American Record Guide

You learn quickly that Ireland’s John Buckley (b.1951) is one of those composers who can write adeptly in just about any style he chooses. He creates ‘Down by the Salley Gardens’ in the spirit of an Irish folk tune. For Shelley’s ‘When the Soft Voices Die’, he becomes a Renaissance madrigalist—and a rather convincing one at that. Buckley’s two-part Songs for Children can evoke the quiet of a beautiful garden or share in the hubbub of a cuckoo fading its nest—or express his love for the Irish nation. And when a hushed spiritual mood is called for, he pens a radiant ‘Lux aeterna’ that any good church choir would be happy to claim. The choir champions Buckley’s music with handsome tone and expressive colors. Diction could be sharper, though I suspect the reverberant church acoustic had something to do with that. The Irish composer, choir, and conductor were all new to me and I’m pleased to have made their acquaintance.

—Philip Greenfield