Stanislaw Skrowaczewski’s legendary association with the Minnesota Orchestra yielded many classic recordings – and this selection of orchestral works by Ravel is one of them. Recorded in 1974 these Vox recordings have been newly remastered from the original tapes.

REVIEW:

A Polish conductor and an American orchestra play Ravel as if they were French. The Vox recordings from 1974 have been remastered from the original tapes and sound absolutely magnificent in their new freshness as far as the sound image and transparency are concerned.

Skrowaczewski begins with an elegant and finely differentiated, incredibly colorful version of the Valses Nobles et sentimentales. He gives the ballet Ma mère l’oye a wonderfully magical, sensual and suggestive character. Drama, crackling tension, subtle excitement and lyricism mingle in a dreamlike interpretation.

The two Daphnis et Chloé suites are no less outstanding and evocative. Here, too, the Minnesota Orchestra plays at the highest level of interpretation and technique, committed and, in the finale, ecstatic, following the highly inspired conductor. The St. Olaf Choir also deserves praise.

-- Pizzicato

An LP transfer for one of the best-selling items in the Brilliant Classics catalogue, pressed on audio-phile grade 140-gram 'biovinyl'. The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, is synonymous worldwide with Christmas, thanks to the annual broadcasts of it's Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The service took form in Truro Cathedral in 1880, and spread across the Anglican communion before the Dean of King's introduced it to the College in 1918, and the BBC began to broadcast it from there in 1929. On this compilation, as at the familiar liturgy, the sequence of carols opens with a boy treble singing the first verse of Once in Royal David's City. This particular recording has a further historical significance, in that the solo was sung (in 1994) by Guy Johnston, who has since become a renowned cellist. This generous 66-minute sequence features carols old and new, familiar and less-well known, from The First Nowell and O Little Town of Bethlehem to modern classics such as John Tavener's The Lamb and Judith Weir's Illuminare Jerusalem, both of which were commissioned by King's for the annual service, but are now sung worldwide at Christmas time. The sequence is rounded off, like the service, with O Come, all ye faithful, featuring the celebrated descant and last-verse harmonisation by Stephen Cleobury's predecessor as Music Director at King's, Sir David Willcocks. The LP is manufactured at the Optimal Media plant in Hamburg, Europe's leading pressing plant for high-grade records, and pressed on 140-gram 'biovinyl'. This new substitute for the standard petroleum-derived raw material for LPs is made from recycled cooking oil and waste gases, making this record an ideal present for the environmentally conscious music-lover in your life. Other information: - Recorded in 1994: Carols from King's - An all-time Christmas favourite. - The disc features standards alongside more contemporary carol repertoire. - Superb by one of the world's leading choral groups conducted by Sir Stephen Cleobury, including some moving treble solos. The Choir of King's College in Cambridge (England) is one of the most famous choirs in the world. It was founded in the 15th century and is one of the oldest of it's kind. It was originally founded for the daily services in the college chapel, but today it can also be heard on international concert tours throughout Europe and beyond. - Also available on CD: Cat. No.: 9186 PPD: 7,50 EAN code: 5029365928626 - A beautiful re-release of one of Brilliant Classics' best-selling albums, now on Vinyl. - The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, is one of the world's best-known choral groups. Founded in the 15th century, it ranks among the oldest of it's kind, and, while originally created for singing the daily services in the college chapel, now enjoys an international tour schedule that has seen it perform all over Europe and beyond. Every Christmas Eve, millions of people tune in to watch the choir's A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's - a service which has been continuously broadcast since 1928. - Recorded in 1994, this reissue joins the group's already extensive discography of Christmas music - recordings that have enhanced it's worldwide fame and reputation. The compilation mixes some of the best-loved traditionals, including Once in royal David's city and O Come all ye faithful, with more recent repertoire - such as Rutter's rousing What Sweeter Music and Judith Weir's striking Illuminare, Jerusalem (specially commissioned by the choir for it's 1985 annual service). Also featured are traditional German, French, Dutch and Polish carols (including two settings of Dulce Jubilo)

Westminster Choir 100th Anniversary Recording

Music has the ability to illuminate aspects of the human condition in ways that only sound married to texts can achieve. One of the greatest preachers of the twentieth century, William Sloan Coffin, often remarked that music in most cases was more powerful than the spoken word. This recording represents just that. All the music on this recording reflects, in sound, that serenity (and, yes, beauty) is within all of us if we choose to go there. This recording celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Westminster Choir in 1920 by John Finley Williamson, albeit a bit later.

