Somehow at Harmonia Mundi, a new Hillier collection calls for a Currier and Ives painting. So be it. Hillier listeners understand that no marketing feat can fill the gaps that punctuate the 12th-century "O quanta qualia"; only a faith in his distinct musical agenda (or, perhaps, His) can bridge such pauses. There is communal cheer ("The Apple Tree," dating from the Revolution, has a catchy chorus), but it's tempered by introversion. Secular Puritan John Cage shows up, having set lyrics by Thoreau. That follows a 16th-century snippet of Thomas Tallis, and is followed itself by a 12th-century piece that attenuates 13 syllables of benediction for over four minutes. Currier and Ives may greet listeners at the cabin door, but Hillier waits inside with a sermon straight out of Jonathan Edwards. --Marc Weidenbaum
