Bob Chilcott

Review: The world-renowned choral composer and conductor Bob Chilcott leads the BBC Singers, as well as the internationally recognised soloists Simone Rebello and Paul Silverthorne, in these new performances of some of his best and most loved choral works. The choir is renowned as an expert ensemble and here they sing splendidly under Chilcott's direction. The selection of music on this disc has been well made to give a good variety of perspectives on Bob Chilcott's choral output - a resourceful composer and one who writes exceptionally well for voices and he is superbly served here by the virtuosity of the BBC Singers. This is a glorious showcase of one of the finest choral composers at work in Britain today.

Songlist: The Skin, The Barrel of the Drum, The Two Curved Sticks of the Drummer, Gourds and Rattles, The Gong - Gong, My Prayer, O sapientia, O Adonai, O Radix Jesse, O Clavis David, O Oriens, O Rex Gentium, O Emmanuel, The Shepherd's Carol, And Every Stone Shall Cry, Pange Lingua, The Runner, The Last Invocation, One's - Self I Sing, Beach, Simple Pictures of Tomorrow, Weather Report

Review: A recording of works by the world renowned choral composer Bob Chilcott. Bob has been involved in choral music for most of his life and since he became a professional composer in 1997 he has had over 100 works published by Oxford University Press. He was hailed by Gramophone magazine as "one of the finest choral composers at work in Britain today." This CD includes tracks with The Sirens, an ensemble of young professional women's voices specially created for this recording. Also featuring are a jazz trio with Alexander Hawkins on piano, Michael Chilcott on bass and Dereck Scurll on drums. The works included here reflect the strong support and interest that Bob's vocal music generates, with commissions from a wide variety of choral societies, children & youth choirs and professional choruses.

Songlist: Circles Of Motion, Like A Rainbow, All Things Pass, Making Waves, The Lily and the Rose, So Fair and Bright, Catch a Falling Star, Swansong 1, Like a Singing Bird, Swansong 2, All for Love of One, Bring Me the Sunset in a Cup, Awake, My Soul, This Day, The Bright Field, O Lord, Support us all the Day Long, Kyrie Eleison, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei

Review: The beautiful eight-part setting of 'My Prayer' starts out with a beautiful alto duet. This challenging piece is a joy to perform and to hear. 'Pray that Jerusalem may have peace' is a Scottish Psalter that was commisioned to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the consecration of Glenalmond College Chapel. The multiple key and tempo changes make this a challenging but exciting piece to perform. The text in 'God so loved the world' comes from John 3:16. The soprano solo adds a beautiful descant to this touching piece. 'Even Such Is Time' comes from the text by Sir Walter Raleight. The piece starts out with soft, but expressive, four-part harmonies. Half way through the song, the men's parts divisi. The soprano solo at the end adds a great finish. George Herber's text in 'Even-Song' is brought to life with gorgeous harmonies and yet another sweet soprano solo.

Songlist: My Prayer, Pray That Jerusalem May Have Peace, God So Loved The World, Even Such Is Time, Even-Song

Review: The weather, the most quintessentially English of topics, was the inspiration for Bob Chilcott's Weather Report, written for the BBC Singers. Chilcott weaves together a tapestry of well-known weather rhymes to create a work that is energetic, quirky, and entertaining. His choral writing is inventive and full of character, using layered rhythms and jazzy harmonies. This is a fun piece to perform, and perfect as a light addition to any concert programme.

Songlist: Weather Report

Review: Bob Chilcott and Susan Knight have searched the globe for vibrant, exciting music representing a wide range of choral traditions and styles-from a powerful arrangement of an old Armenian hymn to a percussive Dominican "villancico," a carol in the style of Nigerian art music, a Polish folk carol, a new arrangement of popular Canadian carol, and much more besides. Each piece may be sung in its original language or in English, and pronunciation guides are provided for those who wish to sing the original texts. This collection will help to refresh the repertoire of choirs the world over, with most pieces suitable for choirs of all sizes and abilities.

