Tomorrow is today (cd) : songs of love, beauty and the passing of time

Gramophone Magazine, Editor's Choice, June 2026

Papagena

MacMillan: The Gallant Weaver (Arr. Tenant-Flowers)
Monteverdi: Sì, ch’io vorrei morire (Arr. Tenant-Flowers)
Purcell: Music for a while, Z583 (Arr. Eriksson)
Bush, K: This Woman’s Work (Arr. Clements)
Wheeler, J: Tomorrow is today
Shaw, C: Dolce Cantavi
Macdonald, D: Welcome somer
Sandy Denny: Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Arr. Vango)

SOMM’s third collaboration with the female vocal quintet Papagena is a masterclass in cross-genre programming. Tomorrow is Today explores love, beauty, and the ephemeral nature of time through an incredibly diverse musical lens. The collection spans centuries and traditions, opening with a sequence that binds together Robert Burns's poetry (The Gallant Weaver), passionate Italian madrigals, traditional Ukrainian family songs, and playful Bulgarian flirtation rhythms.

The ensemble—named after the bird-catcher’s wife in Mozart’s The Magic Flute—draws out thematic threads of nature and renewal. The title track, commissioned from Janet Wheeler, captures a shimmering dawn chorus of birdsong. This sits seamlessly alongside a Renaissance motet attributed to Leonora d’Este, contemporary works by Caroline Shaw, a vibrant Indian celebration piece (Holi), and stunning vocal arrangements of classic pop and folk ballads by Kate Bush and Sandy Denny.

"Five-voice Papagena are a class act... this album confirms the creativity, skill and musicianship of a group that deserves King's Singers levels of success and attention." — Gramophone Magazine, June 2026