Canberra’s Luminescence Chamber Singers get their name from the emission of light, but it was darkness and the gradual snuffing out of candles during Holy Week church services which formed the backdrop to their first tour of the year.

Carlo Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsoria have shocked and fascinated since they were written more than 400 years ago and the ensemble, directed by Song Company former Artistic Director Roland Peelman and led by mezzo soprano AJ America, has embarked on a three-year journey bringing them to light for audiences in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong.

Luminescence Chamber Singers. Photo supplied

For this tour they performed the Good Friday section, the dramatic heart of the work. The concert featured five of the usual line-up – America, soprano Rachel Mink, tenor Dan Walker, baritone Lucien Fischer and bass-baritone Alasdair Stretch – joined by guest baritone Lachlan McDonald.

Woven into the nine responsories were 11 chant-like solos from De Lamentatione Jeremiae Prophetae, each assigned a letter from the Hebrew alphabet and shared around among the male singers.

The stage was sparsely lit by four spotlights and the six...