choir Archive
RACHMANINOV: All-Night Vigil (Vespers and Matins) – soloists/ dir. by Peter Jermilhov – Paraclete
We are invited to lift our spirits through a deeply inspired performance of Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil. RACHMANINOV: All-Night Vigil (Vespers and Matins), Op. 37 – Mariya Berezovska, alto/ Dmitry Ivanchenko, tenor/ Gloriae Dei Cantores/ The St. Romanos Cappella/ The Patriarch Tikhon Choir/ The Washington Master Chorale/ Peter Jermihov – Paraclete multichannel SACD GDCD 063, 66:34 (3/3/17) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: Sergei Rachmaninov, who always maintained strong, religious convictions, conceived his “The Most Important Hymns of the All-Night Vigil” for a performance of 10 March 1915, meant as a conglomerate of selected liturgical hymns and canticles now condensed into a choral cycle. Rachmaninov, however, did not intend in his fifteen movements to supplant any Orthodox ritual: he wished to express a subjective declaration of religious devotion in terms of the Greek, Klevan, and Great Znamenny (melismatic) Chants which he had come to admire, despite any personal animosity he had sustained in courting his cousin for marriage and having encountered Church resistance. Rachmaninov combined ten, pre-existing chants with five freely composed settings, each of which exploits the modal intervals of a third, fourth, and fifth, so they become indistinguishable from ancient settings, given the composer’s absorption of the essential, syntactical doxology. The […]
BEETHOVEN: Missa solemnis in D – Soloists/ Arnold Schoenberg Chor /Concentus Musicus Wien /Nicholas Harnoncourt ‒ Sony
BEETHOVEN: Missa solemnis in D Major, Op. 123 ‒ Laura Aikin, sop./ Bernarda Fink, alto / Johannes Chum, tenor/ Ruben Drole, bass/ Arnold Schoenberg Chor /Concentus Musicus Wien /Nicholas Harnoncourt ‒ Sony 88985313592, 81:00 (7/15/16) ***1/2: Harnoncourt was a great Beethoven conductor, but his final recording is not entirely successful. Did you know that Beethoven notated over thirty different tempo markings in his Missa solemnis? Neither did I. That’s just one of the wonderful bits of information you can glean if you take time to read the program notes that come along with recordings. Another interesting fact is that Nicholas Harnoncourt’s first seven performances of the Missa solemnis were delivered not from the podium but from a chair in the cello section of the Vienna Symphony. Apparently, none of these performances seemed to capture the essence of the work for him. Indeed, only as he prepared for his own first performance of the work as conductor, in 1988, did he fully come to terms with Beethoven’s difficult masterpiece. Harnoncourt wrote about the experience, “All that had seemed to me to be empty bathos suddenly turned into the opposite.” Empty bathos? Wow! Those seven prior performances not only left him with […]
As Dreams – Music by JANSON, LACHENMANN, NØGÄRD, XENAKIS & SAARIANO – Norwegian Soloists Choir /Grete Pedersen – BIS
As Dreams – Music by JANSON, LACHENMANN, NØGÄRD, XENAKIS & SAARIANO – Norwegian Soloists Choir /artistic director Grete Pedersen – BIS multichannel SACD BIS2139, TT: 61:00 10/28/16 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Contemporary music representing dreams. This is an interesting and compelling disc from BIS and the Norwegian Soloists Choir and its artistic director Grete Pedersen. With a theme of ‘dreams’, the disc gives us a sampling of music that suggests a dreamlike quality. With music from Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany and Greece, and texts ranging from fragments of ancient Assyrian and Sumerian (in Xenakiss Nuits) and the 8th-century Wessobrunner Prayer (Lachenmann) to poems by Balzac (Saariaho), Nietzsche (Janson) and Rilke (Nørgård), the music is all very different, but all adhere to the theme of the disc. The presentation includes musicians from Oslo Sinfonietta in the accompanied works, which include Nørgårds Singe die Gärten for eight-part choir and 8 instruments and Jansons Nocturne for double choir, 2 cellos, harp and 2 percussionists. In life, as on this disc, dreams can be good dreams or bad, and this program gives us the variety of nocturnal experiences. It’s not all ethereal and wistful, but like real dreams, sometimes upsetting and dramatic. The performances […]
American Psalmody of the 20th Century – Gloriae Dei Cantore/Richard K. Pugsley – Paraclete (3 CD set)
