The Courage Consort, possibly the seventh best-known a cappella vocal ensemble in Britain, are given two weeks in a Belgian chateau to rehearse their latest commission, the monstrously complicated Partitum Mutante.

'A devastating portrayal of a woman on the verge of madness . . . His writing is as spare and sharp as ever." Daily Mail

The Courage Consort, possibly the seventh best-known a cappella vocal ensemble in Britain, are given two weeks in a Belgian chateau to rehearse their latest commission, the monstrously complicated Partitum Mutante. Their composer is a maniac, the group is full of sexual tension and fiercely differing temperaments - and what of the inhuman voice in the woods?

"This novella confirms [Faber] as something of a class act, with admirable economy of style and a good nose for character and social comedy . . . This small work is near-perfectly formed." Sunday Times

"Very subtle and completely engaging." Brian Eno

The Courage Consort, possibly the seventh best-known a cappella vocal ensemble in Britain, are given two weeks in a Belgian chateau to rehearse their latest commission, the monstrously complicated Partitum Mutante.
But can the piece be performed? Does it matter that its composer is a maniac best known for attacking his wife with a stiletto shoe at the baggage reclaim of Milan airport? Can the five members of the Consort endure their own sexual tensions and wildly differing temperaments? And what is the inhuman voice that calls out to them from the woods at night?
The esoteric world of avant-garde classical music is the unlikely setting for a story of rare power -
perhaps the most moving Michel Faber has yet written.