>‘Life and Breath’ has a pleasing choice of liturgical and sacred texts, and René Clausen’s word-setting is always appropriate and approachable to listeners. Much of the music moves at slow tempi but dancing jazzy rhythms in the manner of Robert Chilcott or John Rutter are heard in All that hath life and breath, praise ye the Lord and the Gloria from the Mass. Elsewhere, you’ll hear slow, sustained and widely spaced chordal textures, which are so characteristic of composers including Lauridsen, Mealor and Whitacre. However, Clausen’s harmonic language is generally richer, with expressive bitonality and modulations. In this respect, his style is akin to that of Herbert Howells, as you’ll hear par excellence in The Lamb and the Mass’s Agnus Dei.

All this presents quite a challenge for choirs, which the Kansas City Chorale under the assured direction of Charles Bruffy are fully capable of meeting. They do so with bright, youthful, polished singing, giving Clausen’s music fine advocacy. It’s also good to listen to new, fresh settings of words that are well known through other composer’s works. O magnum mysterium by Lauridsen and Set me as a seal by William Walton may be familiar pieces but listeners may prefer Clausen’s more overtly emotional music. Certainly his choral works deserve wider international recognition and would be worthy additions to the choral repertoire.