A fine tour of American choral music on 3 CDs. American Psalmody of the 20th Century – Gloriae Dei Cantore/Richard K. Pugsley – Paraclete Recordings 8999 (3 CD set) TT: 3:11:00 (7/20/16) ****: This new recording from Paraclete is a pretty complete tour of American Choral music based on Psalms from the Bible. The collection features 20th century music, and 23 of the works contained in this 3 CD set have never been recorded previously, making this set quite a musical treasure. The composers represented include Charles Loeffler, Virgil Thomson, Kent Newbury, Samuel Adler, Charles Ives, Alan Hovhaness and more. The performances are by the Gloriae Dei Cantores, an internationally recognized choir with more than forty members who range in age from seventeen to seventy. This massive collection is conducted by Richard Pugsley. There are also instrumental contributions from brass instruments, a piano and the great organ at Methuen Memorial music Hall at Metheun, MA. The collection is so large you’re not likely to get through all 3 CDs in one sitting, but wherever you dive in I think you’ll be pleased with the level of musicality. Taken together, the collection is moving and they are well performed. It was […]
Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra – Make America Great Again – Troubadour Jazz
New Orleans jazz – helping to “make America great again?”… Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra – Make America Great Again – Troubadour Jazz TJR103016, 62:48 (9/16/16) ****: (Delfeayo Marsalis – trombone; Khari Allen Lee – alto & soprano sax; Jeronne Ansari – alto sax; Roderick Paulin – tenor & alto sax; Gregory Agid – clarinet & tenor sax; Scott Johnson – tenor & baritone sax; Roger Lewis – baritone sax; Terrance Taplin, Charles Williams, Jeffery Miller, T. J. Norris, Maurice Trosclair – trombones; Andrew Baham, Scott Frock, Dr. Brice Miller, John Gray, Jamelle Williams – trumpets; Kyle Roussell – piano; Meghan Swartz – piano; David Pulphus – bass. With special guests – Dee-1 – rap; Cynthia Liggins Thomas – vocal; Wendell Pierce – narration; Branford Marsalis – tenor sax; Victor Goines – tenor sax; Oliver Bonie – baritone sax; John Culbreth – trumpet; Jeff Albert – bass trombone; Uptown Music Theatre Choir – Cynthia Liggins Thomas, Tara Alexander, Ebon George, Jazmine Piper-Marsalis, Kiya Henderson, Justice Smith, Celeste Metoyer, Hillary Vaucresson) Jazz artists are not typically political junkies, with some notable exceptions, i.e Bob Brookmeyer, and Charlie Haden. However, many jazz musicians have keen hip observational skills in finding […]
TAVERNER: Mater Christi Sanctissima; Missa Mater Christi sanctissima; Mass ‘The Western Wynde’ – Westminster Abbey Choir/ James O’Donnell – Hyperion
Wonderful readings of two standards. TAVERNER: Mater Christi Sanctissima; Missa Mater Christi sanctissima; Mass ‘The Western Wynde’ – Westminster Abbey Choir/ James O’Donnell – Hyperion CDA68147, 58:36 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: John Taverner was one of those transitional composers who straddled the fence from Catholicism to Protestantism, but unlike his confrere William Byrd, his tendencies leaned naturally to the latter. Therefore, when he was accused of Lutheran leanings when he composed his Western Wynde Mass to the tune of the same name, eyeballs were raised from the then Catholic ruling powers. However, since not much credence was given to what artists said or thought, no penalties were allocated. “Western Wynde” was of course a very secular song, and at this point of time the idea of incorporating the vagaries of the world into such a sacred text was something questionable from many sources. However, Taverner, far from being wrong in this, was to set a trend that would carry over with many other composers, when secular songs became fair game for religious inspiration. The standards are more in place with the Christi Sanctissima Mass, based not on a song but on a polyphonic motet. Both it and the Western […]
“The Travels of FROBERGER” – Music by FROBERGER and his contemporaries – Magdalena Hasibeder, harpsichords & organ – Raumklang (2 CDs)
“The Travels of FROBERGER” – Music by FROBERGER and his contemporaries – Magdalena Hasibeder, harpsichords and organ – Raumklang (2 CDs) RK 3503, TT: 2:19:13 (6/17/16) [Dist. by Naxos] *****: A magnificent set of keyboard music of Froberger & others. Johann Jacob Froberger’s 400th birthday has inspired a large number of brilliant recorded responses that have both individually and cumulatively brought an immensely influential musical force back into view. Froberger was born in Stuttgart in 1616 and died in 1667 in the service of a widowed Duchess in the House of Württemberg. He traveled extensively and wrote mainly for keyboard instruments and in many forms, so that his influence was felt across the breadth of the burgeoning international (I.e., European) classical music network. He used all the keyboard instruments common at that time; on this recording, the wonderfully expressive Magdalena Hasibeder plays Vienna’s oldest playable organ, built in 1642/43 by Johann Wöckherl and erected in the choir of the Franziskanerkirche. Hasibeder’s harpsichords are an anonymous Italian instrument from the mid-17th century and a two-manual model from Avignon built ca. 1680 and attributed to Claude Labréche, voiced with real quills, and strung in historical iron wire based upon studies of surviving […]
