Hyperion Records

Miškinis began setting some of the Seven O Antiphons in 1995 but did not complete the set until 2003. Their uniformity lies in the consistent use of double choir with considerable use of overlaid harmonies. In O Adonai and O Rex gentium the second choir merely provides a harmonic backdrop to the more narrative first choir. By contrast, in O Radix Jesse the first choir simply repeats the phrase ‘O Radix Jesse’ as an echo at the end of each phrase from the second choir. The final section of this antiphon makes clever use of ostinatos with each phrase of slightly different lengths so that the resulting texture alters subtly as the pieces subsides ‘al niente’. Different from the other antiphons is O Oriens, which uses a single choir but with the addition of soprano and tenor soloists singing in octaves for a recapitulation of the opening theme.

from notes by Rupert Gough © 2010