You may not have realised your life lacked a disc of modern Brazilian choral music, complete with rainforest soundtrack and talk of hummingbirds, alligators, pollution and clothes-washing. This enchanting album may convince you otherwise. The title – Romaria – refers to pilgrimage, crowds and the vibrancy of faith. Apart from Heitor Villa-Lobos, all the composers included here were born in the early- or mid-20th-century, some still unpublished. Their names are unfamiliar: Henrique de Curitiba (of Polish origin), Ernst Mahle (German-born), Osvaldo Lacerda, Cláudio Santoro among them. Some use popular Brazilian rhythms, others look back to a Catholic-Christian choral tradition. Aylton Ecobar’s Missa Breve uses both. The choir of Gonville & Caius is among the finest of the mixed collegiate choirs. Everything they do merits our attention, especially this.