For countless people over several generations, the celebration of the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season begins with the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a century-old tradition of the college. The first festival was a musical program for the college community planned and directed by F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf Music Department. The festival continues as an outgrowth of Christian conviction and an expression of the rich musical heritage at St. Olaf, a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The 2021 St. Olaf Christmas Festival features the St. Olaf Orchestra, St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Cantorei, St. Olaf Chapel Choir, Manitou Singers, and Viking Chorus, performing as both individual groups and as a massed ensemble. In 1981, Steven Amundson joined the St. Olaf College faculty and became conductor of the St. Olaf Orchestra, a position he has held for 40 years. With Amundson set to retire this spring, St. Olaf College honors him for his years of service and dedication as he conducts his final St. Olaf Christmas Festival.

Imitation is the ultimate compliment. To take inspiration from someone else’s work, to borrow and rework it to form another piece…what could be more flattering? This technique, known as ‘parody’, was hugely popular in late 16th-century Europe and Orlande de Lassus was one of its most famous advocates. The Sixteen’s programme showcases the master of parody at work and also features a new commission from the extraordinarily inventive composer Bob Chilcott parodying one of Lassus’ finest secular madrigals.

Also included are two mini masterpieces by Maddalena Casulana - the first female composer to have had a whole book of her music printed and published in the history of western music and whose work was widely admired, not least by Lassus.

Promise of Peace is the audio recording of the full-length 2022 St. Olaf Christmas Festival, held in Minneapolis on December 2-3; 2022. Recorded live in Orchestra Hall, this album features performances from the St. Olaf Choir; St. Olaf Orchestra; St. Olaf Chapel Choir; St. Olaf Cantorei; Manitou Singers; and Viking Chorus.

The Psalmes, Songs and Sonnets of 1611 was William Byrd’s final publication. And what a superbly fitting culmination to a lifetime of musical service it is! As well as being packed with variety and invention – including both sacred and secular music and using a range of forces from small trios to consorts to full choir – it is probably the happiest, most serene collection of music Byrd ever produced. Ahead of the 400th Anniversary of William Byrd’s death in 2023, The Sixteen and Harry Christophers are joined by celebrated Viol Consort, Fretwork, for this new complete recording of the Psalmes, Songs and Sonnets of 1611.

The catalog of sacred vocal compositions by Padre Martini is vast. From the library of the International Museum of Music and the Diocesan Archdiocesan Archive of the Cathedral of San Pietro in Bologna, the orchestra of “San Pietro” has reconstructed one of the most moving liturgies for the Catholic liturgical year: the rite of the dead, which is proposed here in an accurate selection. To crown this work, an unusual (but not distant) psalm to the Office of the Dead: the De Profundis for solo baritone, filled with 4 voices and strings, representing the pinnacle of Martini’s compositional ability and complexity, both in instrumental and choral music.

There are few choirs in Poland that have as distinct repertoire as the Choir of Maritime University of Szczecin. An absolute hallmark and specialty of the choir, led by Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch, is the performance of maritime themed pieces. However, obviously they do not exhaust their repertoire, which includes sacral and folk music as well as arrangements of popular music. Polish maritime-inspired choral music has a very long history. Feliks Nowowiejski is considered to be the father of the genre. However, it is an undoubtedly unexploited topic, demanding new, fresh and original ideas. The Choir of Maritime University of Szczecin regularly commissions works from Polish composers and is always met with great enthusiasm on the part of the authors. It is caused by the fact that it is very hard to find a better apparatus to mimic the spirit and sounds of the sea, as is an a cappella choir. The sound of the choir homogeneous like water, in which an infinite number of droplets merge into one, waves, flows, individual voices emerge from the sound mixture and plunge back into it, and sonoric vocal effects can suggestively transport the listener into the world of the noise of waves and screaming gulls. The composers, whose work can be found on the Sound of the Sea album, represent three different generations: there is the sage of Polish choral music, Marek Jasiński, recognized and experienced artists such as Miłosz Bembinow or Janusz Stalmierski, and promising composers of the younger generation, such as Zuzanna Koziej or Katarzyna Danel. The common stylistic denominator for the album is the maritime theme. But is the titular Sea defined in any way? Is it the Baltic Sea, the 8 Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, or maybe some general, undefined sea, the archetype of which lies somewhere in our subconscious?

