Motet for 12 Singers

Considering Rivera’s childhood on the move—he did time in D.C., Virginia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and Miami—I’m not sure if he ever had the opportunity to study vocal techniques high up in the Himalayas. Truly, though, Rivera’s work falls somewhere right in between Meredith Monk and David Hykes. The Tibetan influence is ever-present in this piece, incorporating as it does some philosophical Buddhist underpinnings and the “Five Sacred Syllables” of chanting monks, but also plenty of odd vocalizations, complex rhythms, overtone singing, and other innovative bits of extended vocal technique. Performed here by the Grammy-lauded Chanticleer, you might be hard pressed to distinguish them from a group of saffron robe clad monks.

—MS