Schola Cantorum of Oxford/ James Burton
Hyperion CDA 67787 ***

CLASSICAL:Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, who is 82, is enough of a cult figure to have had a portrait concert at the Belfast Festival. Although he's said that he actually began writing choral music for the money, his handling of voices is beautifully crafted in ways that clearly reward the performers as well as the listeners. Jaakko Mäntyjärvi's informative notes document the sometimes surprising compositional strategies involved, though the listener need not be ruffled by mention of 12-tone technique. This selection of seven works treats only a single Finnish text, concentrating instead on the Spanish of Lorca, and offering also Latin, English and German. The music may often be as soft-centred as a melting chocolate, but the performances have real fibre and beauty. www.url.ie/4qdb