Dove Jonathan: The Passing of the Year

Jonathan Dove is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music, and his writing for choral forces is charged with intensity and beauty. The Passing of the Year is dedicated to the memory of his mother and sets seven texts with moving directness and a beguiling sense of the seasons’ passing. It sounded as if the streets were running also celebrates nature, his setting of the storm imagery in Emily Dickinson’s poetry rich in surging climaxes. Vivid characterisation, this time of animals, suffuses Who killed Cock Robin? which, like all Dove’s music, is hugely approachable, varied and exciting. Jonathan Dove is one of the most approachable of contemporary composers, prizing communication above obscurity, something his choral works demonstrate so well. These settings are intimate, rousing, beautifully crafted and lyrical.