choral Archive
Requiem: The Fraternity (Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter) Stereo CD – Sony Classical
Requiem: The Fraternity (Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter) Stereo CD – Sony Classical 88985 41735 2 (5/12/17) TT: 54:34 **** Ethereal music will soothe and inspire you What a lovely and utterly absorbing disc. It’s a selection of (mostly) Gregorian Chants performed by The Fraternity, a small choral group – an international community considered one of the top specialists in Gregorian Chant in the world. This disc is their debut major label release. There’s 20 tracks of just sublime music here, recorded in an acoustic space the is just right for these chants. The tracks are not all vocal; track 2 is just a lonely tolling of a bell. The rest of the program consists of traditional chants, and the disc was a perfect respite from the hackneyed holiday music that is blaring in every shopping mall, airport and Christmas Tree lot. It’s not really holiday music, but rather a solemn funeral mass, but it still works for the season. Although this music will bring back many memories of the Latin mass, any listener should find this music calming and reverential. Musically, this is a flawless performance. It’s ethereal, mystical and absorbing. The recording was done at Our Lady of […]
Jonathan David LITTLE: Sacred and Secular Choral & Polychoral Works – Vox Futura / Thomas Tallis Society Choir /The Stanbery Singers – Navona Records
“Woefully Arrayed” = Jonathan David LITTLE, Sacred and Secular Choral & Polychoral Works – Vox Futura/Andrew Shenton/Thomas Tallis Society Choir/Philip Simon/The Stanbery Singers/Paul John Stanbery – Navona Records NV6113 [Distr. By Naxos] (7/14/2017) 73:54 ****: Very beautiful and restful—sit back and relax. I have always enjoyed good, quiet choral music of nearly any sort. I admit I am partial to those big works—bombastic or placid—that employ a full choir with orchestra, but sometimes a capella writing and that “church” sound is just what I need. This album is a delight on all fronts. While I had never heard of Australian composer Jonathan David Little before, I was definitely impressed with his work on these pieces. Little has received many awards and recognitions for his music, including the Professional Development Award from the Musician’s Benevolent Fund in the UK. He studied at the University of Melbourne and taught at the Academy of Contemporary Music in London for a while as a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. Probably the most unusual aspect of Little’s choral work; certainly of the pieces on this album, is his use of creative and sonically innovative voice placement. The recording and aural display of […]
Sir Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924) = Choral Music – Trinity College Choir Cambridge, Owain Park and Alexander Hamilton, organists / Trinity Brass / Stephen Layton (cond.) Hyperion
Sir Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924) = Choral Music – Trinity College Choir Cambridge / Owain Park and Alexander Hamilton, organists / Trinity Brass / Stephen Layton (conductor) Hyperion CDA68174 (6/30/17) TT: 81:02 ****: A fine recording and performance of Anglican Music by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford What a nice CD from Hyperion, celebrating the music of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Stanford was arguably the most famous Irish composer before independence. Born into a musical family, he began his musical education in 1870 at Cambridge, and later at Trinity College. As a teacher, he could proudly count among his students Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, John Ireland among many others. The program on this disc spans a wide range of Stanford’s Anglican Choral music. This is a highly listenable album, with quiet contemplative tunes along with some stunning and inspiring dynamic music. The recording, in the Hereford Cathedral and in the Trinity College Chapel is a fine one, with excellent dynamic range and deep, deep organ pedals. The combination of voice, organ and brass makes for a potent brew, and the recording and performances simply can’t be faulted. Musical highlights for me include the Fantasia and Toccata for organ, which includes […]
Bobby Previte – Mass – RareNoise
