Thomas is a faculty member of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and also served as the Composer-in-residence for the Gregg Smith Singers, one of my favorite choral groups of the past from all of their work with E. Power Biggs, Stravinsky, and early Americana. I wish I could say that the luster I was expecting to hear was still present, but there are some ragged and unbalanced moments in these pieces that evidence a decline from the high standards I had been used to hearing. The music is quite approachable, the pieces for chorus being the best things here. O Magnum Mysterium is quite delectable and suitably esoteric in its text painting and the mood it successfully sets. Songs of Seasons is another very fine piece for mixed chorus and piano.
The solo songs are disappointing, set to the Psalms but devoid of a certain character and consistency that you find in the chorus music, and the singing of Jared Stamm leaves much to be desired; I am not certain if my mind would not change had I heard a more competent and fully professional voice. Warsong is not a belligerent entity but taken from the poetry of Walt Whitman set for a soprano, mezzo, and piano. I found it unconvincing, lacking in certain musical complexity and gravitas that almost any poetry of Whitman needs (look at Vaughan Williams), and again the singing sounds strained and lacking requisite tonal beauty.
The sound is somewhat claustrophobic and constricted, like it was recorded in a tiled practice room, and has an amateurish quality about it. I wish I could be more enthusiastic, but compared to what we expect from modern recordings and performances this one is not quite there, despite some truly excellent choral work that is worth investigating.
TrackList:
1. O Magnum Mysterium (4:25)
2. January-April (2:32) ~ Alto solo by April Lindevald
3. May (1:03)
4. June-September (1:43)
5. October (1:41)
6. November-December (3:35) ~ Soprano solo by Mary Elizabeth Poore Tenor solo by Drew Martin
7. The Dawning (4:38) ~ The Men of The Gregg Smith Singers;
Gregg Smith, conductor
8. Psalms ~ Jared Stamm, baritone; Thomas Schmidt, piano 8. Psalm 46: 2-7, 10-11 (5:13)
9. Psalm 84: 1-4 (2:29)
10. Psalm 51: 10-17 (4:31)
11 Warsong (13:01) ~ Eileen Clark, soprano; Megan Friar, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Schmidt, piano
— Steven Ritter
