Phrases

Phrases is a brilliant showcase for the limitless talents of singer, composer, arranger, cellist and percussionist Heloïse Werner. Sometimes compared to the composers and vocal pioneers Cathy Berberian and Meredith Monk, she uses her incredible voice—not just sung, but spoken, moaned or even sighed—to achieve miracles. Her own pieces, especially “Like Words”, for voice and bassoon, haunt the memory. Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s “Something More Than Mortal” shows Werner’s abilities as a singer and actor, while Elaine Mitchener’s disconcerting “whetdreem” stuns in its originality and Georges Aperghis’ four Récitations use the voice in an entrancing way. More conventional, Nico Muhly’s “Benedicite Recitation” and Oliver Leith’s mesmerising “yhyhyhyhyh” are full of delight.