“With the boy sopranos, you feel like you died and went to heaven. No one is unmoved, no matter who you are,” says Lawrence Cherney, the artistic director of Soundstreams Canada. The Sealed Angel, by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, features two male sopranos, five local dancers and a 60-voice choir; it will be performed at Toronto's Koerner Hall on Feb 3.

In the 17th century, castratis (castrated boy sopranos) were admired by Europeans as much as '80s youth adored androgynous rock stars such as Michael Jackson, David Bowie or Prince. And they still appeal.

The Sealed Angel has the added appeal of dance, which “is integrated among the singers and that makes it so incredibly strong,” Cherney says. 

“The dancers, lying on stage sweating, feel like they’re inside the music,” adds German choreographer Lars Scheibner, who has been with the show since its debut in Copenhagen in 2005. 

The audience has the same experience because “the singers are spread out everywhere in the audience so that the audience is surrounded by the sound,” Cherney adds.

“I wouldn’t want to call it a ballet or a concert. It’s something in between – it’s 'choir'-eography because the choreography moves with the choir,” Scheibner says.

The Sealed Angel will be performed Fri, Feb 3 at Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St W. soundstreams.ca