Leo Nestor

Review: The American Repertory Singers has got to be one of our very finest domestic choirs specializing in modern American music. The program's title piece is from James Hopkins whose smooth, dreamlike setting of "Come to Me in the Silence of Night" has enjoyed considerable success. Other discoveries include David Conte's feverish "Charm Me Asleep", a splendid setting of Elizabethan poet Robert Herrick's restless verse. Also new to me is Jane Marshall, who contributes a delightful pair of bookend madrigals. The contrast between the initial song's blithe and bouncy air and the warmly reminiscent comfort of its companion piece is very touching. Daniel Pinkham's "Love Can Be Still" is a cycle of four poems by Norma Farber, full of startling turns of musical pphrase, infusing Pinkham's unmistakable American idiom with some complex, late-Monteverdi tricks. Perhaps the best are from Nestor himself: the four sentiment-drenched setting of Four Part-songs from the "Highlands", including two traditional texts and two from Robert Burns. Three include lovely obbligatos for solo flute. "Ca' the Yowes" and "Will ye Go, Lassie, Go?" are especially haunting.

Songlist: Come to Me in the Silence of the Night, Love Can Be Still, Take me walking in your mind, After the storm is over, Da Capo, Charm Me Asleep, Four Songs from the Highlands, Ca' the Yowes, O My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose, Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?, Fareweel tae Tarwathie, Go, Lovely Rose, Campion Suite, There is a Garden in Her Face, Thrice Toss these Oaken Ashes, When to her Lute Corinna Sings, To Music Bent, Night was Well as Brightest Day, A Lover and his Lass, An Older Lover and His Lass, Reincarnations, Opus 6, The Coolin (The Fair Haired One), Love, bone-quiet, Mary Hines, Anthony O'Daly

Review: A most sensitive and attractive recording. The American Repertory Singers achieve choral artistry with consistently lovely tonal quality and astounding rhythmic control and flexibility. Sara Stern and Dotian Levalier participate with highly pleasing effect and artistry. The first track of the CD is a setting of the Welsh tune 'Ar hyd y nos'. The combining of the two instrumentalists with the choir provided a captivating and alluring textual attractiveness. The Seven Words of Christ from the Cross makes most effective use of dissonance. Schuneman's reading is wondrously apt and his selection of the soloist (David F. Eberhardt) to sing the part of the Evangelist is very admirable.

Songlist: God, Who Made the Earth, Missa Brevis, Kyrie, Sanctus & Benedictus, Gloria, Agnus Dei, Psalm 147, Alleluia! How good it is to sing praises, The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem, Great is our Lord, The Lord lifts up the lowly, Sing to the Lord with Thanksgiving, The Seven Words of Christ from the Cross, Alleluia Verses for Easter

Review: An extraordinary set of carol arrangements. As in the case with virtually all of Daron Hagen's music, he takes the listener on an unusual journey, frequently only alluding to tunes or portions of tunes already more than familiar to the listener. As one would expect of a composer who has devoted so much of his life to vocal music and the relationship between music and text, surprising things occur.

Songlist: Lullay, O Come, O Come, Emmauel, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/O Come, Emmanuel, Silent Night, Once in Royal David's City, Sussex Carol, What Child Is This?, At Bethlehem Proper, Hosanna

Review: One of the professional services offered by Boston-based, mixed voice American Repertory Singers is the recording of scores to accompany the distribution of publishers new issues. All the music on this disc was written in the last two decades of the 20th century, and it is a representative sampling of some of the best contemporary sacred music by America's choral composers who have written for all denominations of Christian churches. 21 cuts, some are accompanied. "Sounding Joy," an dramatic 8-minute arrangement of the spiritual "Steal Away to Jesus" with trumpets, a couple of nice pieces by Richard DeLong, "O Lord, Increase Our Faith" and "There is a Country," and three compositions by Leo Nestor, "And Peace at the Last," "To Rise Beyond the Stars" and "Who Is She Ascends So High?" Five "Little Prayers" by Daron Aric Hagen, 3 by Frank Ferko, "I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me," "I Will Give Thanks to You, O Lord" and "O Gracious Light," 2 by Jane Marshall, "Of Hospitality" and "Song of Simeon," and Daniel Pinkham's "A Sermon on Wisdom"-this is all beautifully performed, hard-to-find contemporary sacred music by one of the best Contemporary Christian ensembles.

Songlist: Sounding Joy, Steal Away to jesus, O Lord, Increase Our Faith, There is a Country, And Peace at the Last, To Rise Beyond the Stars, Who Is She Ascends So High?, Little Prayers, Almighty Father, Incline Thine Ear, Our Father, Who Arrt In heaven, Why Do You Seek Rest, We Mayy Be Heroic, lord, God in Heaven, Still, Still with Thee, A Sermon on Wisdom, I Was Glad When They Said unto Me, I Will Give Thanks to You, O Lord, O Gracious ight ("Phos hilaron"), Of Hospitality, When I survey the Wondrous Gross, Song of Simeon ("Nunc dimittis"), Festival Te Deum

Review: Since Randall Thompson (1899-1984), perhaps America's most famous composer of choral music, it is significant that at last a retrospective selection of this music has been recorded. "Ye Shall Have A Song" is a collection of works dating from 1922 to 1970, when the bulk of his choruses had already been written. Starting with his early masterpiece, the 8 movements of "The Peaceable Kingdom," ("Say Ye to the Righteous," "Woe Unto Them," "'The Noise of a Multitude," "Howl Ye," "The Paper Reeds by the Brooks," "But These Are They," "Have Ye Not Known" and the title tune), the CD progresses to "Bittersweet" of 1970, representing his last style. "The Best of Rooms," "Alleluia," and four "Odes of Horace" are followed by the oldest composition, 1922's "The Last Invocation." The Singers make these difficult-to-perform, eclectic and sublimely beautiful pieces sound effortless. A worthy retrospective of the works of an American master!

Songlist: The Peaceable Kingdom, Say Ye to the Righteous, Woe Unto Them, The Noise of a Multitude, Howl Ye, The Paper Reeds by the Brooks, But These Are They, Have Ye Not Known?, Ye Shall have a Song, Bitter-Sweet, The Best of Rooms, Alleluia, Odes of Horace, O fons Bandusiae, Vitas hinnuleo, Montium Custos, Felices ter, The Last Invocation