Rivers is the second EP from composer John Barber and Fourth Window vocal ensemble. Over its five tracks conductor Sarah Latto and 8 acapella voices tell five different love stories- spiritual, romantic and parental. Julia, setting text by Robert Herrick, imagines a lover heading to a magical late night rendezvous; My River – written for John’s son just after he was born – uses text by Emily Dickinson to create a modern day spiritual of hope and gratitude. In Lullaby, a mother sings her baby to sleep whilst her partner is at war. The EP is bookended by The Voice Of My Beloved and Love Is As Strong As Death – setting timeless text from the Song of Songs.
★★★★ – “If you enjoy contemporary choral music this is highly recommended” – Crossrhythms
“There is such variety of colour and texture but also, he has these themes that run through them so this sense of flow, this sense of rhythmic impetus—the rivers, the night, the sort of sensuous and erotic but also spiritual so there is a unifying sense across them but there’s lots of variety and I can imagine a lot of these songs going straight into choirs repertoires and people really enjoying getting to know them.” – BBC Radio 3 Record Review