Classical Notes: December 21, 2010 Archive

And all the choirs are above average??

Posted at 9:14 PM on December 21, 2010 by John Birge (2 Comments)
Filed under: Musical philosophy

What are the greatest choirs in the world?

The British magazine The Gramophone assembled an international jury to select the 20 greatest choirs in the world. Number 1?: the Monteverdi Choir, led by John Eliot Gardiner. Not surprisingly, more than half of the choirs on the list are British. Quite surprisingly, none of the choirs are American! The ranking includes a companion essay by American choral composer Eric Whitacre who describes "why British choirs are best."

Meanwhile, Minnesota choirs take a hit in a recent blog post by San Francisco music critic Chloe Veltman. She watched "Never Stop Singing," the documentary about Minnesota's choral tradition, and was not impressed:

"If you sing in a chorus in Minnesota, you will no doubt find the documentary deeply fascinating. But...'Never Stop Singing' couldn't be more dull for anyone who isn't part of the MN scene. The film devotes way too much time to talking about what makes MN such a happy place for choral singing and doesn't make any attempt to engage with the subject in an analytical way. It's largely a case of repetitive back-slapping and self-congratulation."

Nobody has commented on this review, so here's your chance.

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