Voces8 are 20 years old this year, but with so many speeches and so much goodwill floating around the sold-out Barbican, this birthday concert felt more like a wedding. It was certainly a family celebration on one level: the main MC was Barnaby Smith, who co-founded this agile vocal group with his brother Paul and is still its countertenor and artistic director, while Paul is CEO. And there were several old friends of the ensemble among the composers.
The first half showcased the group in its usual format – eight singers, a cappella. It started with Buccinate in neomenia tuba by the Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Croce, which, expertly sung, felt like an establishment of their credentials: crisp, poised and fast, the Italian skipping off the singers’ tongues.
