After centuries of history, Europe (including the UK) might want to lay claim to having the best choirs in the world. But there’s an Australian choir that would pose a serious challenge to that claim.

With a pedigree stretching back only 30 years, The Australian Voices, affectionately known as TAV, has developed a sound that would make heaven’s angels sit up and take notice.

The Australian Voices at St Brigid’s. Photo © Ethan Farquharson

The most exquisite blend (the usual term – balance – really is rather trite for an ensemble of this quality) across its 14 women and 12 men (eight of whom are basses!) fills the space with the most gloriously enveloping sound, creating an almost out-of-body experience for the listener. Underscoring TAV’s sound is its superb expression, dynamics, phrasing, breathing and pitch – demonstrated in this performance to absolute perfection.

All of this was aided and abetted by St Brigid’s beautiful, reverberant acoustic, provided by its soaring, immense four-storey high architecture. Thank goodness for that, for it provided some respite from the most uncomfortable church pews in the world – and not just Christendom!

Perhaps what’s even more special is...