Modern Choral Masters Box set. Disc One Description Modern Choral Masters Box set. Disc One Description Morten Lauridsen is America's preeminent composer of choral music. Characterized by long, arching and highly expressive lines, his works are enjoyed by performers and audiences worldwide. O nata lux, perhaps Lauridsen's most popular work, is a serene evocation of heavenly light, while the searingly intense and technically demanding Madrigali inhabit a more feverish and earthy realm. The refined Les Chansons des Roses employ a design reminiscent of the formal gardens, filled with roses, found in the grounds of the great French châteaux. The unforgettable final movement is the now-famous Dirait-on. The Mid-Winter Songs for chorus and piano are a stunning example of compositional virtuosity. O magnum mysterium, for a cappella chorus, is a setting of a Christmas text that has inspired composers from Victoria to Poulenc.
Disc Two Description Eric Whitacre's dedication to the beauty of sound, paired with exquisite texts, results in a poetic combination that creates a unique sonic experience. These works are existential choral moments, beautifully crafted, and harmonized to express a compressed moment in time. Such sublime sonorities transcend descriptions such as 'warm', 'glistening' or 'shimmering', although these features of his choral works do suggest affinities with the sound worlds of Arvo Pärt or John Tavener, for instance. However, Whitacre's fluid lines and blossoming harmonies give his music it's own highly personal and irresistible magic.
Disk Three Description During the past 20 years, Arvo Pärt has consolidated his reputation as one of the most significant contemporary composers with a sequence of magnificent sacred choral works. Dating from between 1990 and 2001, the works on this recording exemplify Pärt's mature idiom at it's most harmonically expressive. If Triodion represents his music at it's starkest and most unadorned, Kanon Pokajanen, the composer's largest work after the 1982 St John Passion (Naxos 8.555860), is music of a dark-hued and intensely felt contemplation. Pärt's emotionally-charged Bogoróditse Djévo, is a vibrant tribute to the Virgin Mary. The Elora Festival Singers' recording of Pärt's Berliner Messe.
2 Madrigali (Madrigals): No. 1. Ov'e, Lass', Il Bel Viso
3 Madrigali (Madrigals): No. 2. Quando Son Piu Lontan
4 Madrigali (Madrigals): No. 3. Amor, Lo Sento L'alma
5 Madrigali (Madrigals): No. 4. Io Piango, Che 'l Dolore
6 Madrigali (Madrigals): No. 5. Luci Serene E Chiare
7 Madrigali (Madrigals): No. 6. Se Per Havervi, Oime, Donato Il Core
8 Les Chansons Des Roses: No. 1 en Une Seule Fleur
9 Les Chansons Des Roses: No. 2. Contre Qui, Rose
10 Les Chansons Des Roses: No. 3. de Ton Reve Trop Plein
11 Les Chansons Des Roses: No. 4. La Rose Complete. No. 5. Dirait - on
12 Mid-Winter Songs: No. 1. Lament for Pasiphae
13 Mid-Winter Songs: No. 2. Like Snow
14 Mid-Winter Songs: No. 3. She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep
15 Mid-Winter Songs: No. 4. Mid - Winter Waking
16 Mid-Winter Songs: No. 5. Intercession in Late October
17 Mid-Winter Songs: O Magnum Mysterium
- Disc 2 -
1 Her Sacred Spirit Soars
2 A Boy and a Girl
3 Water Night
4 This Marriage
5 Lux Aurumque (Light of Gold)
6 Little Tree
7 When David Heard
8 Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine
9 I Thank You God for Most This Amazing Day
10 Sleep
11 Little Birds
- Disc 3 -
1 Triodion: I. Introduction: Ad Libitum - Ode I: O Jesus the Son of God, Have Mercy Upon Us
2 Triodion: II. Ode II: O Most Holy Birth - Giver of God, Save Us
3 Triodion: III. Ode III: O Holy Saint Nicholas, Pray to God for Us - Coda: Ad Libitum
4 Triodion: Tribute to Caesar
5 Triodion: Nunc Dimittis
6 Kanon Pokajanen: Ode VII: Memento
7 Kanon Pokajanen: I Am the True Vine
8 Kanon Pokajanen: The Woman with the Alabaster Box
9 Kanon Pokajanen: Dopo la Vittoria (After the Victory)
10 Kanon Pokajanen: Bogoroditse Djevo (Mother of God and Virgin)
Modern Choral Masters Box set. Disc One Description Modern Choral Masters Box set. Disc One Description Morten Lauridsen is America's preeminent composer of choral music. Characterized by long, arching and highly expressive lines, his works are enjoyed by performers and audiences worldwide. O nata lux, perhaps Lauridsen's most popular work, is a serene evocation of heavenly light, while the searingly intense and technically demanding Madrigali inhabit a more feverish and earthy realm. The refined Les Chansons des Roses employ a design reminiscent of the formal gardens, filled with roses, found in the grounds of the great French châteaux. The unforgettable final movement is the now-famous Dirait-on. The Mid-Winter Songs for chorus and piano are a stunning example of compositional virtuosity. O magnum mysterium, for a cappella chorus, is a setting of a Christmas text that has inspired composers from Victoria to Poulenc.
Disc Two Description Eric Whitacre's dedication to the beauty of sound, paired with exquisite texts, results in a poetic combination that creates a unique sonic experience. These works are existential choral moments, beautifully crafted, and harmonized to express a compressed moment in time. Such sublime sonorities transcend descriptions such as 'warm', 'glistening' or 'shimmering', although these features of his choral works do suggest affinities with the sound worlds of Arvo Pärt or John Tavener, for instance. However, Whitacre's fluid lines and blossoming harmonies give his music it's own highly personal and irresistible magic.
Disk Three Description During the past 20 years, Arvo Pärt has consolidated his reputation as one of the most significant contemporary composers with a sequence of magnificent sacred choral works. Dating from between 1990 and 2001, the works on this recording exemplify Pärt's mature idiom at it's most harmonically expressive. If Triodion represents his music at it's starkest and most unadorned, Kanon Pokajanen, the composer's largest work after the 1982 St John Passion (Naxos 8.555860), is music of a dark-hued and intensely felt contemplation. Pärt's emotionally-charged Bogoróditse Djévo, is a vibrant tribute to the Virgin Mary. The Elora Festival Singers' recording of Pärt's Berliner Messe.
