Miserere : songs of mercy and redemption

"This is music of consolation, set in a popular idiom, that is surprisingly upbeat in tone given its dedication. The sounds of the casbah fill the air in the opening movement as the singer Belinda Sykes calls for mercy in ancient tongues, accompanied by instruments particular to the region. The blend of the old and the new is ingeniously woven together in many instances ... Iestyn Davies adds his honey-toned countertenor to the lovely Panis Angelicus and, like the cellist Abel Selaocoe, brings to Miserere a heart-warming presence. Stephen Layton, the conductor, has relished the experience too"".