The Polyphonists — 'O sacrum convivium!' (Olivier Messiaen)

One of Messiaen's few vocal works, this sacred motet written in 1937 is achingly beautiful while pushing tonal boundaries.

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The Polyphonists (puh-LIH-fuh-nists) are a professional vocal ensemble founded from two households: soprano Amy Broadbent & tenor Matthew Hill, and mezzo-soprano Sylvia Leith & bass-baritone Edmund Milly. The word polyphony describes many independent voices interwoven in harmony, and that is our ethos: We are four soloists, but we come together to create music that transcends our individuality.

Since our debut in 2020, The Polyphonists have garnered a steady following and developed a reputation for sophisticated and broad-ranging programming. The Polyphonists were honored as National Finalists for The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2023 (Professional Division), and have been featured in residence at the University of Maryland, Towson University, the University of Oklahoma, & Oklahoma Baptist University. Our repertoire spans from the early Renaissance through the current day, with a commitment to expanding the choral canon by premiering new works and shining a light on lesser-known gems of the repertoire.

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Translation:
O sacred banquet!
in which Christ is received,
the memory of his Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory to us is given.
Alleluia.

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[sbingham]

Wow. This is just otherworldly beautiful. These singers are so, so good - precision of pitch each to the other.

[toby.barnett]

A wonderful performance of a very tricky piece - I seldom hear it done by just 4 singers. I must say I think the soprano is absolutely exceptional!

[LaFilleDeLaRue]

Wow! Stunning! And yes, the soprano’s voice is stunning! Indeed, all the voices are wonderful!

[jackbarnard]

Super wow!!! You guys are super amazing!!! Cheers from Arizona USA. 🇺🇸

[marshallartz]

The soprano has a very beautiful voice.

[rainbowcrystaluk]

Thank you, this is absolutely glorious and so liberating to hear this beautiful richness and purity of singing.

[stevebrewer]

I keep coming back to this: a balm in times of troubled spirit, a reassurance in humanity, a beautifully modulated climax, an abiding, intensely quiet tenderness. Thank you.

[mollyyukomcguire]

The ensemble just knows what the groove is. Beautiful job!

[christopherjhoh]

Outstanding; you surpass the technical challenges and deliver inspiration!

[tobytwo-dp]

There is unreachable and untouchable beauty with this piece. It's like pure magic in this soloists rendition. I felt various emotions: pain, beauty, joy and sorrow and it was such a pleasant listen that it felt "otherwordly", like I was embraced by angels and the brought to heaven to see it's magnificent glory by god and jesus... I felt emotion and cry in this piece. Thank you Messaien for this pleasent experience with colours of tonal boundaries between dissonance and consonance at the same time. 😌

[davidbasden]

Wow! Beautiful!

(I don’t get it: 984 views? 78 subscribers? What’s going on?)

[hyram]

absolument lumineux et envoutant ... quel quatuor !

[johnboulanger]

Conflicting emotions after again watching/listening to this exquisite performance: I never need to sing this piece again and I cannot wait to sing this piece again. Thank you for both!

[RedFunkyBoots]

🥰 Absolutely stunning, thank you ALL for such a magical rendition of Messiaen's masterpiece. It is indeed such a joy to sing this piece with my choir friends, but you all blew me away🥰 Bravo! 👏🏼

[Scriabin_fan]

This is BY FAR my favorite performance of this I've ever heard. Thank you!

[cedybor]

This masterpiece is enhanced by a single magnificent voice per part ! 😍Wonderful !

[oscargill]

The timbre of their voices is so crisp... I love it

[pajaroinflamable]

No puedo parar de escucharlo. Impresionante el ensamble, qué voces! Los felicito.

[mlperkins]

Great performance of a difficult piece.

[tommorrissey]

I looked at the timing of this clip and thought, too fast. But no, it works. Brilliant.