Harry Christophers has been at the forefront of choral music for the last 45 years and this album, in celebration of his 70th birthday, demonstrates the breadth of his musical passions and the wealth of repertoire he has recorded over the years. Featuring 39 tracks hand-picked by the conductor, the works on this collection document Harry Christophers' life in music-from his early years as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, through his time at Magdalen College, Oxford, and subsequent founding of The Sixteen, to more recent years as Artistic Director of America's renowned Handel and Haydn Society. This collection charts his discovery as a boy of Purcell and Poulenc to his enduring love for the music of Victoria and Handel and his celebrated partnership with James MacMillan. Each track holds special significance and the stories behind the choices are documented in notes especially written by Harry Christophers for this album.

Swiss Choral Music is a colourful treasure trove that allows us to discover the diversity of contemporary choral music in Switzerland. In addition to a wide stylistic range, Swiss Choral Music also reflects the linguistic richness of Switzerland. Rhaeto-Romanic, French, German, Italian - all of Switzerland's official languages are represented alongside English.

Recognizing the centenary of the Anglo-Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford's death, this new album from The Sixteen includes a number of premiere recordings of his Irish Folksongs and Partsongs.

Stanford is celebrated both nationally and internationally as a composer of great diversity. He composed a substantial number of concert works, including seven symphonies, but he is best-remembered for his choral works. Stanford's writing for voices is exquisite and his imaginative storytelling is ever-present in his Irish Folksongs where he captures everything from fiery revenge to passionate love with equal effectiveness.

Stanford's dedication to the poetry of Mary Elizabeth Coleridge also stands out-he was drawn to the lyricism of her poetry and the imagery she conjures up-something that is clearly heard in his Opus 127 settings. Much of her poetry is marked by a sense of loss and change, nowhere better portrayed than in The Guest with its unsettling narrative.

Danish Choral Music

Holmens Kirke is located in the heart of Copenhagen, surrounded by the historic buildings of Christiansborg Palace (which now houses the Danish Parliament) and the old stock exchange “Børsen” from 1625, as well as the newer National Bank, designed by Arne Jacobsen and built between 1965-1978. It was King Christian IV of Denmark who ?rst converted this site from a naval anchor forge into a church in 1619. For more than 400 years, Holmens Kirke has served as the Royal Naval Church. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her consort, the late Prince Henrik, were married in Holmens Kirke on 10th June 1967. Holmens Kirke holds a special signi?cance in Danish musical life, partly due to the church’s rich history, prominent location and excellent acoustic, but also thanks to the great ?gures of Danish music such as Niels W. Gade, Thomas Laub and Mogens Wøldike who all worked as organists at Holmens Kirke. Each year, the church attracts thousands of people for its services and concerts.

This CD showcases the church music composed by the current organist of Holmens Kirke, Jakob Lorentzen. These works were created for use in services, ceremonies and concerts at Holmens Kirke and Christiansborg Palace Chapel.

It is customary in Mass services at Holmens Kirke that, following the Old Testament reading, the choir perform a short "korvers" ("choral verse") whilst the congregation remain standing to listen. A condensed selection of these “mini motets”, which number 140 in all, can be heard on this CD.

The choral music of Richard Lambert, born in Bath in the English West Country in 1951, covers a wide range of expression, ranging on this album from straightforward SATB settings for church performance to a sardonic parody of the excesses of established religion. It also encompasses the timeless and the timely, with a number of contributions to the age-old tradition of Christmas music to a cantata inspired by the Covid pandemic.

