The Listeners explores the precious cargo of the Voyager space probes… Shaw’s imaginative score, performed with real verve by the PBO, conjures both the ancient and the dazzling mysteries of space travel…The three songs of Is a Rose similarly traverse time…By turns luxurious and restrained, the piece is head in a radian performance from Anne Sofie von Otter with beautifully pliant orchestral accompaniment to complete this excellent disc.

Simply put, both the works and its performances are masterpieces, ingenious fusions of old and new. Shaw’s voice as a composer is singular and unmistakable. Not only is she among the most technically skilled composers working today, she is also one of the most gifted conceptually. The music is cinematic, but not superficial, profound without affectation. Moreover, both works benefit from devoted, sophisticated performances.

[In Is a Rose] pop-song-like inflections and melodic shapes are melded with PBO’s period-instrument, rosin-tanned timbres and brittle harpsichord to create a subtly arresting musical alchemy. This reflective backdrop provides Anne Sofie von Otter’s resonant mezzo voice with enough time and space to weigh up each word and line with delicate nuance...An altogether more dramatic and dynamic approach is taken in the other work on this recording, The Listeners.