It seems a paradox that over the years we have gone to such great lengths to become familiar with the music of Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan-Willliams, John Ireland, Frank Bridge, and Arthur Bliss, yet we still know far less of the music of Stanford, their composition teacher at the Royal College of Music! There has been renewed interest in the music of Stanford recently, and with the kind support of the Stanford Society, SOMM now turns the spotlight on Stanford’s Partsongs in the second of a series of recordings with the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir, which has achieved an enviable reputation under the direction of Paul Spicer. The eight Partsongs Op. 119, set to poems by Mary Coleridge, appear on CD as a complete set for the very first time!
Commissioned in 2009 to celebrate the restoration of Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina, John Fitz Rogers's Magna Mysteria is a seven-movement, 45-minute work for soprano, chorus and children's chorus, and chamber orchestra that delves into "great mysteries" (magna mysteria). Weaving together Latin biblical texts and poetic verse from the sixth-century philosopher Boethius, the composition explores ideas of home and the seeking of home, the elevation of home to a metaphorical or spiritual realm, and the nature of time. Magna Mysteria is at once complex yet accessible, rooted in tradition (from Brahms and Faure to Britten and Stravinsky) yet wholly contemporary. This encore performance recorded in 2014 features soprano Martha Guth, first prize winner at the 2007 Wigmore Hall Int'l Song Competition, as well as the combined adult and children's choirs of Trinity Cathedral, under the direction of conductor and choirmaster Jared Johnson.
This album is the first in the "Legacy" series in which the United States Army Field Band honors the lives and music of individuals who have made significant contributions to choral music and education. Randall Thompson, an American composer, composed three symphonies and numerous vocal works, however he is most noted for his choral works. (Altissimo)
Anchors Aweigh: The Best of the United States Navy Band
Altissimo
CD
$21.99Sep 30, 2014
The United States Navy Band is the premiere ensemble of the Navy, and is known as “The World’s Finest.” The band supports our troops and government officials through concerts, tours, ceremonies, and recordings, and has been doing so since its creation in 1925. Through its musical mission, the members of this historic group have served to inspire patriotism in its audiences, and to preserve American musical heritage. Designed to emulate a Navy Band concert program, this album contains a balance of patriotic music, marches, and concert band standards, all of which represent the very best recordings of this historic ensemble. Enjoy this exclusive production of the best of the Navy Band.
The sound of unaccompanied chant moves and inspires those seeking the sublime. In our increasingly busy and secularized world, people return to chant, regardless of their religious beliefs, for the peace and calm that this eternal music offers.
Kabalevsky: Piano Concerto No 3; Rimsky-korsakov: Piano Concerto / Liu, Yablonsky
Naxos
CD
$19.99Jun 24, 2008
Simple catchy exuberance and patriotic aggression.
Here is an inexpensive collection of three works by Kabalevsky and one by Rimsky-Korsakov. The Kabalevsky Third Piano Concerto, dedicated to Soviet Youth, is well enough known. It is carefree, catchy, neatly romantic and wonderfully memorable. Hsin-Ni Liu despatches its 18:45 in machine-gun exuberance in the outer movements and in delicate pastels in the central Andante. From a dozen years after the Third Concerto comes Kabalevsky's Rhapsody on the theme of the song School Years. It is dedicated to the Young Musicians of the Volga region. Like the much recorded Third Concerto it makes clever, sparkling and playful use of the woodwind.
The short Rimsky-Korsakov Concerto in one movement is pearly and has the tang of Borodin. The recording allows us to hear the key-click mechanisms of the woodwind soloists’ instruments. The performances are spot-on and seem well prepared yet not drilled to death.
Moving away from the concerto aspect of the disc the sequence ends with a final patriotic and dramatic gesture. Kabalevsky's Poem of Struggle takes us back all the way to the 1930s; it is in fact his first major work. The text which appears in the last segment is bloodcurdlingly acquisitive with the international Revolution being taken to Berlin, Dresden, Paris and Warsaw … and then the Far East. It's a fascinating novelty which speaks with the burning, fearsome and ruthless ardour of its Soviet times. The rushing militaristic writing is directly redolent of Myaskovsky's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies: the Red Flag whips in the wind of violent change. The piece is alive with the concatenating strenuous uproar of trumpet fanfares and tramping militia. The choir exude the fervour of the words which are printed in English but not in transliterated Russian.
Short playing time for which you have the compensation of three works for piano and orchestra. Add to this a very rare early Kabalevsky piece from the youthfully aggressive first maturity of the Soviet Union.
-- Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International
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Charming music, charmingly played. Kabalevksy’s Third Piano Concerto, dedicated to “Soviet Youth” (Oy!) is what you might expect: tuneful, cheerful, short, and rather fun. It offers no special challenges to the performers, and Hsin-Ni Liu has no problem turning in a deft, light, attractive performance. The same holds true for Rimsky’s less than quarter-hour, single-movement concerto—another odd work that is virtually unprogrammable in real life, but very pleasant to hear once in a while on disc. Kabalevksy’s Rhapsody is cut from the same cloth as the concerto, while the Poem of Struggle lays on the Socialist Realist triteness rather heavily. It’s the kind of stuff that Shostakovich was punished for not writing. Thank God. But the disc as a whole is worth considering.
"•The BYU Singers and composer Eric Whitacre have enjoyed a long, close personal and musical relationship.
• Conductor Dr. Ronald Staheli first made contact with Mr. Whitacre while the composer was still a Juilliard School student.
• Since that time, the BYU Singers have performed his music with great worldly success.
• After being out of print for some years, this remastered album preserves its original beauty while taking advantage of today’s technology to deliver the best-sounding recording possible."
There's nothing quite like the rich sound and close harmonies that can be produced by a chorus of men's voices, especially the BYU MEN'S CHORUS. The group traces it's roots back to 1901 when twenty-five members began singing together as the Men's Glee. Today they're in high demand-so popular that they can't begin to respond to all the requests they get to perform. Here is the next best way to enjoy this energetic vocal group. Under the direction of Dr. Mack Wilberg, the BYU MEN'S CHORUS has recorded many of it's most popular songs on cassette and compact disc. Featuring many of Wilberg's own arrangements the group performs a variety of music styles with titles ranging from 'Redeemer of Israel' to 'If I Got My Ticket Can I Ride?' to the American folk song 'Cindy.' the collection includes more than a dozen songs representing a variety of styles from traditional sacred music to lively folk songs to moving spirituals from various nations.
"This second recording, atmospherically recorded at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of Holy Trinity New York, boasts marvellously committed fervent singing from the Clarion Choir under Steven Fox and deserves the widest possible dissemination." - BBC Music Magazine
"...the success of this recording has to be attributed to this excellent chorus, 30-plus voices who collectively project a serious love for this music with a vibrant, shimmering tone, perfectly judged dynamics, and consistently fine balance and intonation. We can appreciate the care that went into this production–not only in bringing this beautiful unknown work to the world’s attention–but also in the excellent engineering and notes, which happily include full texts and translations. Strongly recommended." - ClassicsToday.com
Passion Week is a long-lost choral masterpiece composed by Rimsky-Korsakov's favorite student, heir apparent and son-in-law, Maximilian Steinberg. A product of his interest in the sacred and mystical, it is a tour de force of the systematic use of medieval Church Slavonic chant melodies and shares with Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil the colorful use of choral textures. Steinberg's settings are complex and rich, with a diverse and sometimes daring harmonic pallette, offering eleven movements of distinctive and expressive content that reveal an artist's search for at a time of increasing hostility to religion.
All-star professional choir The Thirteen was best described by National Public Radio commentator M. D. Ridge: “to talk about the remarkable abilities and sound of the individual singers would… be like trying to say which whitecaps on the ocean reflect the sun most beautifully, or which leaves on a tree dance most gracefully with the wind… I stand in awe.” Described as having “a tight and attractive vocal blend and excellent choral discipline” (American Record Guide), The Thirteen draws its artists from among the finest ensembles in the world, including Chanticleer, Seraphic Fire, Apollo’s Fire, Conspirare, I Fagiolini, Opera Philadelphia, Boston Early Music Festival and Trinity Wall Street. “Voice Eternal” presents a virtuosic program of music by Tudor-era composers that explores musical upheaval during the English Reformation through music that is at times epic, intimate, majestic and joyful. With works by Thomas Tallis, King Henry VIII, John Farmer, Thomas Weelkes, Robert Fayrfax, Walter Lambe, and William Cornysh Jr., this release from The Thirteen makes this powerful music come alive for today’s audiences.
The Crossing offers a recording that is as virtuosic as it is emotional, resonating with recurring themes of desire and strength, peace, and longing. The ensemble’s affinity for the compositional style of David Lang is heard in his provocative and humorous “this condition”, his wrenching “I live in pain” and the title track, “I want to live”.
•The United States Air Force Academy Stellar Brass is a brass and percussion ensemble and has performed across the nation. Their musical virtuosity spans across performance styles and genres, including everything from arrangements of classical favorites, to original commissions. Fireworks for Brass and Organ features not only the full, rich sound of the brass ensemble, but also the wide-ranging capabilities of the organ. Combined, they can perform works such as the finale from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, “Organ” and the Hallelujah Chorus, as well as Suite for Organ, Brass Quintet, and Percussion, an original work by composer Craig Phillips. Now, Fireworks for Brass and Organ will be available at a special reduced price! Don’t miss this opportunity to experience this special pairing of instrumental groups in ways both old and new!
