James Weeks (1978-)
Mala Punica, pour huit voix seules
Walled Garden, pour 2 flûtes alto, flûte basse, violon, alto et violoncelle

Ensemble Exaudi

Juliet Fraser, soprano
Amy Moore, soprano
Christopher Field, contre-ténor
Tom Williams, contre-ténor
Stephen Jeffes, ténor
Jonathan Bungard, ténor
Jonathan Saunders, basse
Jimmy Holliday, basse

Ensemble Hortus

Jane Mitchell, flûte alto
Rebecca Larsen, flûte alto
Helen Keen, flûte basse
Daniel Pioro, violon
Robert Ames, alto
Oliver Coates, violoncele

James Weeks, direction

Since its debut in 2002, EXAUDI has emerged as one of Britain’s leading contemporary music ensembles. EXAUDI is based in London. The ensemble typically works as a consort rather than a choir. EXAUDI’s special affinities are High Renaissance, early Baroque and especially contemporary music, at home equally with maximal complexity, microtonality and experimental aesthetics. Mala Punica (pomegranate) is an extraordinary album, particularly because the leader and composer James Weeks has written the settings of the poems “Song of Songs“ especially for the eight voices of EXAUDI which he founded together with the soprano Juliet Fraser. The erotic poems from the Tanach (Old Testament) fascinate through the impressive aesthetic power of EXAUDI. This song circle is framed by the instrumental composition “Walled Garden“. “Mala Punica“ and “Walled Garden“ are totally merged into one another and form an artistic unity.