Bach / Messiaen / Pärt / Chrobokova: Katt – Organ Works – Chrobokova

   in Choir & Organ (Jul, 2016)
Katerina Chroboková, alias Kätt, plays an idiosyncratic programme, from Bach to works of her own. A player of considerable ability, her fascination with minimalist patterns is shown well in her own work, Slavkof, contrasting reflective and brilliant writing. The Pärt works are an effective foil to Messiaen’s birdsong-inspired writing in Les oiseaux et les sources. Her singing in two works based on old chant will surprise many – ranging from a whisper to a shout – a jazz or folk style of vocalising, the voice recorded closer than the organ, which raises questions of balance. Maybe contemporary Czech music rather than Bach would have framed this bold programme more satisfactorily. …