Review - Joanna Marsh: A Plastic Theatre
Rebecca Tavener
Friday, February 21, 2025

If you don’t already know the wonderful choral works of Joanna Marsh, this portrait programme makes an ideal introduction. Ranging in scale from vocal trio to orchestra and choir, her colourfully compelling sonic palette, deeply emotional and sensitive to layers of meaning, and her technical sureness of touch shines from 11 works, performed by the top-notch ensembles that commissioned and/or premiered them. Settings of diverse texts, including John Donne, E E Cummings, Julian of Norwich, and Katie Schaag, whose multi-movement A Plastic Theatre resonates both philosophically and musically, reveal Marsh as a credible and versatile voice for our times.