Bobby Previte puts the massive into a Mass. Bobby Previte – Mass [TrackList follows] – RareNoise RNR072, 69:27 [11/8/16] ****: (The Rose Ensemble – 11-member chamber vocal group conducted by Jordan Sramek; Stephen O’Malley, Jamie Saft, Don McGreevy, Mike Gamble – electric guitar; Marco Benevento – pipe organ, Rheem organ, electronics; Reed Mathis – electric bass; Bobby Previte – drums, electric guitar, pipe organ, combo organ, synthesizer bass, Farfisa organ) Taking medieval-era music and incorporating it into modern songcraft is nothing new. Examples: British blues revival group the Yardbirds fused Gregorian chants into one of their singles; goth rock duo Dead Can Dance blended music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance into their popular ambient alt-pop; and psychedelic pop band HP Lovecraft closed their 1967 debut LP with a version of the “Gloria Patria.” Drummer Bobby Previte (one of the stalwarts of the NYC downtown jazz scene) has taken the notion of coalescing choral music from the Middle Ages into a modern arrangement to a whole new (and heavy) level on his RareNoise album, Mass. Basically, Previte has used 15th century composer Guillaume Dufay’s choral mass, Missa Sancti Jacobi, and re-imagined it as a 70-minute transformation which melds a […]
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 […]
RUTTER: Visions; Requiem – The Temple Boys Choir/ Roger Sayer – Aurora Orch. – Collegium
JOHN RUTTER: Visions; Requiem – The Temple Boys Choir/ Roger Sayer – Aurora Orch./ solo violin: Kerson Leong – Collegium COLCD 139, 58:00 (10/18/16) ****: Something new and something old from John Rutter. This new CD pairs John Rutter’s most recent work with one of his most popular. Visions celebrates the utopian ideal of heavenly peace in in four movements, written specially for the solo violin of Kerson Leong, string ensemble and the boy choristers of the Temple Church choir. The Requiem of 1985 receives a significant new recording under the guidance of its composer. Visions was composed at the invitation of the 2016 Menuhin Competition and premiered at a Festival concert in London’s historic Temple Church by Kerson Leong, winner of the 2010 Junior Menuhin Prize, and the Choristers of Temple Church. They are joined by the Cambridge Singers and the young and vibrant Aurora Orchestra. Visions is a strikingly beautiful piece, lovingly played and artfully executed. The work is based on four biblical texts. Rutter has a large following, so this new work is certain to be well received and talked about. I think the appeal of the Requiem is Rutter’s conducting. The work has plenty of energy, […]
Eight Christmas CDs for the 2016 Holidays
Eight Christmas CDs of Note, Holidays 2016 “Song of the Nativity” – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro COR16146, 73:58 (10/14/16) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: This wonderful Christmas offering comprises some of the best modern carols and choral works of the modern age, sung to absolute perfection by a noted and very reliable ensemble. The sound is first rate and the dynamic range of this group never fails to astound. Fortunately, there are also seven traditional carols thrown into the mix, and they are taken, as directly as possible, from the classic Oxford Book of Carols from 1928. After all the Christmas albums that turn these gems inside out with never-ending permutations and cleverly assembled variances, hearing them in this form, sans ego and overly-stoked imagination, is a real and very genuine pleasure. This album will serve as a balm to over-jaded holiday sensibilities, and help to recapture the real meaning of the season. TrackList: Bullard, A: And all the stars looked down Chilcott: Shepherd’s Carol Davies, Walford: O Little Town of Bethlehem Gardner, John: When Christ was born of Mary free Ireland: The Holy Boy Jackson, Gabriel: The Christ-child Lauridsen: O magnum mysterium MacMillan: The Strathclyde Motets: O Radiant […]
“O Eterne Deus” – Music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN – Vajra Voices/ Karen Clark – Music & Arts
