The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir with their conductor Tõnu Kaljuste appeared at the rather spectacular (and very large) St. Paul’s Basilica last night as part of Sounstream’s 2023/24 season.  The programme was largely made up of works to liturgical or scriptural texts by Palestrina and Pårt.  It was gorgeous polyphony, beautifully sung but in which any sense of the text was largely lost.  It also all inhabited a very similar sound world.  Even towards the end of the concert when a little variety crept in it was surprisingly little.  One might expect a 21st century work setting H.P. Lovecraft to sound more dramatic or abrasive than a 16th century setting of “Ave Maria” but Omar Daniels new piece Antarktos Monodies, despite having a few interesting touches, was much of a piece with the music that surrounded it.

The final work; Pårt’s Kanon Pokajanen, was a bit different.  It’s hard to define musically how it differed because it was relentlessly tonal but aesthetically it seemed to belong more to the Orthodox than the Catholic tradition.  It also showcased some of the choir as soloists which also created some new textures.  A good choice.

So, gorgeous singing, gorgeous setting but for this listener rather too one dimensional.