Robin Blaze, Paul Hillier & Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir - Toivo Tulev: Songs (2008)

Based purely on the surface of its sound, the music of Toivo Tulev (born 1958) has little in common with that of his fellow Estonian, Arvo Part, but their music is similar in the ways it creates a sense of suspended time. Part's music is notable for its harmonic austerity and spare textures, whereas Tulev's is richly, densely chromatic, often to the point of obscuring any clear sense of tonality. Using very different musical languages, both composers use harmony to project a feeling of timelessness and stasis. Like Part's, Tulev's music is rarely in a hurry, but its intoxicating, unmoored harmonies create a sense of woozy displacement that's quite unlike Part's chaste and mostly untroubled serenity. Tulev's music is also frankly sensuous, and while it would never be mistaken for neo-Romanticism, it has an evocative lushness that gives it immediate appeal. The title of the album, Songs, is somewhat misleading because there are only two vocal solos. Most of these works are choral, and the title refers to the nine sumptuous but languid settings from The Song of Solomon, for chorus, soloists, and chamber ensemble. Tulev's orchestrations are astonishingly unconventional but always striking and effective, and his instrumental and choral blend creates gorgeous, original textures. Leave, alas, this tormenting, to a text by Thomas Morley, makes a similar but more ethereal impression, using only a solo voice, percussion ensemble, and tape. The originality and depth of Tulev's vision make him a composer who should hold strong appeal for fans of new choral music and of independent-minded new music of any kind. Paul Hillier leads the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra in performances of crystalline purity and warm sensuality. The sound of Harmonia Mundi's SACD is immaculate and atmospheric. -- Stephen Eddins