Millenium-old music from Hildegard von Bingen, visionary, mystic and polymath, sung by an inspired choir, Vajra Voices. “O Eterne Deus” – Music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN – Vajra Voices/ Karen Clark – Music & Arts 1291, 50:20 (5/13/16) *****: As a man, I feel it may be inappropriate for me to review this all-female endeavour. But I very much enjoyed the full CD of music by Hildegard von Bingen, and the story behind it. Hildegard was the tenth child of a noble family, born in 1098 near present-day Frankfurt, Germany. From an early age she had spiritual visions, possibly one reason why her parents offered her to the nearby Benedictine monastery. She took her vows at age 14, and entered a stone cell (or “tomb”) under the tutelage of Jutta von Spanheim, six years older and also from a noble family. Jutta instructed Hildegard in Latin and religious practices, and the student learned much, and well. In one of her visions, Hildegard received a divine directive to write down all she experienced. A visiting monk-priest, Volmar, helped her with this, as well as teaching her music notation and performance on the ten-stringed psaltery. Other visitors spread the word of Hildegard’s […]
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 […]
Joshua Breakstone – The Cello Quartet – 88 – Capri
Joshua Breakstone – The Cello Quartet – 88 – Capri 71444-2, 64:31 ****: Strong playing from a band immersed in a bop-inspired songbook. (Joshua Breakstone – guitar; Lisle Atkinson – bass; Andy Watson – drums; Mike Richmond – cello ) Joshua Breakstone is an intriguing guitarist of prolific dexterity in the manner of Wes Montgomery. Mind you, which of today’s guitarists, is not of that style? This release, featuring the cello quartet, is built around compositions of some influential bop-styled pianists, with the exception of Breakstone’s own composition with the apropos title: Eighty-Eight. As pointed out by Breakstone in his brief but helpful liner notes, the guitar and the piano are often though to be incompatible instruments because both are chordal in nature. However, in fact, both are rather similar as they fulfill a dual role: in addition to being rhythm section players, both perform solo functions. Hence Breakstone’s curiosity in bringing together some better and lesser-known compositions by a group of pianists, as a basis for this recital. Harold Mabern’s admiration for John Coltrane is proclaimed in the opening track “The Chief” with an assertive introduction to the approach of the quartet. After a long chordal rumination by Breakstone, […]
The Last Words of Christ (REGER, HAYDN, WEBERN & Others – Ebonit Sax Q. – Challenge Classics
Ebonit Saxophone Quartet – The Last Words of Christ – REGER/HAYDN/WEBERN/SIBELIUS/SHOSTAKOVICH – Challenge Classics multichannel SACD CC72701, 53:13 (2/3/16) ****: (Simone Muller, soprano saxophone/ Dineke Nauta, alto saxophone/ Johannes Pfeuffer, tenor saophone/ Paulina Marta Kulesza, baritone saxophone/ Claron McFadden, voice) A nearly successful attempt at solemnity. In 1786 a work by Joseph Haydn premiered in Cadiz, Spain. The occasion was Good Friday Service in a “subterranean” cathedral. According to reports made to Haydn, the church was darkened and a priest flung himself before the altar and uttered the first word of the seven last sentences spoken by Jesus before his death. A homily on each word followed, separated by the performance of each of the seven movements. Together, music and text comprised the Easter celebration of the Passion. As such, it appears to belong to the tradition of religious music which reached its apogee in Handel, Pergolesi and Bach. However, I have always had a problem with this notion; The Seven Last Words of Christ considered in purely musical terms does not seem to express any noticeable degree of solemnity, no transcendent yearning or tragedy. Certainly, the old Haydn jollity and wit are set aside, but instead we hear a […]
Visions Eternal” = THOMAS JUNEAU: Four works – soloists/Summit Chorale/Scarlet Knight Brass & Perc. – Ravello
