October 31, 2011

Voces8 - Brahms, Bruckner, Reger

The international award-winning octet Voces8 has established itself as the foremost young British a cappella group. Performing a repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique jazz and pop arrangements, the group has been praised for stunning performances, exquisite singing and creating a sound that spans the entire range of vocal color. Founded in 2003 by ex-choristers of Westminster Abbey, Voces8 first achieved success in 2005, winning first prize at the International Choral Grand Prix in Gorizia, Italy. This collection of German choral music for Mirare finds the group in top voice. 2021 SACD 19.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:02 AM

October 29, 2011

Tenebrae - Songs of Farewell

Following a string of five-star reviews for their previous discs of 20th-century French choral music the professional chamber-choir Tenebrae go from strength to strength with this new recording of British partsongs and choral music – centered on Hubert Parry’s Songs of Farewell. Composed towards the end of Parry’s life, the Songs of Farewell have taken on something of an epithetical interpretation; they are almost a musical summation of his compositional life, reflecting Parry’s love of English renaissance madrigals and partsongs as much as the influence on his work from German composers like Brahms – made more complicated as these works were composed as the country (and its music) fell out of favour at the start of the Great War. This disc also includes works by Tavener, Sullivan and Vaughn Williams. 2022 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:06 AM

October 18, 2011

Timothy Sharp - Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts

Conductors are artists—but they also have a singular responsibility to go beyond the music to nurture the inner voices of their ensemble members. In Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts, author Tim Sharp examines the mentor/protégé dynamic and its critical impact on the lives of ensembles and their conductors. Sharp draws from research, his own experience as a choir conductor, mentor, and protégé, and his travels as Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association. The result is a profound portrait of this rarely discussed aspect of a conductor’s life. Coming full circle, Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts reinforces a conductor’s own desire to develop his or her own personal learning community to continually strive for excellence by being a protégé to other leaders. The goal of this book is to help the conductor realize the full potential of the mentor/protégé relationship and to assist both mentor and protégé in achieving the best possible benefits of these relationships. The result will be better music making and more fulfilled human beings for generations to come. 7453 BOOK 21.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:09 AM