A wonderful and generous sampling of some of the finest choral music written today.
“Tapestries” = DAN LOCKLAIR: Holy Canticles; Alleluia Dialogues; Instant Culture; On Cats; Break Away!; Dona Nobis Pacem; Proclaim The Lord; A Christmas Carol; Three Christmas Motets; Windswept (The Trees); For Amber Waves; Tapestries; Brief Mass; Changing Perceptions; Epitaph – Ann Doyle, p./ Bel Canto Company/ David Pegg/ Prometheus Ch. Players/ Shirley Curry, p./ The Choral Art Society/ Robert Russell – MSR Classics MS 1463 (2 CDs), 61:46, 70:26 [Distr. by Albany] ****:
Few contemporary composers have been as successful as Dan Locklair; his prolific music is performed widely, even world-widely, in many genres. It’s not difficult; it doesn’t have even the slightest pretense towards aphoristic complexities or trendy associations. What it does have is heart, lots of heart, sincerity, craft, and communicativeness. And best of all, none of these characteristics are in the slightest way condescending toward we listeners. Everything Locklair declaims is honest, forthright, and moving.
This generous two-CD set covers a lot of his choral output from 1981-96, and the consistency and quality are remarkable, and the excellent mix of sacred and secular provides a fine overview of the man’s intents and interests. Especially of note are Windswept (the trees) for SATB chorus, woodwind quintet, and piano, an unusual scoring but one that is anything but done for effect. Likewise his Three Christmas Motets, a tough entry into a genre that is overpopulated, but still breathes new life and wonderment into an old form. Three church settings in Maine and North Carolina make for the recording sites, and each is nicely captured, those these are reissues from 1995-96. As a disclaimer, the conductor on the North Carolina portion, David Pegg, is someone I worked with in college many years ago. His reputation in the choral field certainly doesn’t need my approbation. Enthusiastically recommended!
—Steven Ritter
