"This album is a partial survey of the vocal works of the generation of composers born in the 1950s or 1960s and immersed in a European scene that was embracing a more confident aesthetic pluralism, built on the loosening and fracturing of the former dominant musical hegemonies. In their different ways, these composers all manage to reconcile the natural lyricism of the voice with the mid- century rejection - whether through the dismantling of language and its meaning, or the 'neutralising' strategy of treating the voice as an instrument - of the recent historical burdens of that same lyricism. The voice, here, seems to sing across time. It pivots to deliver echoes of Renaissance polyphony one moment, to usher in the future with other- worldly sounds the next, to conjure up the intimacy of a whisper in an ear and then deliver the full drama of an impassioned bel canto cry. This is what excites me. The voice is fully embodied, connected and integrated within its actual history and its potential legacy." - Juliet Fraser

Soprano Juliet Fraser specialises in the gnarly edges of contemporary classical music. Internationally recognised as a committed interpreter of new music, Juliet regularly appears as a guest soloist with renowned ensembles, as a duo with pianist Mark Knoop, or in solo programmes for voice and electronics. She also remains a core member of EXAUDI vocal ensemble, which she co-founded with composer/conductor James Weeks in 2002. Her discography spans Renaissance polyphony, madrigals old and new with EXAUDI, fresh interpretations of Morton Feldman's Three Voices and Milton Babbitt's Philomel, and brand-new solo works written for her. She has delivered masterclasses or short courses and is also active as a writer and speaker. She is the founder and artistic director of the eavesdropping festival in London.