This album of sacred choral works for the 21st century is a delightful CD, with some surprises as far as its background goes: Lydia Kakabadse has her roots in Greece, Austria, Russia and Georgia, but was born in Southport and grew up in Altrincham.<\/p>\n
Clearly a compulsive overachiever, she started composing at 13 and after studying music, took up dancing, even appearing on the The Six O\u2019Clock Show<\/em>. \u00a0Needing funding for her composing, she took up law, qualified as a solicitor and landed a master of law degree.<\/p>\n Her interests include mediaeval music and \u2014 to our untutored ears \u2014 you\u2019d happily take this as a modern rending of a mediaeval church music, with exotic influences.<\/p>\n The opening piece, the medieval Spectre of The Maiden Scorned, <\/em>is a story devised by Kakabadse herself, a Game of Thrones <\/em>tale of a lovelorn monk being stitched up by an unscrupulous abbot, the work using original Latin text. The music features chant, monotonic singing and a two-octave stretch for the maiden\u2019s lament.<\/p>\n The next work, the title piece, is Greek orthodox in style and written in memory of the composer\u2019s mother, as moving and solemn a piece as you would expect. It sets the monotonic male voices against the polyphonic choir.<\/p>\n The third piece, Kontakia, <\/em>also features the male voices and has the Greek influence.\u00a0 The closing Theotakia <\/em>is made up of Marian hymns set to sacred Latin text.<\/p>\n It is performed by former members of Clare College Choir and is out on Divine Art, dda 25135.<\/p>\n Jeremy Condliffe<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n back<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This album of sacred choral works for the 21st century is a delightful CD, with some surprises as far as its background goes: Lydia Kakabadse has her roots in Greece, Austria, Russia and Georgia, but was born in Southport and grew up in Altrincham. Clearly a compulsive overachiever, she started composing at 13 and after … Continue reading The Chronicle (Congleton)<\/span>