The first disc from a new voice well worth exploring. “Visions Eternal” = THOMAS JUNEAU: Te Deum; Five Latin Motets; Magnum Mysterium; Gaudete – Tami Petty (sop.)/ Sharon Byrne (mezzo)/ Mark Boyle (tenor)/ Jonathan Mortensen (bari.)/, Eun-Hee Park (organ) Elaine Christy (harp)/ Summit Chorale/ Scarlet Knight Brass and Percussion Ensemble – Ravello RR7913, 49:31 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Thomas Juneau is Music Director of Summit Chorale, one of New Jersey’s most venerable choral organizations, and the Juneau Vocal Alliance, founded in 2011. His music has been performed in many places, and the intensity of his expression is quite gripping. This recital, two big pieces for choir and instrumental ensemble, and including a number of a cappella works for both SATB and Women’s voices, is a good representation of his style and efforts. Though I certainly appreciate the large-scaled works, it is the Five Latin Motets and superb Magnum Mysterium for treble voices and harp that I find the most affecting. Juneau’s harmonies are nothing innovative or unique, but are constructed with such care so that no note is superfluous, and the results bring shivers and exaltation. All of the performers are top notch, obviously very familiar with the pieces, and […]
TAVERNER: Dum transisset; Dum transisset Sabbatum II; Missa Corona Spinea – The Tallis Scholars/ Peter Phillips – Gimell
An astoundingly innovative and virtuoso setting of the mass. TAVERNER: Dum transisset Sabbatum I; Dum transisset Sabbatum II; Missa Corona Spinea – The Tallis Scholars/ Peter Phillips – Gimell CDGIM 046, 62:07 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Written for the new Cardinal College at Oxford, and probably premiered before Henry VIII himself, Taverner’s Missa Corona spinea is one of the greatest of all Renaissance choral pieces, often sounding like a concerto for treble voices. Taverner extended the range to amazingly high voices, and the two sopranos that tackle the piece for Peter Phillips are sumptuous and marvelously adept at their art. The sonorities that Taverner achieves are nothing less than thrilling, and the high wire act that stretches to B-flats for a long period of time are unlike anything you will ever hear in this most prodigious and creative of periods. The accompanying Dum transisset Sabbatum I & II, while worthy in and of themselves and make for decent filler, in no way compare to the mass setting. No matter, as these performances have to be ranked among the best in the catalog, another star in the Tallis firmament. —Steven Ritter
MENDELSSOHN: Ruy Blas Overture; The Fair Melusine; Hebrides Overture; Die Erst Walpurgisnacht – soloists/ Zürcher Sing-Akademie / Musikkollegium Winterthur / Douglas Boyd – MDG
MENDELSSOHN: Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95; The Fair Melusine, Op. 32; Hebrides Overture, Op. 26; Die Erste Walpurgisnacht, Op. 60 – Birgit Remmer, alto / Jörg Dümüller, tenor / Reinhard Mayr, bass / Zürcher Sing-Akademie / Musikkollegium Winterthur / Douglas Boyd – Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm, multichannel SACD MDG90119496 (2+2+2), 64:26 [Distr. by eOne] ****: An interesting Mendelssohn program made more interesting by the choice of edition used for the Ruy Blas performance. This program includes three of Mendelssohn’s finest concert overtures, a genre the composer specialized in. Concert overtures were a favorite form of early Romantic composers, giving them the opportunity to express literary ideas in music. But whereas the Lisztian tone poem is more specific in its pictorialism, the concert overture creates a tone painting, using broader strokes. For instance, we know from the first notes of Ruy Blas that the subject is tragic, and we know from the brilliant coda that ends the work that the tragedy has a semi-happy ending. Yet even if we’re familiar with the individual actions of the play, we’re hard pressed to locate them in the overture; Mendelssohn is content to create atmosphere rather than portray individual actions. Mendelssohn hated Victor Hugo’s play Ruy […]
“Flight of Angels” = FRANCISCO GUERRERO & ALONSO LOBO Works – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro
A great introduction to a magnificent period of music. “Flight of Angels” = FRANCISCO GUERRERO: Duo Seraphim; Missa Surge propera: Gloria; Laudate Dominum; Maria Magdalene; Missa de la batalla escoutez: Credo; Vexilla Regis; Missa Congratulamini mihi: Agnus Dei I; Missa Congratulamini mihi: Agnus Dei II; ALONSO LOBO: Missa Maria Magdalene: Kyrie; Libera me; Ave Regina caelorum; Ave Maria; Versa est in luctum – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro COR16128, 63:52 ****: The city of Seville in the sixteenth century saw two great adorning musical lights—Lobo and Guerrero—whose music was destined to shine in Spain, Portugal, and ultimately, the new world. Both were singers in their youth, and both reputed to have genteel temperaments and rabidly dedicated to their art. Guerrero was for 30 years the head of music at the Seville Cathedral, while Lobo apprenticed as his assistant when Guerrero was attaining advanced age. The latter would end up being the more prolific, but perhaps the former was more conscientious. Both are among the finest composers of the age, lyrical to a fault, and issuing radiant sonorous pieces of obvious devotion. This can only be called a survey overview (as Christophers admits), but it’s a real gem with some […]
