Kingfisher: Songs for Halcyon

July 8, 2016

Steve Moffatt for The Daily Telegraph

CD review

The human voice — and some of the best harmonising you’re likely to hear anywhere — is at the centre of Kingfisher (TP236), 21 songs composed for Halcyon, soprano Alison Morgan and mezzo Jenny-Duck-Chong.

The list of composers reads like a who’s who of Australia’s current music scene with contributions from Andrew Ford, Stuart Greenbaum, Ross Edwards, Paul Stanhope, Elliott Gyger and Nigel Butterley among others.

As you would expect the subject matter, style and demands on the twin vocalists are diverse and often challenging. Morgan and Duck-Chong are accompanied by a skilful blend of woodwind multi-instrumentalists Laura Chislett Jones and Jason Noble, alongside cellist Geoffrey Gartner and percussionists William Jackson and Joshua Hill.

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This review appeared in the Daly Telegraph