Songlist: Villancio De La Falta De Fe, Khorurd Metz, Southern Cross, Kuttun Kantak, Nu Is Die Roe Van Jesse, Acalanto Para O Menino Jesus, The Huron Carol, Notre Divin Maitre, Llega la Navidad, Nuud ole, Jeesus, Kiidetud, Tuikkikaa, Oi Joulun Tahtoset, Ainsi Que Parmi La Pree, Suser Die Glocken Nie Klingen, Krismas Dodzi Vo, Nagykarcsony Ejszakajan, Immanuel Oss I Natt, Carul Failte, Infant Joy, Jajang, Jajang, Ahgi Yesu, Dedziet Skalu, Putietguni, Lullaby Carol, Amuworo Ayi Out Nwa, Det Hev Ei Rose Sprunge, Hej, Hej, Lelija!, Ena Noc Polna Veselja, Susa Ninna, Ett Nyfott Barn, Im Silbernen Wassergrund, My Dancing Day, Who Is The Baby, Nino Lindo

Review: Bob Chilcott and Susan Knight have searched the globe for vibrant, exciting music representing a wide range of choral traditions and styles-from a powerful arrangement of an old Armenian hymn to a percussive Dominican "villancico," a carol in the style of Nigerian art music, a Polish folk carol, a new arrangement of popular Canadian carol, and much more besides. Each piece may be sung in its original language or in English, and pronunciation guides are provided for those who wish to sing the original texts. This collection will help to refresh the repertoire of choirs the world over, with most pieces suitable for choirs of all sizes and abilities.

Songlist: Looys parats (The Light of Glory), An Australian Christmas, Oi Bethleem! (O Bethlehem!), Omnes nu laet ons gode loven (Now Let Us All Praise God), Acalentando Jesus (Sleep, little Savior), The Huron Carol, Notre divin Maitre (Our master, Lord Jesus), Cantemos a Maria (Let us sing to Mary), Nuud ole, Jeesus, kiidetud (Now blessed by thou, Christ Jesu), On lapsi syntynyt meille (A Son to us is given), Vieux Noel pour les Tout-petits (Awake, awake!), Nikolauslied (St Nicholas Song), Pastoral (Angels Bright), Jol, Oigbhean a chanaim (I sing of a maiden), The Divine Image, Ju nashuhtdah (Jesus is born), Sudrabina lietins lija (See the silver rain is falling), Indigo I, Amuworo ayi otu nwa (For unto us a child is born), Det hev ei rose sprunge (A spotless rose), Tarice-lamance w cudownej stajence (Joyous Dances), Susa ninna, Ett Nyfott Barn (A Newborn Child), Auf, ihr Hirten, von dem Schlaf (Wake up shephers from your sleep), Sussex Carol, Jesus, Jesus, rest your head, Who is the baby?, Ananaya, nanay (Christmas Carol)

Review: This exciting and accessible collection for upper voices (scored for SA choir and piano) features five brand-new songs by celebrated choral composer Bob Chilcott. Drawing on five very different texts, Chilcott guides the voices through a number of styles and moods; the songs include the rousing 'All for Love of One', gentle 'The Truth is Great', and thought-provoking 'All things pass'. The central song, 'Circles of Motion', is a fervent and positive setting of Joy Harjo's well-known 'Eagle Poem', and the collection is completed by the funky 'Red Boots On', which uses jazzy rhythms and harmonies to bring Kit Wright's text alive. This is Chilcott at his very best - a welcome addition to the repertoire of any upper-voice choir.

Songlist: All For Love of One, The Truth Is Great, Circles of Motion, All Things Pass, Red Boots On

Review: Composed for the Reykjavik Cathedral Choir's "Solo Dei Gloria" Festival in 2004, Advent Antiphons is an exquisite concert setting of the Great O Antiphons. Traditionally chanted or sung between 17 and 23 December, the Antiphons comprise seven brief prayers which proceed in sequence, charting events from before Creation through to the birth of Christ. The powerful sentiments conveyed in these texts are brought to the fore in Chilcott's masterful writing for double choir; he embroiders a beautifully textured work in which echoes of plainchant combine with richly expressive harmony. In the third and fifth movements, the composer instructs the individual sopranos and altos in each choir to sing their parts in their own rhythm, to entrancing effect. Without doubt, this is some of Chilcott's finest music to date; subtle yet potent, haunting, and uplifting.

Songlist: O Sapientia, O Adonai, O Radix Jesse, O Clavis David, O Oriens, O Rex Gentium, O Emmanuel

Review: These anthems by Andrew Carter, Bob Chilcott, and John Rutter contain ten of their most popular pieces to date. The anthems have been carefully selected to be both approachable to a wide range of choirs and appropriate to the needs of today's liturgy. Together, these collections offer an unrivalled choice of text, style, and scoring, which will make them indispensible and treasured additions to any choir library.

