Review: The musically delightful Castalia Vocal Consort launches in Sydney

Hotheads and Lovers

Saturday February 12, 2022 – Ambush Gallery, Waterloo

When a new vocal ensemble launches on the concert scene it is cause for celebration and when this group is as skilled and as musically delightful as CASTALIA VOCAL CONSORT then concertgoers everywhere should take notice.

For an emerging group the ensemble work was nothing short of astonishing. In the opening bracket of compositions by composers from the late 1500’s until the middle of the 1600’s Castalia showed it already has a large palette of colours together with a wonderful capacity to display nuance and subtle interpretation.

As you would expect the rich and layered harmonies of works by Carlo Gesualdo and Claudio Monteverdi stood out in the music of the early baroque and the singers despatched all the pitching difficulties with élan. And thank goodness the group programmed two pieces from Barbara Strozzi as they shone out in what was already a stellar group of composers. Little solos here from Dillon and elsewhere by Murray and the young and sweet toned tenor Louis Hurley enchanted the audience.

Amongst music from centuries and centuries ago there was music of now and some of it sounded fresh.

Rosso, by the Italian contemporary composer, Salvatore Sciarrino, came as a breath of fresh air with its delicately crafted dissonances and ever so sweet glissandi. The standing room only audience enjoyed the energy from the quintet.

It was fun to hear a quaintly old-fashioned work by English composer Michael Finnissy, Quel No where two sopranos seem to be engaged in a screaming match. Fabulous performance from Lankshear and Moore.

Simon Martyn-Ellis, lute and theorbo, gave great support in the ensemble works and added so much to the aural tapestry of the concert with his solos and in working alongside the beguiling tenor Christopher Watson in two duets. Such artistry.

My favourite work was by Sigismondo d’India, a work that explored vocal techniques that bordered on the instrumental and was magic and also dramatic from beginning to end. It allowed the audience to become involved in the intellectual process that the singers had to weave before our very eyes.

The concert ended appropriately with a beautifully serene work with overlapping parts by Verdelot and the ensemble shone. The singers knew that they had delivered a wonderful debut concert and revelled in the moment.

I look forward to hearing Castalia again … and soon I hope.

Alan Holley

Castalia Vocal Consort are preparing for a live stream of this program on Australian Digital Concert Hall in March 2022

Castalia Vocal Consort Artists

Chloe Lankshear – soprano

Amy Moore ­- soprano

Stephanie Dillon – mezzo-soprano

Louis Hurley – tenor

Christopher Watson – tenor

Philip Murray – bass

Simon Martyn-Ellis – lute and theorbo