The Sixteen Essentials

One of the world's premier classical ensembles, featuring both choir and period instrumentalists, The Sixteen have been offering kaleidoscopic readings of classical music since the late ‘70s. One of their greatest strengths is their ability to pivot between genres and idioms, building unique bridges between composers as different as Handel, Pärt, Bruckner, and Palestrina. Whether reading a cappella or with orchestra, The Sixteen evoke gripping drama from the music through their rich, smart interplay of voices. It's hard to get a better idea of what this music should sound like than one gets from these performances.