Quincy Jones – Roots: The Saga of an American Family – A&M/ Varese Sarabande
A tiny taste of Roots… Quincy Jones – Roots: The Saga of an American Family – A&M/Varese Sarabande 3020674258 (1977), 27:41 ***: (Quincy Jones – composer; with full orchestra, twelve percussionists, choir, and vocalists) With the recent all-new Roots mini-series debuting on A&E, Lifetime, and History Channel, the original soundtrack recording from the 1977 ground breaking series has been reissued. At a paltry sub-28 minute length, this recording just whets the appetite for the mania that the original Roots brought to the American public viewing audience. It was one of the first mini series released on American TV, and its viewership was astounding. I remember being glued to the TV while in college. Written by Alex Haley, it recounted the journey of slaves to America from Africa. The fictional account was deeply moving and helped begin a modern time discussion of race relations. Broadcast on eight consecutive nights (Jan. 23-30, 1977) on ABC, it became an immediate sensation. Starring LeVar Burton as a young Kunta Kinte with strong performances from Lou Gossett Jr., Ben Vereen, Ed Asner, Leslie Uggams, Maya Angelou, Ralph Waite and many others, it won nine Emmy nominations after being nominated for 37 awards. Quincy Jones composed […]
DAN LOCKLAIR: Requiem – Choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Subito
Personal, private, and persuasive sum up this subdued and very intimate piece. DAN LOCKLAIR: Requiem – Choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, NC/ John Cummins, organ & cond./ Members of Winston-Salem Sym. – Subito Music, 38:30 [12/15/15] ****: I have been a fan of Charlotte native Dan Locklair for some time now. His music, in the best American tonal tradition, is always engrossing, engaging, and well-considered at every turn of the pen on paper. Currently Composer-in-Residence and Professor of Music at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, his is a muse that is also reflective in many ways of the best tradition of local influence and inspiration. Having grown up only a few miles from where he now works, I can testify to the particulars of his native region reaching deeply into his considerable art. This holds true for this meditative and optimistically bittersweet Requiem, given in its world premiere performance by the choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Don’t expect technical precision from the choir or orchestra—there are some moments of intonation slips and exuberant missteps. But that is hardly the point, as the human element in this work is only exacerbated by the very human performance […]
Roger Waters’ “Amused To Death” – 2 stereo vinyls – Analogue Prod.
Now even more applicable to this time than when it was created 23 years ago. Roger Waters’ Amused To Death [TrackList follows] – Two limited edition stereo vinyls – Columbia/Legacy/Analogue Productions (Acoustic Sounds) APP 468761 (8/28/15) *****: (Roger Waters (Composer), London Welsh Chorale Kenneth Bowen (Conductor), String Arrangements John Dupree (Conductor), Bass, Synthesizer & Vocals Roger Waters (Performer), Keyboards & Choir Arrangement Patrick Leonard (Performer), Guitar Jeff Beck (Performer), Arpeggio Guitar Geoff Whitehorn (Performer), Electric & Acoustic Guitar Andy Fairweather Low (Performer), Chorus Guitar Tim Pierce (Performer), Bass Randy Jackson (Performer), Drums Graham Broad (Performer), Vocals P. P. Arnold (Performer), Sound Effects Marv Albert (Performer), London Welsh Chorale (Artist), Background Vocals Doreen Chanter (Artist), Background Vocals N’Dea Davenport (Artist), Background Vocals Natalie Jackson (Artist), Background Vocals Katie Kissoon (Artist), Peddal Steel Guitar B. J. Cole (Artist), Guitar Steve Lukather (Artist), Guitar Rick DiFonso (Artist), Acoustic Guitar Bruce Gaitsch (Artist), Bass James Johnson (Artist)) This amazing two-disc 200-gram vinyl remastering presents the 1992 creation of Roger Waters – famed for his association with Pink Floyd, The Wall, and various types of surround sound (these vinyls were remixed in the new technology called Qsound). The issues Waters addresses have only grown in […]
SIR HUBERT PARRY: I was Glad & other choral works – Westminster Abbey Choir / Onyx Brass / Daniel Cook (organ) / James O’Donnell – Hyperion (CD or hi-res download)
English Cathedral choral and organ music from Westminster Abbey in very fine hi-res sound.
