Cloudburst (2006)

"Eric Whitacre came relatively late to classical music; he was converted by Mozarts Requiem at college, where he joined the choir to meet girls. He went on to study at Juilliard, during which time he wrote Go, Lovely Rose (1991): now a repertoire staple for US choirs, and its easy to hear why: its gentle, melodious and subtly coloured. Since then he has focused on setting modern poetry, although the longest piece here, When David Heard (1999), uses a verse from the Book of Samuel. Sleep originally used Robert Frosts poem Stopping by woods on a snowy evening but legal action by Frosts estate forced Whitacre to abandon the text. Charles Anthony Silvestri composed a new text, a worthy substitute for Frosts poem, to match the music, and it works well. This beautifully performed and recorded CD contains the bulk of Whitacres choral canon and displays his delicate yet vital approach to writing for voices. I guess if you like Tavener or Pärt, youll enjoy Whitacre." (Barry Witherden, Gramophone 4/2006)