Volti, The Color of There Seen From Here, Robert Geary

Choral New Music is alive and well in the instance of the vocal ensemble Volti under the direction of Robert Geary. They come to us with five acapella works on The Color of There Seen From Here (Innova 023). Each sprawls somewhat expansively within a harmonically rich Modern tonality.

Five living composers grace the program in thoughtful works that have a color to them as the title of the program suggests. With superior pitch control, voices project forth in carefully fashioned performative glows. Each work is a world unto itself, complex vocal clusters abound in various ways good to hear.

Each brings out aspects of Volti's precision of expression. Taken all together they map our Contemporary secular choral terrain with a slow uncovering of the potentials of vocal works today.

Music of our present decade form the building blocks of the program, beginning with Forrest Pierce and his 2013 "Gratitude Sutra," followed by Tonia Ko and the 2016 "From Ivory Depths," Robin Estrada and "Caeli enarrant," Mark Winges "All Night" (2013), and finally Zibuokle Martinaityte and his "The Blue of Distance" (2010).

We come away with a definite feel for the present day choral situation. Good music, well performed!