Thread: All female choral works

One of my favorite operas is Suor Angelica. There is something about the beauty and clarity of the all-female choral sound that I enjoy so much. Does anyone have any recommendations for all female choral works? I enjoy choral works in general but haven't found anything quite like Suor Angelica.

As per usual I have lost the name of that nun... it's in there somewhere... all I get is 'bling', that can't be right. Anyway, I think there are all female recordings of her stuff out there. All you have to do is figure out what this damn fool is drifting on about.

Are you thinking of Hildegard von Bingen, Mr. Troll?

I like "11,000 Virgins: Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula", by Hildegard von Bingen and recorded by Anonymous 4 on the
Harmonia Mundi label.

I like Faure's Messe Basse. It's melodic but doesn't drag into drama or sentimentality.

This is the piece that made me wake up as a young man and ask, Who is this Debussy guy?

I would second almost any recording by the Anonymous 4... but also look into Chiara Cozzolani:

http://www.cozzolani.com/

Another group to look into is the Trio Mediaeval:

Well if nuns are your fetish the other nunnish opera is Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites



Aurora Surgit is another all female ensemble doing gregorian chant



Marie Keyrouz is also an early music expert quite a few of her full albums seem to be on youtube, listen before the takedown notices.

Erik Bergman's DREAMS (1977) for female choir.

I like medieval (Hildegard), renessaince and baroque female choral works. As I said before I can't stand female cries specially in Operas!

Not technically all female, but at least no tenors and basses.






Also check out the ending of Holst's The Planets (Neptune). Pretty eerie stuff.

Ligeti's Lux aeterna is not for an all female choir - as you must know, CoAG, and as this analysis makes clear: http://www.ex-tempore.org/jarvlepp/jarvlepp.htm

Messiaen's Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine happily is for an all female choir: