Ensemble 96 • So Is My Love 2L 140
 usic dedicated to the
concept of love has come in many and various guises, from syrupy pop music to movie and
stage soundtracks and full-on classical compositions. Until I heard this recording,
however, I had never heard music exploring the concept of love written for chamber chorus.
The ten tunes recorded here deal with love not just on a personal, one-on-one level, but
also in the abstract as well as in the context of religious awakening. That makes this
disc of interest on numerous levels: as pure enjoyment, as a think piece to encourage
examination of your true feelings, and as an offering of gratitude to a higher power.
The composers took their inspiration from many sources -- life itself, the Bible ("Song of Solomon," in particular), various poets and composers such as William Blake and Thomas Tallis -- which makes for a varied yet comprehensive coverage of all the diverse emotions love can stir in the human soul. As is usually the case with 2L, most of the compositions come from Scandinavian composers. As I don’t understand the language, thank goodness for the highly informative liner notes, with lyrics in English that make it easier to follow the flow, emotion and convictions imbued into each number -- though the music alone, no matter the language, manages to get its message across. Ensemble 96's blending of voices adds passion and feeling to the words of each song. Recorded and mastered by 2L’s Morton Lindberg at Uranienborg Church in Norway in the spring and fall of 2016, this 2017 release shows all the work he put into the mixing and mastering before it met his critical standards -- and I’ve yet to hear a 2L recording that is anything but a sonic stunner. If your system has the resolution, you’ll hear both individual voices and the voices in the chorus fill the church with sound. The sense of acoustic space, aided by the reverberation off the walls, is unmistakable, yet Lindberg never loses the intimacy of each individual voice. You truly will get the sensation of being transported to the actual recording venue. Because this is a dual package, with both a high-resolution SACD and Blu-ray Disc, you get stereo and multichannel DSD from the SACD, and 24-bit/192kHZ stereo PCM along with various multichannel formats from the Blu-ray -- quite a range of possibilities to explore. Listening to this set in stereo, with both the SACD and Blu-ray, I was hard-pressed to hear any glaring differences in presentation. Maybe the SACD offered a bit more warmth and fullness, with a smidgen greater sense of space, but it was close enough that, if I had to listen blind, I might not be able to differentiate between it and the Blu-ray. I can only imagine what the multichannel tracks have to offer -- knowing Lindberg, full immersion would be my guess (although I never felt shortchanged while listening to the stereo takes alone). Does So Is My Love live up to its goals? The
passion and feeling woven into each cut can’t help but touch your heart and either
express your personal feelings or give you pause to examine how love influences your life.
This music also gives you reason to examine your relationships, both with your loved one
and your God. This music is not strictly Christian, so it can be appreciated by those of
any faith. After all, the concept of love is as universal as music. |
