March 25, 2010

Concordia Choir - Savior of the Nations

Dr. Rene Clausen conducts The Concordia Choir; Bruce Houglum directs The Concordia Orchestra, Michael Smith The Concordia Chapel Choir, Mannerchor and Cantabile, and Dr. Charlette Moe, Bel Canto in this wonderful Christmas Concert from 2008 at Moorhead, Minnesota's Concordia College. At the nationally renowned Concordia School of Music, students can participate in 17 music organizations. There are 25 cuts here, some all instrumental, like Rene Clausen's Fantasia on "The King Shall Come," some accompanied, like "Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers;" and some a cappella, like "Celebration Collage, Heleluyan, Glory to God, Glory in the Highest, Alleluia." There are some traditional carols such as "Silent Night" and Ding Dong! Merrily on High," and some lovely, less-familiar tunes like Carolyn Jennings' "Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain," Daniel Nelson's "That Yonge Child," Eleanor Daly's "What Sweeter Music," Eric Whitacre's "Lux Arumque," "Noel" (sung in traditional Kituban dialect), and the German carol, "Kling, Glockchen, Kling!" "Savior of the Nations–Come" is a magnificent collection of well-chosen, beautifully-performed Christmas music that will surprise and delight you! 2764 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 4:20 PM

Luther College Nordic Choir - A New Hosanna

Decorah, Iowa's Luther College can boast 7 choirs (and 8 bands and orchestras) among its nearly 1,000 student musicians, but none older or more famous than the Nordic Choir, founded in 1946. Directed by Weston Noble from 1948 to 2005, when Dr. Craig Arnold picked up the baton, the Choir won international acclaim as a premier collegiate choral group and a national choral treasure. "A New Hosanna" contains 17 Classical and Contemporary Christian songs, many with organ accompaniment. Some of our favorites are Alessandro Scarlatti's "Exsultate Deo," Jeffrey Van's "Child of Peace," Craig Courtney's "Carol of the Birds," Francis Poulenc's "Vinea mea electra," Hal N. Hopson's "Beneath the Cross of Jesus, founder of Luther's Music Program F. Melius Christiansen's "Glorification" (No. 4 from "Celestial Spring"), Healey Willan's "An Apostrophe to the Heavenly Hosts," Stephen Foster's classic folk song "Laura Lee," the spiritual "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel" and Gustof Nordqvist's "Wonderful Peace." An inspiring, finely-crafted collection from one of the oldest and finest American choirs!

4264 CD 15.95





Posted by acapnews at 4:10 PM

Luther College Nordic Choir - Christmas at Luther 2009

Once again Iowa's Luther College's Department of Music has called upon its renowned Nordic Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Cantorei, Christmas Brass and Percussion Ensemble, Cathedral Choir, Collegiate Chorale, Aurora, Norsemen and Luther Ringers to create the magnificent 4-day musical story of Christmas, "Christmas at Luther 2009, Joy to the World." These combined music ensembles are joined by the audience on the opening cut, "Processional: Joy to the World," and on the next to last cut, "Silent Night" (with narration). There are other traditional carols such as "Joy, Joy, Joy," "Wexford Carol," "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel;" classical songs like Felix Mendelssohn's "Thanks Be to God" and Guy Forbes' "O Magnum Mysterium," and pieces by contemporary composers, Quittez, pasteurs" and "Gloria" by John Rutter, "There is No Rose" by Rene Clausen, "Nowel" by Randall Thompson, Jackson Berkey's "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," and F. Melius Christiansen's lovely "Praise to the Lord." There is an organ solo of Claude Balbastre's "Ou s'en vont ces gais bergers," and "Agincourt Song" by the wonderful Symphony Orchestra. In terms of pure musical magnificence, celebration, wonder and beauty, there really is nothing that compares with "Christmas at Luther!" 4265 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 4:07 PM

March 17, 2010

SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble - Elliot Carter: Choral Works