Prior to 1991, students at Westminster Choir College organized services of lessons and carols during the season of Advent. Inspired by the famous Service of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge, these services were held in Bristol Chapel under the leadership of Sacred Music students and accompanied by student organists. Each year, for the past 30 years, we have gathered to witness this familiar tradition and to be moved by sound and word. This evening brings stability, beauty, and comfort to all who experience the music in this great space. This 30th Anniversary live recording at the Princeton University Chapel includes the Westminster Alumni Choir, Westminster Chapel Choir, Westminster Choir, Westminster Concert Bell Choir, Westminster Jubilee Singers, Westminster Symphonic Choir, Timberdale Brass, and alumnus Robert McCormick on organ.

TRACKLIST OF WORKS:

Disc 1:

• Who is This King of Glory?
• Nata Lux
• Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)
• Angel Tidings
• Toccata on Veni Emmanuel
• I Wonder as I Wander
• Missa Carolae
• Come, O Come Emmanuel
• Handel: Messiah, HMW 56
• Organ Improvisation
• In Splendoribus Sanctorum (Strathclyde Motets)
• Dame Russa Trepak
• Betelehemu

Disc 2:

• Come, All Ye Faithful
• In the Bleak Midwinter
• On This Day Earth Shall Rise
• Dona Nobis Pacem
• Hark the Herald Angels Sing
• Festival First Nowell
• Silent Night
• Ringing in the Season
• Joy to the World
• L’année d’or
• The Lord Bless You and Keep You
• Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella

In producing an update of his Pulitzer-winning 'the little match girl passion,' composer David Lang sought to deliver "...a leaner version of the piece, a more human version, one that emphasizes every breath, and that heightens the individuality of each singer." Featuring inspired performances by singers Molly Netter, Kate Maroney, Gene Stenger and Dashon Burton, as well as the renowned Trio Mediaeval — on the bonus track "I want to live," as well as an updated version of "just (after song of songs)" — this new recording accomplishes everything that Lang set out to explore, opening up fresh vistas of accessibility to a beloved work in modern choral music.

The history of music-making in Rome tends to focus on Renaissance polyphony, with an occasional nod to the Baroque thereafter. But thanks to composers like Giovanni Battista Casali (1715–92), choral music continued to flourish in Roman churches and other religious establishments in the eighteenth century, too, until Napoleon’s occupation broke many of its traditions. Casali’s music, though, is as good as unknown, and this pioneering recording reveals a composer at home in the galant style – with a surprising fondness for the occasional dissonance.

Known primarily as a composer of choral music, Lorenzo Perosi was also a priest and much admired by Puccini. Stellar Italian pianist Matteo Bevilacqua is joined once again by members of the Roma Tre Orchestra in these 20th-century Italian chamber music discoveries. Includes world premiere recordings. Perosi’s piano quartets and String Trio No. 2 are available on Naxos 8.574375.

Introducing "ISPICIWIN," the new album by Luminous Voices. The title track captures a collaboration spanning months and years, representing both a personal and collective journey. Andrew's compositions, infused with Cree text, evoke a range of emotions – yearning, hope, fear, and spiritual longing. The album features remarkable artists: Jessica McMann on bass flute and Walter MacDonald White Bear on Native American courting flute and guitar.

Alongside Antognini's "I am the Rose of Sharon," it includes works by Canadian composers from Turtle Island. Luminous Voices' exceptional performances and commissioned premieres enrich the collection. Andrew Balfour is an innovative composer/conductor/singer / sound designer with a large body of choral, instrumental, electro-acoustic, and orchestral works. Jessica McMann, member of Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, is an Alberta-based, multidisciplinary Cree artist. She interweaves land, Indigenous identity, history, and language throughout her dance and music creation/performance practice.

Walter MacDonald White Bear’s music reflects his personal journey as a First Nations person in Canada. Luminous Voices, known for illuminating choral music, continues to captivate audiences through performances, recordings, and workshops. ISPICIWIN marks the fifth commercial recording for Luminous Voices and the third that the choir has released through Leaf Music. Join this odyssey where the music reflects an incredible array of talent from composers closely connected to Luminous Voices both in geography and in creative collaboration.

Svend Simon Schultz (1913-1998) is one of the most remarkable Danish composers and as a conductor he made a significant contribution to Danish songs, not least during his 30 years as head of the Danish Radio Chamber Choir. He was constantly composing and wrote music for movies, chamber ensemble and especially for choir. Svend S. Schultz made a stamp on Danish choral music which is still beaming today. His songs are known by every Dane and his production probably one of the most encompassing of all Danish composers. This is the second CD of a project to record all his nearly 90 choral songs, all of them musically and technically on the highest possible level.

