Reviews round-up and CD launch reflections

So here we are around 6 weeks out from the launch of our third CD, of which we were incredibly proud.

As well as jubilation, there is an undeniable feeling of relief when the reviews come in – and they are positive! Reviews are not the be-all-end-all but having shouted from the rooftops about it, then the critics weighed it in the balance and found it wanting – sorry, Belshazzar is still ringing in my ears – well, we may just have gone underground at that point… but there’d still be some egg on the Epiphoni face!

But we had some wonderful observations, amongst them:

“Near ideal … terrific attention to the words. Not only is there clarity of diction, but the words actually mean something.”

and

“Engagingly sung … simple and sublime … from quiet luxuriance to seductive exuberance.

and

There is a real X factor here that makes this one of the most satisfying choral releases of 2022.

Alongside the praise of Epiphoni’s singing and programming, Hughes’s music has also been enthusiastically received, none more so by Gramophone, classical music’s gold standard.

We did a live launch of the album on 24th June and experimented with the format. We think it went pretty well. Here we are setting up and rehearsing.

We went to some lengths to mix up the format – the bar was open throughout, it was hosted (by Eamonn Dougan), it had informal seating, it was about 90 mins with only a short break and drinks after, there were cakes and other light food, and we project text on a screen so people could see what the music was about without referring to their programme throughout (saving on paper!).

The feedback was wonderful so it’s something we plan to repeat.