Last year, in celebration of Elliot Carter’s 100th birthday, the thoroughbred of choral ensembles performed and recorded a program of the great man’s complete works for choir - a cappella, men’s voices, and accompanied. Now, for the first time, a thoroughly modern recording of Carter’s complete works for choir is available - and in performances that will serve as the template for all future ensembles. Once again, the SWR Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Marcus Creed has distinguished itself as one of the most adventurous and capable choirs performing in the world today! 4272 CD 17.95

Posted by acapnews at 3:39 PM

Dresden Boys' Choir - Schutz, Psalms of David

Psalm recitals played a large role in Schütz’s composing life, and the reason the Psalms of David play such a significant part in the repertoire of the boys’ choir of the Dresden Kreuzkirche is the spiritual and stylistic wealth of works, which can be plumbed for so many solemn or joyful occasions. To imagine the Dresden Kreuzchor without the music of Heinrich Schütz is all but impossible in this day and age. Though Schütz was himself never a choirboy there, his oeuvre represents the most significant and long-lasting contribution to the repertoire of this boys’ choir, which looks back on a musical tradition of more than 700 years. 4260 CD 14.95

Posted by acapnews at 3:37 PM

March 12, 2010

King's Singers - From The Heart

An eclectic mix of five modern songs on an EP. "My heart is a holy place" - Patricia Van Ness has rearranged and extended the beautiful ‘Cor meum est templum sacrum’ for The King’s Singers to become ‘My heart is a holy place’. "Conceit" - A haunting piece written for The King’s Singers in 2009 by Graham Lack with text by writer/poet Mervyn Peake, in which things may not always be as they first appear. "Pie Jesu" - British classical radio presenter and former rock guitarist, John Brunning, wrote a simple setting of ‘Pie Jesu’ three years ago, and it became an instant hit in the UK. "Out of the Woods" - Bluegrass band Nickel Creek’s song. 'Out of the Woods' has great harmonies, a wonderful folksy melody and a mesmeric improvisation section. Arranged by Philip Lawson. "Hallelujah" - One of a huge number of hit songs from the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, arranged here by Philip Lawson. 4233 CD 9.95

Posted by acapnews at 1:09 PM

Ensemble Amarcord - Restless Love: Rastlose Liebe

With its tenth recording Ensemble Amarcord takes a stroll through the musical Leipzig of the nineteenth century. Simultaneously, this anniversary release is a reverence to the hometown of the five world-class vocalists. They obviously feel very much at home in this repertoire, and the listener is accorded many a musical discovery in Restless Love. Besides widely known songs from which they elicit new nuances by means of their just as fresh as knowledgeable creative will, eight of the titles appear for the first time on this CD, including a piece for male choir by Mendelssohn! The Weihgesang (Consecration Song) for Goethe‚s funeral service was rediscovered by the Leipzig Mendelssohn researcher Ralf Wehner. Yet, besides the music of the then Gewandhaus music director Felix Mendelssohn and his friend Robert Schumann, it is exactly the today hardly known composers that make this CD so remarkable. This is music by Adolf Eduard Marschner, a relative of the crazy, brilliant Heinrich Marschner, who was also active in Leipzig ˆ or the musical jewels by Carl Steinacker, August Mühling, and Carl Friedrich Zöllner, whose works have long been forgotten by the history of musical reception. Unjustly, for the songs of love and pain that amaracord has bundled together in Restless Love are without exception musical treasures. 4267 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 1:04 PM

March 10, 2010

Choral Arts - Mornings Like This

The "Pure Sound" of Choral Arts under their new director, Robert Bode presents several world premiere recordings, including The Dream Keeper, a piece in four movements, each featuring a different text from Langston Hughes. Other pieces feature the poetry of Dylan Thomas, Walt Whitman and the conductor. In the recording they explore "Mornings," not just the actual beginning of the day, but also more metaphorical associations, such as renewal, childhood, and beginnngs. There are some very familiar things on this CD, including the spiritual "My Lord, What a Mornin'" and the American hymn "Shall We Gather at the River?" The CD also features 5 previously unrecorded pieces, including "The Dream Keeper" by William Averitt and the first recording of the version for chorus and piano of John Corigliano's "Fern Hill." 4267 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 1:05 AM