sonja Tengblad, sop./ Lorelei Ensemble/Boston Modern Orchestra Project /Gil Rose – BMOP Sound 1046, 57:00 multichannel SACD (2/02/16) ****: More outstanding vocal work from this emerging contemporary voice. The more I hear of Kati Agócs’ music, the more I like it. She has an amazing way of setting texts, both and sacred and other inspirational, and giving them a “modern” but captivating context. Agócs typically assimilates several different cultural influences and multiple languages into her powerful and attention getting style. A perfect example is the amazing Debrecen Passion. Thematically centered on the work of contemporary Hungarian poet Szilárd Borbély and influenced by the particular qualities of the Hungarian language and culture, The Debrecen Passion takes Christian and humanist texts and utilizes them in a unique read of the Passion story but without the usual voices in roles. In many ways I found this approach both refreshingly different and quite moving. This is a strong, dramatic and, occasionally unsettling work. Vessel is another polytextual work for three female voices, taking us in a […]