Live music review: The Swingles, Cork City Hall

The 63rd Cork International Choral Festival is now in full swing, with, as well as the hotly-contested choral competitions for both national and international groups, a range of gala concerts, workshops, masterclasses, free recitals and fringe events all over the city and county. 

Last Wednesday’s opening night saw a stunning presentation of Verdi’s Requiem at the City Hall; while on Thursday night the world-renowned Swingles made a welcome return to the city.

How a group that has been going since the early 1960s can continue to create the same wonderfully pure and inspiring sounds that first made it famous is a mystery. The membership inevitably changes over the years, and yet that magical beauty is still perfectly rendered in the harmony of seven voices ranging across the scale from highest to lowest. Shut your eyes, and you are listening to the Swingles at any stage of their long-lasting career.