Radiant Dawn Matilda Lloyd Artist

The {|Gesualdo Six|}, under director {|Owain Park|}, has evolved into one of the world's top small vocal ensembles, with a repertory stretching far beyond its namesake composer. The vocal precision that has made the sextet famous is fully in evidence on this 2025 release, but there are several new features that show the group continuing to evolve. It is {|Park|}'s programming that grabs and holds one's attention this time around. He is certainly not the only director to sequence {|James MacMillan|} and {|Thomas Tallis|}, but his segues seem uncannily seamless. They work so perfectly that when {|Park|} chooses to break the mood, as with a {|Hildegard of Bingen|} chant or a startling spoken element in {|Judith Bingham|}'s {|Enter Ghost|}, it seems vivid rather than incoherent. Another fresh element here is the inclusion of {|Matilda Lloyd|}'s trumpet, which can take on triumphant or reflective moods as needed. {|Park|} contributes his own fine compositions sparingly to {|Gesualdo Six|} albums, and his {|Sommernacht|} here is an unusually effective one, contributing to the restrained mood. The sound from All Hallows church, Gospel Oak, London, is ideal on this excellent release, which made classical best-seller lists in the summer of 2025. ~ James Manheim