The Bevan Family Consort is an offshoot of the
Bevan Family Singers, a unique choir that dates back to the 1970s. The members are, as promised, members of a single family that produced star soprano
Mary Bevan, among others. The group stands apart from the work of their British compatriots in several respects. First is the choice of repertory, a subject into which the booklet notes go into a good deal of detail. Many of these pieces were favorites of founder
David Bevan, and they are from an older layer of English music-making, with rich Counter Reformation polyphony and some favorite English composers. In some ways, the program holds together well; the simpler, vertical sound of
Thomas Tallis makes an ideal foil for the dense music of
Victoria and
Palestrina. In other ways, it is a bit idiosyncratic; the pieces by
Holst and
Stanford at the end, lovely though they may be individually, seem tacked on. The choir's sound, too, bears little resemblance to the current state of the English collegiate-cathedral style; it is richer, more caressing, and more openly lyrical. Consider the
Versa est in luctum of
Alonso Lobo, a piece often given an almost minimalist treatment; here, it is almost opulent. It would be wrong to say that
The Bevan Family Consort is for people who don't like the usual English sound, but it is definitely a choir with a difference, and listeners are encouraged to check out this latest iteration, which his classical best-seller charts in the spring of 2023. ~ James Manheim