HILARION ALFEYEV: Stabat Mater; Concerto grosso; Fugue on the B-A-C-H Motif; Canciones de la muerte; De profundis – Pentatone
This is getting a lot of attention. But does it deserve it?
LISZT: Missa Choralis; KODALY: Agnus Dei; Psalm 114; Psalm 121 – Elisabeth Thomann, soprano/ Elfriede Jahn, alto/ Stafford Wing, tenor/ Eishi Kawamura, bass/ Harald Buchsbaum, baritone/ Josef Nebois, Organ/ Vienna Chamber Choir/ Hans Gillesberger (Liszt)/ The Whikehart Chorale/ Lewis Whikehart – Tuxedo Music
Two major Hungarian composers make distinct contributions to the liturgical music of their respective times.
“Mass & Motets” = BRAHMS: Missa canonica; Motets (2); other Motets (2); Motets (3); Fest- und Gedenksprüche; Swedish Radio Choir/ Peter Dijkstra – Channel Classics SACD “Choral Works” = BRAHMS: Warum ist das Licht gegeben?; Intermezzo in B minor; Gesänge (5); Schicksalslied; Motets (3); Fest- und Gedenksprüche; Drei Quartette – Philip Mayers, Angela Gassenhuber (piano)/ Cappella Amsterdam/ Daniel Reuss – Harmonia mundi
Two superb examples of Brahms’s choral expertise.
“Mass & Motets” = BRAHMS: Missa canonica; Motets (2); other Motets (2); Motets (3); Fest- und Gedenksprüche; Swedish Radio Choir/ Peter Dijkstra – Channel Classics SACD “Choral Works” = BRAHMS: Warum ist das Licht gegeben?; Intermezzo in B minor; Gesänge (5); Schicksalslied; Motets (3); Fest- und Gedenksprüche; Drei Quartette – Philip Mayers, Angela Gassenhuber (piano)/ Cappella Amsterdam/ Daniel Reuss – Harmonia mundi
Two superb examples of Brahms’s choral expertise.
MOHAMMED FAIROUZ: Tahrir; Symphony No. 3, “Poems and Prayers” – Soloists/ UCLA Philharmonia & Chorus/ Neal Stulberg – Sono Luminus
Two fascinating pieces that don’t quite uncover the enigma of the composer, though an obvious talent lies underneath.
“Canticles” – St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir/ Andrew Carwood/ Simon Johnson, organ – Hyperion
The lion-like unpredictability of the acoustics of St. Paul’s are thoroughly tamed in this invigorating disc.
PATRICIA VAN NESS: Requiem; The Voice of the Tenth Muse – Ruth Cunningham, sop./ Sanford Sylvan, tenor/ Coro Allegro/ David Hodgkins – Navona
A Requiem fully worth the name, with an interesting coupling that will appeal to more specialized tastes.
![MESSAGES TO MYSELF – New Music for Chorus A Cappella [TrackList follows] – Musica Sacra/ Kent Tritle – MSR Classics](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/MessagesMyself.jpg)
MESSAGES TO MYSELF – New Music for Chorus A Cappella [TrackList follows] – Musica Sacra/ Kent Tritle – MSR Classics
A big “welcome back” to an ensemble that should have been celebrating about 50 recordings by now.
Stabat Mater dolorosa = Music for Passiontide – Choir of Clare College, Cambridge/ Graham Ross – Harmonia mundi
An interesting and effective Lenten offering.
15 CHRISTMAS CDs & Blu-rays for 2013
15 varied holiday music CDs, starting with classical and moving to jazz and pop.
NICOLAI: Mass No. 1 in D; Liturgie No. 2; Psalm 13; Pater noster; Ecce enim Deus; Psalm 84 – Carus
A nice change of pace and a different take on a composer we really don’t know that well.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
