Patrick Hawes’ ultra-conservative amalgam of styles

The English Chamber Orchestra join Patrick Hawes in his new disc, Blue in Blue

Composer: Patrick Hawes
Repertoire: Blue in Blue
Artists: ECO/Hawes
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Orchestral
Label: Black Box BBM1081

Documentary filmmakers in search of entirely inappropriate music for tales of murder will welcome the release of Patrick Hawes’s Blue in Blue. I suspect from the evidence of the music that my definitions of ‘spiritual’ and ‘ecstatic’ differ sharply from the composer of this mild-mannered piece. And yet many will be consoled by Hawes’s undeniably elegant harmonies and tunes, which contribute to a collection sincere in its expression of faith.