Dobrinka Tabakova

Kynance Cove; On the South Downs; Alma redemptoris Mater; Of a rose sing we, etc Natalie Clein (cello), Joseph Wicks (organ), Truro Cathedral Choir; BBC Concert Orchestra/christopher Gray Regent REGCD530 70:40 mins

‘Like songs at evening by some distant lake’. These concluding words of Dobrinka Tabakova’s Kynance Cove, drawing on poet John Harris in evocation of the Cornish coastline, embody this often dreamy disc. Whereas the first full disc devoted to Tabakova’s music focused on strings, this new portrait features choral voices with a pervasive combination of nostalgia and transcendence. Other than the organ Diptych, the performances are by Truro Cathedral Choir under Christopher Gray’s sure-footed direction, reflecting Tabakova’s residency there. The choir is joined by the BBC Concert Orchestra for both Kynance Cove and On the South Downs, the latter also boasting Natalie Clein as a compelling soloist.

The opening Alma redemptoris Mater sets the scene, its intertwining of simple harmonic elements to create relatively complex textures proving to be strikingly effective. Like much other music written for cathedral choirs, the works on this disc often inhabit an engaging postvaughan Williams world, with a periodic sprinkling of spice in the harmony, but nothing too acerbic. There is no doubt about Tabakova’s ability to create and sustain a mood, but a little contrasting grit in the oyster would be welcome in order to appreciate the longbreathed loveliness all the more. Christopher Dingle PERFORMANCE ★★★★

RECORDING ★★★★