Igor Stravinsky: Late Works

Album information

STRAVINSKY’S LATE WORKS: FROM AUSTERITY TO TRANSCENDENCE

Cappella Amsterdam, its celebrated chief conductor Daniel Reuss, and the Noord Nederlands Orkest present a recording of Igor Stravinsky’s late works, showcasing the composer’s remarkable transformation. Embracing the twelve-tone technique in his later years, Stravinsky reshaped his contrapuntal voice and produced works of rigorous structure, spiritual depth, and emotional intensity. These late compositions, from In Memoriam Dylan Thomas to Requiem Canticles, reveal a composer who fused intellectual precision with ritualistic power, creating music that is as moving as it is masterful.

Featuring an exceptional lineup of soloists – Berit Norbakken, Marianne Beate Kielland, Guy Cutting, Thomas Walker, Tobias Berndt, and Stephan MacLeod – together with harmonium players Dirk Luijmes and Martin Logar, this recording unites compelling interpreters of vocal and choral music. Under Daniel Reuss’s artistic direction of over thirty years, Cappella Amsterdam, together with the Noord Nederlands Orkest, bring these masterpieces to life with unmatched clarity and devotion.

The choir has garnered numerous accolades, including an Edison Klassiek Award for In Umbra Mortis (2021), and has continued its acclaimed recording journey with David Lang: the writings (2022), Schnittke: Psalms of Repentance (2023), Tales of Song and Sadness (2024), and Lassus: Penitential Psalms (2025).

Released physically on standard CD and digitally on all platforms.

REVIEWS:

The Guardian – Five stars: “The playing of the Noord Nederlands Orkest is fearlessly crisp and clean, but it’s the characterful vocals of Cappella Amsterdam that really draw the ear, bringing this spellbinding music to life.”

Gramophone – Editor’s Choice for February: “These beautifully prepared readings, bereft of ugly tone or ragged ensemble, are presented in lucid sound a little drier than might have been expected. Recommended.”

BBC Music Magazine – Choral Choice of the Month: “This recording must contain some of the finest ever interpretations of these works: the choral singing, especially, is exceptional in its clarity and super-precise tuning.”