World premiere of "Do you Know the Song the Angels Sang" by Villa Park, IL composer John Milne. Sunday, 12/2/19 Congregational Church of Batavia, IL

A virtuosic setting by Polish composer Michał Ziółkowski (b. 1991) of this Goliardic ode to drinking, 'popularised by Carl Orff as one of the movements in his 'Carmina Burana'. This is the encore performance from Cuore's 'Mirabilia' concert on 27th Ap...  moreA virtuosic setting by Polish composer Michał Ziółkowski (b. 1991) of this Goliardic ode to drinking, 'popularised by Carl Orff as one of the movements in his 'Carmina Burana'. This is the encore performance from Cuore's 'Mirabilia' concert on 27th April 2024, at which we were privileged to give the Irish premiere. 'In taberna quando sumus' (‘when we are in the tavern’) begins as a militaristic account of the immoral acts of the inebriated crowd, and the march soon descends into anarchy with a list of merrymakers joining in the mischief: included are mistress, master, priest, pauper, men, women, white, black, the Pope, old ladies, mothers, children, merchants, Christians, the smart, and the lazy. The composer writes: “In my imagination, the piece is a fusion of primal energy, irony, and dark grotesque, envisioning an ecstatic celebration akin to a lively party at Bacchus’ house.”. He fuses percussive lyrics, energetic rhythms and sometimes almost drunken modulations to capture this raucous mood.  less

PRAIRIE SPRING by Greg Bartholomew A setting for SAB choir of the poem by Willa Cather. With optional piano accompaniment. Recording by Matthew Curtis (Choral Tracks). Willa Cather (1873-1947) was an American writer best known for her novels of fron...  morePRAIRIE SPRING by Greg Bartholomew A setting for SAB choir of the poem by Willa Cather. With optional piano accompaniment. Recording by Matthew Curtis (Choral Tracks). Willa Cather (1873-1947) was an American writer best known for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains. Prairie Spring was first published in 1913 as the prologue to the novel O Pioneers! Sheet music is available from J. W. Pepper: https://www.jwpepper.com/11208222.item PRAIRIE SPRING Evening and the flat land, Rich and sombre and always silent; The miles of fresh-plowed soil, Heavy and black, full of strength and harshness; The growing wheat, the growing weeds, The toiling horses, the tired men; The long empty roads, Sullen fires of sunset, fading, The eternal, unresponsive sky. Against all this, Youth, Flaming like the wild roses, Singing like the larks over the plowed fields, Flashing like a star out of the twilight; Youth with its insupportable sweetness, Its fierce necessity, Its shar...    less

Downtown Voices (http://DowntownVoices.net) NOVUS NY Stephen Sands, conductor (http://StephenSands.net) Arvo Pärt – Passio St. Paul's Chapel, New York City Trinity Wall Street This concert featured iconic works of two of the most compelling and...  moreDowntown Voices (http://DowntownVoices.net) NOVUS NY Stephen Sands, conductor (http://StephenSands.net) Arvo Pärt – Passio St. Paul's Chapel, New York City Trinity Wall Street This concert featured iconic works of two of the most compelling and influential composers of the 20th century: Arvo Pärt and Francis Poulenc. The monumental work Passio by Arvo Pärt is a meditative setting of texts from the Passion according to St. John and is considered as the apotheosis of his writing. This is the video of that live performance.  less

This setting of the 98th Psalm (Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders.) comes originally from my cantata “The Manchester Magnificat”, based on Audrey Vaughan’s poems about the religious and social history of the city. The oratorio was...  moreThis setting of the 98th Psalm (Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders.) comes originally from my cantata “The Manchester Magnificat”, based on Audrey Vaughan’s poems about the religious and social history of the city. The oratorio was first performed in Manchester Cathedral in 1994. This psalm forms the climax of the whole cantata and provides an expression of optimism after the tragedies of the previous sections. In this “extracted” version, the tragic surroundings of the history remain in the background and the purebubbling joy of the psalm itself shines forth. Enjoy the complex rhythms and let your hair down! This performance by Daniel Shaw's Composer's Choir (based in Connecticut) is a brilliant rendition of the piece and will, I hope, encourage other church choirs and concert choirs to consider including it in their repertoire.  less

"Eraclito.." by Roberto Brisotto (1972). A Choral composition based on a text by the greek poet Callimaco concerning the sorrow, the mourning and the memory. Coro "Note Blu" di San Ponziano - Roma Dir. Marina Mungai

Newest album available here: http://bit.ly/14ML08t The namesake of the Victoria Scholars, Tomás Luis de Victoria, was an outstanding composer of the Renaissance period whose music is re...  moreNewest album available here: http://bit.ly/14ML08t The namesake of the Victoria Scholars, Tomás Luis de Victoria, was an outstanding composer of the Renaissance period whose music is renowned for both its spirituality and emotional expressiveness. The essence of the Victoria Scholars’ music is an emphasis on the clarity and balance of sound so characteristic of Renaissance music. Their repertoire encompasses medieval plainchant, works from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras, contemporary and newly commissioned works. Past winners of the Canada Council Healey Willan Grand Prize in the CBC Radio National Competition for Amateur Choirs, the Victoria Scholars have performed with many of Canada’s exceptional vocal soloists, and have toured both in eastern and western Canada. They have produced three widely acclaimed recordings and have been broadcast nationally on CBC Radio and Vision TV, most recently in a Christmas special available at <...    less

Conductor: Meng-Hsien PENG Audio Recording Engineer: Chao-Hui WANG Performance: Müller Chamber Choir Performed at National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan 9 June 2019

Conductor: Meng-Hsien PENG Audio Recording Engineer: Chao-Hui WANG Performance: Müller Chamber Choir Performed at National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan 9 June 2019

The Norwegian composer's beautiful and mystifying setting of the Latin text, as performed by Aestas Vocis at their summer concert, "Songs of Faith and Love." Sung in the beautiful and resonant chapel at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Munster, IN.