NCO's joyful musical folk journey

Mike Brewer guides the National Youth Choir of Great Britain on a lively musical tour of folk music from round the world

Composer: Various
Repertoire: Mike Brewer’s World Tour World music arr. Mike Brewer
Artists: National Youth Choir of Great Britain/Brewer
Rating:  4/5
Genre: Orchestral
Label: Delphian DCD 34080

There are some terrific moments of vocal picture-painting in Mike Brewer’s set of folk arrangements from around the globe. When the young singers of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain start rapid hum-hum-humming some minor chords, it immediately conjures up a balalaika. Their sharp attack and quick die-away on other chords suggests a bandoneon in the tango number. There are open-throated nasal vowels for the African numbers, too. If the mix of polite Englishness and earthy folk topples into preciousness sometimes, overall it’s great fun and the choir puts its heart and soul into it all.