Discipline and commitment marked every second of Cantairi Oga Atha Cliath's concert at the National Gallery last Thursday evening. As part of the gallery's Winter Warmers series, this choir of 29 women presented a one-hour programme of 12 unaccompanied pieces, nicely organised into three groups.
The impeccable blend, ensemble and intonation of two unison songs - plain-chant to open the concert and an Irish folk song as an encore - were maintained throughout the wide-ranging programme. Although Renaissance music - Palestrina and Gallus - was clean and well-paced, expression was a bit one-dimensional. The fruity sound produced in Verdi's demanding Laudi alla Vergine Maria achieved more penetrating results.
Listening to Bartok, Bardos and Kodaly, you could hear why this choir has won so many competition prizes, including some of the most prestigious in these composers' native Hungary. I was especially impressed by the confident swagger achieved in Gyorgy Orban's Lauda Sion, which had an infectious relish for elaborate rhythm and harmony, for compositional flair and choral sonority.