BACH Selections – Organist Barbara Harbach – MSR
Harbach’s Bach breathes the breath of openness and refined imagery. BACH: Prelude and St. Anne Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 552; Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540; An Wasserflussen Babylon, BWV 653; Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546; Choral Prelude: O Mensch Bewein Dein Sunde Gross, BWV 622; Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542; Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 “Wedge” – Barbara Harbach, organ – MSR Classics MS 1444, 74:40 [Distr. by Albany] ****: The Fisk organ of the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Rochester NY, and the Schlicker organ of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lyons NY are the settings for this third Bach disc of Barbara Harbach for MSR Classics. Harbach is quite the wunderkind; Curators’ Professor of Music at the University of Missouri St. Louis, she is a prolific performer, researcher, composer, educator, and historical music specialist. I get tired just looking at all of her accomplishments, and maybe this is why I find her Bach so relaxed, genial, and devotional. If that sounds like code for “boring” to you, the truth is anything but. In fact, after all the Bach organ recordings that seem to have been […]
“Crucifixus” = Works of KENNETH LEIGHTON – Choir of Trinity College Cambridge/ Stephen Layton/ Andrew Kennedy, tenor/ Jeremy Cole & Eleanor Kornas, organ – Hyperion
Leighton the choral master is what we hear today, even though he would not have been happy with the legacy. “Crucifixus” = KENNETH LEIGHTON: Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis “Collegium Magdalenae Oxonienses”; God’s Grandeur; Give me the wings of faith; Missa Brevis Op. 50; Missa de Gloria, Op. 82, ‘Dublin Festival Mass’: Ite, missa est; What love is this of thine?; Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis (Second Service), Op. 62; Crucifixus pro nobis, Op. 38 – Choir of Trinity College Cambridge/ Stephen Layton/ Andrew Kennedy, tenor/ Jeremy Cole & Eleanor Kornas, organ – Hyperion CDA68039, 72:09 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Leighton (1929-1988), a devoted Yorkshireman, was not especially devout, so it is one of life’s great ironies that despite his over 100-work catalog in many genres, he is most beloved among English choristers than anywhere else. He loved poetry and nature, and perhaps we can hear that reflected in some of the works on this recording. But it must be said that if he by and large eschewed church and the Anglican tradition, he sure as heck understood it well, for these religious pieces are as innately Anglican as any you will hear. Not that that is a bad thing, though […]
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 […]
“Haec dies – Music for Easter” – Choir of Clare College, Cambridge/ Graham Ross/ Matthew Jorysz, organ – Harmonia mundi
Just in time for the Easter season, a tremendous choral excursion. “Haec dies – Music for Easter” – Choir of Clare College, Cambridge/ Graham Ross/ Matthew Jorysz, organ – Harmonia mundi HMU 907655, 72:56 *****: Though there are a few pieces here that are distinctly non-Easter in origin (like the Rachmaninov), this Easter day celebration that spans five centuries across the European continent has a lot going for it. For those wanting the traditional boys-men choir, you had best look elsewhere, for the Clare College Choir is a mixed male-female ensemble of young singers who sport a powerful dynamic range and superbly pointed intonation. I can’t pretend that the boys versus girls argument in English choral singing isn’t important; in fact the two timbres are hugely different and make quite a difference in the perception. For those seeking “tradition” this will come as a disappointment. For those wanting simple, unaffected and magnificently presently vocal art that is able to traverse multiple periods and styles with ease, this is it. There are no weak links on this recording, the sound is exceptional, and the resonating commitment of these young musicians easily belies their youth. The mix of composers and periods is […]
