An unexpected delight recorded in Sweden, including great music by modern Swedish composers, this new studio album is a brilliant performance of singing, with soaring tones not only enchanting but brilliantly clear (all English). First there is a gorgeous Samuel Barber masterpiece Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Then we hear The Strand Settings, an orchestral four-part song cycle dedicated to Fleming by Swede Anders Hillborg, using chilling words by Pulitzer-winning poet Mark Strand. Finally I was stunned by three Bjork songs orchestrated by Hans Ek: Virus, Joga and All is Full of Love. Fleming gives double value in the last, providing her own backup chorus like a pop artist "I wanted to do that for years," she says. The orchestra (conductor Sakari Oramo) is admirable.
Verdict: top marks for terrific voice.
Spoken words by Virginia Woolf are heard on the first track of this latest Richter album. Its music (minimalist mostly in style) from 2015 was crafted for a ballet triptych Woolf Works inspired by the life and works of the English novelist. (Three acts are based on Mrs Dalloway, Orlando, and The Waves). The Guardian called the ballet "a haunting meditation on memory, madness and time" with a lavishly atmospheric score. Minimalist music sometimes annoys me with tedious repetition and I felt that arpeggiator techniques (rapid replay of notes of a chord) were boringly long. Some critics find powerful soundscapes here, virtuoso electronic sounds and impelling string and piano melodies in the mix. It may also appeal to Virginia Woolf readers.
Verdict: Woolf electro-cuted?
