Michael Harrison: Just Constellations is one of a pair of 2020 releases by the vocal ensemble
Roomful of Teeth, the other being
Wally Gunn: The Ascendant. The two releases are separate, featuring music by different composers, but they are also counterparts, exploring facets of the creativity of this remarkable vocal group.
Harrison's Just Constellations consists of four movements, each one denoted both by the name of a season and a more abstract "constellation" term, and each featuring open harmonies that gradually coalesce into tighter blocks. The voices sing long syllables, evoking bells or drones in a cavernous space, and they must execute the difficult task of singing in just intonation, and the precision of the harmonies offers something from which any choral ensemble can learn. The album is one of a group that brought a Producer of the Year Grammy nomination for
Jesse Lewis, who, especially on this half of the
Roomful of Teeth pair, surmounted considerable technical challenges; the pristine work of the ensemble comes through in striking detail. Those who love the music of the Baltic minimalists will find a Western counterpart here, and the precision of the vocal work will be admired by all.