What would singing be without words? When you combine wonderful poetry with exquisite music, the result is magical. In a rare break from the sacred collections they are famed for, this album from The Sixteen features a whole program of secular music devoted to English partsongs. From Stanford’s cycle of Eight Partsongs based on the sparing yet infectious poetry of Mary Elizabeth Coleridge to Bridges’ lyrically descriptive writing in Finzi’s Seven Poems of Robert Bridges and Imogen Holst’s six idyllic partsongs Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow using verses by John Keats, each setting captures the mood of the poem brilliantly.

SOMM Recordings is delighted to announce the release of Gardens, Fables, Prisons, Dreams, eight first recordings of music by Penelope Thwaites paying homage to “the heroes, the witty wordsmiths, the dancers, the poets, and the visionaries; and two great composers” who have influenced her musical life. Thwaites is joined by fellow pianist Benjamin Frith for the exuberant six- part A Lambeth Garland, the enchanting eight-part retelling of Oscar Wilde’s fable The Selfish Giant and Thwaites’ arrangement of Delius’s In a Summer Garden, the first to be made for two pianos. She is heard with John Mills (violin) and Bozidar Vukotic (cello) on Vijay’s Fable, drawn from her culture-fusing score for Indian choreographer Vijaylakshmi Subramaniam, and the atmospheric Mazurka: au Tombeau de Chopin. The Tippett Quartet contribute three memorable performances: Jan Palach’s Theme, recalling the self-immolating student protestor against the Soviet Union’s 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia; For Irina, a tribute to dissident Russian poet Irina Ratushinskaya who survived imprisonment but died of cancer in 2017; and with double bassist Laurence Ungless for To the Hills, a string quintet version of Thwaites’ earlier choral setting of Psalm 121. Since her 1974 London debut at Wigmore Hall, she has performed in more than 30 countries, and is internationally known as an acclaimed pianist and editor of The New Percy Grainger Companion (Boydell Press, 2010), the standard reference book on performing his music.

Palestrina’s music is exquisite and sumptuous — characterised by a richness of texture and purity of sound. From his sacred Masses to settings of the secular Song of Songs, The Sixteen brings this serene and delicate soundworld to sparkling life.

Palestrina was a towering figure in Renaissance polyphony and arguably the greatest composer of liturgical music of all time. For nearly half a millennium his legacy and impact on sacred music worldwide has been second to none. The Sixteen continues its acclaimed series exploring a selection of his massive output, with this volume featuring the richly sonorous Missa Ut re mi fa sol la at its heart. The Sixteen also shines a spotlight on some of the glorious music Palestrina wrote for St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist.

Coronation – Music for Royal Occasions spans 500 years of royal music – for celebration, for prayer and for commemoration – varying in scale from private devotion to full state coronation. The collection, featuring Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, Purcell, Tippett and Britten, looks forward to the coronation of Charles III, and back to the ancient rituals of royal ceremonial. It also presents a new work, commissioned by the Genesis Foundation, from celebrated composer Cecilia McDowall commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth II and celebrating her remarkable reign. Of course no such collection would be complete without examples from the four anthems Handel wrote for the coronation of George II at Westminster Abbey in 1727, of which Zadok the Priest has been performed at the coronation of every British monarch since. Much has changed since their first performance almost 300 years ago. Yet their dramatic impact and grandeur, underlined by mighty choral acclamations and regal trumpets and drums, remains supremely fit for the coronation of a new king.

William Byrd was one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance. He was widely admired in his own time both at home and abroad and the influence he had on future generations of composers was immense. This programme explores the music of his influences, his colleagues and his pervading faith. In his 400th anniversary year, Byrd’s legacy is marked by the commission of two new pieces from acclaimed composer Dobrinka Tabakova, bringing his musical heritage firmly into the modern day. The two premieres, Arise Lord into thy rest and Turn our captivity, highlight the beauty of modern polyphony and showcase The Sixteen in a new light. The programme also features works by Van Wilder, de Monte, Clemens Non Papa and, of course, Byrd himself.