KVERNO: Credo – A Composer Portrait of Trond H.F. Kverno – Bergen Cathedral Choir/ Arnfinn Tobiassen, organ – LAWO
KVERNO: Credo – A Composer Portrait of Trond H.F. Kverno – Bergen Cathedral Choir/ Arnfinn Tobiassen, organ – LAWO multichannel SACD (5.0) LWC1091 (11/13/15) [Dist. by Naxos] ****: Inspiring and ethereal music by Norwegian composer Trond Kverno. The new SACD/CD from Bergen Cathedral Choir and organist Arnfinn Tobiassen is a tribute to Norwegian contemporary composer Trond H.F. Kverno on his 70th birthday. The listener is introduced to both his choral work, as well as his works inspired by medieval ballads and Norwegian folklore. The works on this disc were composed in the 1970s through 2004. Most of the selections on this disc are based on Norwegian folklore. Some of the pieces are instrumental, and feature some powerful organ playing by Tobiassen. Some are choral works that are ethereal and beautiful. Translations are provided in the informative liner notes. Bergen is such a stunning and uplifting city, it’s not surprising to hear such inspiring music from musicians with ties to the locale. If you haven’t been there, search the web for some photos. Most of our readers, including me, won’t be familiar with Kverno’s music, but that’s not an excuse to fail to pick up this disc and give it a listen. […]
TIMOTHY BAXTER: Vol. 1- Various short compositions – Soloists – Claudio Records (Blu-ray & DVD-A)
TIMOTHY BAXTER: Vol. 1- Various short compositions (TrackList follows) – Soloists: Ulrich Stærk, Anne Mette Stæhr, Galya Kolarova, Demetrios Karamintzas, Signe Asmussen, Anthony Ovenell, Paul Gregory – Claudio Records CC6025-2 Blu-ray (audio only) & DVD Audio (stereo) single disc TT: 65:48 (6/9/15) [Distr. by Naxos] ***1/2: A fine survey of Timothy Baxter’s instrumental music on an oddly-formatted disc. Timothy Baxter (b.1935) had his debut as a composer at 15 with a short motet O most merciful, which is still being sung. This early work showed all the hallmarks of his later compositional style and also the religious feelings so evident in his later choir music. He won first prize for a string quintet movement as a first-year student at the Royal Academy of Music, London, while studying with Priaulx Rainier. This success was followed by a number of other prizes and performances. He has written much church music: liturgical arrangements, pieces for choir, organ works and cantatas. Although born in the U.K, Baxter now lives in Denmark. This disc contains only instrumental music, but it is a nice representation of Baxter’s work. It has a British ‘feel’ to it, and while it is contemporary music, it could be many decades […]
“Tavener Conducts Tavener” – Cappella Nova/ Alan Tavener – Linn
A Tavener tribute of substance and compelling emotion. “Tavener Conducts Tavener” – Cappella Nova/ Alan Tavener – Linn CKD 539, 74 min. [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Cappella Nova has a long association with the music of the late John Tavener (2013), and so this tribute album is bookended with music from the very first composition they commissioned from him, Resurrection. Conductor Alan Tavener is a relation, but not close, though he seems to have an innate understanding of this music that only a close relative could! Cappella sings everything here with endearment and understanding. In fact this is as fine a compilation of Tavener’s music as I have heard, and there are many. He was an uneven composer; at his best, as in many of the smaller choral works, The Protecting Veil, and in my opinion his finest piece, The Veil of the Temple, his music approached the sublime. At the other end it often felt as if he were on autopilot, or at best unsure of his direction. Spiritually towards the end of his life this same dilemma plagued him, though he professed to remain an Orthodox Christian. His influence however, is not in doubt. Just listening to the […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
