In these five fiendishly difficult a cappella scores the Danish National Radio Chamber Choir displays outstanding virtuosity and dazzling singing skills. Tuning is always impeccable, not least in the sliding tonality of Lidholm and the dense chromatic textures of Schoenberg, diction is flawless, and the dynamic and tonal range from such a small group is astonishing. The vocal acrobatics and distorted vocalizations (particularly in Per Norgard's delightful Wie ein Kind) are carried out with rare ease and assurance. The whole programme is a stunning technical tour de force.
But the lasting impression is not of the choir's virtuosity, but of intensely musical performances. Henze's Orpheus behind the wire perfectly matches Edward Bond's dark, bitter texts. Sung with such conviction the desolation of ''What was Hell like?'' has an almost tangible horror. Henze's work, influenced as it was by his experiences in the Nazi army of 1944-5 makes an interesting parallel with Poulenc's masterpiece Figure humaine written during the Nazi occupation of France. Both use the unaccompanied choir to express the intensity of human response to suffering and persecution. The Danish choir produces a highly-charged, overtly emotional account with the climactic final movement, ''Liberte'' about as electrifying a piece of choral singing as you will hear anywhere. Stefan Parkman measures things splendidly—the first refrain ''J'ecris ton nom'' has all the incandescence of muted strings, each of its 19 subsequent statements increases in intensity up to the final, dramatic statement of the single word ''Liberte''. Against this, The Sixteen (on Virgin Classics) seem rather restrained, keeping a very tight rein on the emotions. They come into their own in the lighter, brisker movements—the Danish choir cannot compare with such nimbleness and energy in ''En chantant les servantes s'elancent''. Still, as they say, you pays your money and you takes your choice. In this case, if you invest your money in the Chandos release, you can rest assured that you will not waste a single centime.'