Songlist: And Thank Him Then, Be Thou My Vision, even Such Is Time, God Loved So The World, If Ye Love Me, Irish Blessing, Just As I Am, Song From Jubilate, Sweet Prospect, Walk Softly

Review: Nine classic Chilcott songs including original pieces and arrangements of traditional material. The varied nature of the collection highlights Chilcott's prodigious gifts. Some of the pieces are published here for the first time.

Songlist: Aka-Tonbo, Ar Hyd Y Nos, Composed Upon Westminister Bridge, September 3, 1802, Dance In The Street, O Danny Boy, Over the Wave, The Lily and the Rose, The Runner, Skye Boat Song

Review: The carols of Bob Chilcott have quickly become classics of the repertoire. Fresh, arrestingly beautiful, and exquisitely crafted, they signal a new direction for carol writing, and appeal to a wide range of singers of all ages. This collection of carols for mixed voices assembles nine of the finest pieces from Chilcott's first ten years with Oxford, including two new pieces specially written for the book. Together, they offer a reat range of styles and moods, and provide a moving narration of the Christmas story that will delight choirs and their audiences for years to come.

Songlist: Christmas-tide, For Him And All Stars Have Shone, Lully, Lulla, Thou Little Tiny Child, Mid-Winter, Nova! Nova!, Remember O, Thou Man, The Shepard's Carol, The Time Of Snow, Where Riches Is Everlastingly

Review: Previously published under the title Gaudete!, this collection has been re-covered to complement Bob Chilcott's first Christmas choral anthology. From the simple, understated beauty of 'Away in a manger' to the exuberant jazz waltz version of 'We wish you a merry Christmas', this volume takes a fresh look at classics of the Christmas repertoire.

Songlist: Away in a manger, Coventry Carol, Gaudete!, Il est ne, le divin enfant, Jesus, Jesus, rest your head, Jingle, Bells, Still, still, still, Sussex Carol, We wish you a merry Christmas, What child is this?

Review: Following the success of the mixed-voice edition of Furusato, Bob Chilcott has adapted his arrangements of five evocative Japanese songs for upper voices. Each poem depicts the beauty of the Japanese landscape, and familiar melodies combine with Chilcott's original style to create an enchanting fusion of East and West. Suitable for performance as a suite or as stand-alone pieces, these charming and emotive songs will be a welcome addition to the repertoire of any upper-voice choir.

Songlist: Sunayama, Mura Matsuri, Oborozukiyo, Furusato, Momiji

Review: Hark, hark, the lark is a collection of eight exquisite settings for upper voices, specially commissioned to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. The volume pays tribute to Britain's greatest writer, presenting a selection of his finest texts set to music by some of today's most accomplished choral composers.

Songlist: And will he not come again?, Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Come unto these yellow sands, Hark, hark, the lark, Our revels now are ended, Over hill, over dale, When icicles hang by the wall, You spotted snakes with double tongue

Review: An uplifting and joyful concert setting of four texts exploring man's relationship with the earth. Brimming with energy, the work has a wonderful freshness and vitality. Chilcott selects a range of evocative texts from ancient Chinese, Aztec, Eskimo, and native American cultures. Chilcott's skill for capturing the essence and meaning of words in music shines throughout the work.

Songlist: When the Sun Rises, The Earth, The Innermost House, Come to the Great World

Review: This vibrant collection presents five jazzy settings of poems from William Blake's Songs of Innocence. Chilcott challenges the expectation of the listener by setting each classic text in a different jazz-inspired style-from the laid-back swing of 'The Echoing Green' and ballad-like setting of 'The Lamb' to a lilting jazz waltz, 'The Little Boy Lost/The Little Boy Found'. The voices are underpinned by a stylistic piano part, which may be played as written or serve as a guide, and a part for bass and drum kit is available separately for jazz trio accompaniment. Ideal for performance individually or as a suite, these innovative songs will make a colourful addition to any concert programme.

Songlist: Piping down the valleys wild, The Lamb, The Little Boy Lost/The Little Boy Found, The Echoing Green, The Divine Image

Review: Shall I compare thee? is a collection of ten exquisite settings for mixed voices, specially commissioned to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. The volume pays tribute to Britain's greatest writer, presenting a selection of his finest texts set to music by some of today's most accomplished choral composers. Accompanied and unaccompanied settings

Songlist: The Bird of Dawning, Fear no more the heat o' th' sun, I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, It was a lover and his lass, Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?, Sigh no more, ladies, Come away, come away death, When that I was and a little tiny boy, If music be the food of love, Touch her soft lips and part

Review: 'Singing by Numbers' is a celebration of singing in all its various forms, using a diverse assortment of texts. The seven short movements include items for upper (or children's) voices and men's voices as well as the full choir.

