Bruckner: Ave Maria (1856), WAB 5

“The least often performed of Bruckner’s mature works are his short choral pieces. Most of these 17 pieces are unaccompanied and purely choral, but three are accompanied by three trombones, a striking effect…Few would guess that they were Bruckner, though occasionally the harmonies are so daring that few composers would have dared to use them. The performances here are given by a Czech Choir with a characteristic, central European sound, rougher, more throaty than one would expect from a British choir, and in that way welcome… they are impressive and I suggest going to the last three to find that out.” Michael Tanner, BBC Music Magazine