Critical Reception
The Washington Post, reviewing Songs for Hannah, noted "Joy and glee, of course, can be subjective. The Hannah texts are pretty severe: There's a lot of 'the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness' and 'they that strive with the Lord shall be broken in pieces.' But (Dienes-Williams's) music was luminous, with insistent rhythms and an almost ancient, incantatory feel."
John W. Lambert, reviewing the Guildford Cathedral Choir's visit to Raleigh, NC during its US East Coast tour, observed that Dienes-Williams "has a huge and altogether favorable reputation among church musicians." He went on to say that the reputation was "richly deserved"; she was a "highly animated director, and she elicited some of the most remarkable “church choir” singing heard hereabouts in a long time." A Haydn motet "left many members of the audience awe-struck."
Read more about this topic: Katherine Dienes
Famous quotes containing the words critical and/or reception:
“The critical spirit never knows when to stop meddling.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied modestly. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.””
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