Songlist: Sing We Now Merrily, The Singing Of Birds, Hey Down A Down, Cruet MacNighshade, Sing You Now, Everyone Sang, Hey Down A Down / Sing With Thy Mouth

Review: Songs And Cries Of London by Bob Chilcott is a vibrant and varied choral cantata in five movements for SATB choir, upper-voice choir, piano duet, and optional percussion. The two outer movements draw their words and inspiration from "The Cries Of London" by Orlando Gibbons and frame three contrasting middle movements setting a poem each by Dunbar and wordsworth, as well as the anonymous 18th century rhyme "Oranges and Lemons." Together, these settings evoke a surprisingly contemporary impression of London's sights, sounds, and moods, inspiring some irresistible music, by turns contemplative and unquenchably thrilling.

Songlist: Come Buy, The Flower Of Cities All, London Bells, Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, Good Morrow

Review: This monumental cantata for massed forces was commissioned by David Hill and The Bach Choir and premiered as part of the 2012 BBC Proms. Setting a specially commissioned text by Charles Bennett, Chilcott skilfully uses both metred and unmetered sung and spoken lines to highlight the text's environmental message. While the musically interlinked choirs sing of humanity's negligence towards nature in a series of dream images, the endearing and innocent tunes of the children's choir ultimately evoke a sense of hope for the future. Creating a unique opportunity for adult and children's choirs to collaborate, this captivating piece offers a fun and educational performance experience for singers both young and old.

Songlist: 6pm, As if, Yellow Eye, 9pm, Green Rain, Midnight, We Need, Jam, Sorry too late, Peppermint freckles, 6am (Lutra lutra), Perhaps

Review: This work is classic Chilcott - vibrant, fresh, and great fun. It is an exuberant setting of the well-known carol in which the 'five gold rings' refrain is re-written to appear in an array of guises: gentle soprano solo, swinging barbershop quartet, hard funk, and rock gospel style. This version is for an SATB choir but retains the flexibility to include 'guest' performers. Even the audience can join in!

Songlist: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Review: SongStream is an exciting and innovative collection of 10 songs for youth choirs. Largely scored for SAB, with some divisi and optional parts, these songs combine the music of Bob Chilcott and the Voiceworks approach of Peter Hunt to present a dazzling array of pieces in all styles for young singers. Here are original compositions and arrangements, a gentle Japanese song and a gutsy setting of a Native American text, a funky spiritual and a Beatles encore, a tranquil folksong and a song noisily celebrating life and youthful energy. Accessible, relevant, and heart-warming, these pieces will communicate directly with young singers and their audiences and freshen any concert programme.

Songlist: Aka-Tonbo, Blue Mountain River, Can You Hear Me?, Give Me Strength, How Can I Keep From Singing?, The Ribbon, Shake the Bottle, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Three Country Dances In One, With A Little Help From My Friends

Review: Christmas Spirituals is a fresh and inspiring collection of new spiritual arrangements and orginal pieces in a gospel style for SATB groups of every size and ability. All the best-loved spirituals are here including "Mary Had A Baby", "Go Tell It To The Mountain" and "Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow", whilst the new songs are sure to become tomorrow's "classics". Together, the 12 pieces represent a wonderful diverse telling of the Christmas story to delight and inspire choirs and their audiences throughout this season of the year.

Songlist: And His Name Shall be Called, Away in a Manger, Behold that Star, Children, go where I Send Thee, Go, Tell It on the Mountain, Mary had a Baby, Mighty Wonder, Remember, O Thou Man, Rise Up Shepherd and Follow, Star of the Night, The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy, Wasn't that a Mighty Day!

Review: This exciting collection by Bob Chilcott gives a jazzy twist to nine favourite folk songs from around the world. The spiral-bound edition is accompanied by a fantastic backing CD, allowing choirs to perform with jazz-trio accompaniment. Bob Chilcott currently conducts the chorus at the Royal College of Music in London and is in great demand as a guest conductor and leader of choral workshops worldwide.

Songlist: Composer's Note, A La Claire Fontaine (There by the Crystal Fountain), En La Macarenita (Down in Macarena), Hush, Little Baby, Sakura (Cherry Tree), Scarborough Fair, Tell My Ma, The House of the Rising Sun, Tuoll' On Mun Kultani (There is my Loved one), Waltzing Matilda, CD Tracklist and Credits