TORMIS: “Forgotten Peoples.” Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir,...

TORMIS: “Forgotten Peoples.” Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, conducted by Tonu Kaljuste. ECM 434275-2. Six song cycles by Veljo Tormis, each based on the folk traditions of a different people of the Estonia-Karelia area, make up the generous, stunning program on this two-disc set. The music is visionary in regard to both past and present and characterful in both description and narrative. It is also quite virtuosic, and powerfully sung here by a choir of remarkable purity--free of both vibrato and nasality--and rhythmic security. This is a must-have recording for fans of secular choral music, and as Tormis’ pieces become available, expect to find them in the display spots at choir festivals everywhere.

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ARNOLD: String Quartets 1 and 2. McCapra Quartet. Chandos CHAN 9112. This is much darker music than we generally expect from Malcolm Arnold but still handsome and imaginatively scored. Particularly the first quartet, from 1949, broods in somber night, suggestive of Bartok in technique and Shostakovich in spirit. The second and much bigger quartet, from 1975, covers a wider emotional range but sounds no less serious for its moments of mania or transfiguring benediction. The McCapra Quartet, a young British ensemble, offers affecting work, rich in sound and sharply focused interpretively.