Review: The Grammy-nominated Dale Warland's new album -- his first in 14 years! Dale Warland conducts the Dale Warland Singers and the Minnesota Beethoven Festival Chorale in this program of music by Argento and Persichetti.

Songlist: Flowers of Stone, Spouting Violets, Early Flowers, Is There a Flower, A Yellow Flower, The Rose is Dying, Lily Has a Rose, Sonnet Number LXIV: in memorium 9/11/01, Preludium, Good Friday: The Third Nocturn,, Tria Carmina Paschalia, Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer

Review: Grammy-nominated Dale Warland Singers' final concert, on May 30, 2004, concluded 31 years of concerts, tours, radio broadcasts and critically acclaimed recordings. The Singers, a 40-voice professional choir based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, were recognized as one of the world's best a cappella choral ensembles. "Lux" is a collection of popular 19th and 20th century sacred music that shows just how high Dale Warland's standards were in creating and working with his renowned group. Picking favorites from this strong program isn't easy, but certainly Gretchaninoff's "Of Thy Mystical Supper," Vytautus Miskinis's "O sacrum convivium," Chesnokov's "Salvation is Created," John Rutter's "Hymn to the Creator of Light," the title tune by Eric Whitacre, Dominic Argento's "To God" (In Memoriam M.B.), and Nikolai Golovanov's "Otche Nash." The Dale Warland Singers has long been a favorite of ours for their bright, powerful harmonies and strong direction; "Lux Aurumque" is a beautiful, appropriate swan song for this great ensemble.

Songlist: Of Thy Mystical Supper, Op. 58, No. 7, A Prayer of The Middle Ages, O Sacrum Convivium, Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing, Salvation is Created, Hymn to the Creator of Light, O Magnum Mysterium, Lux Aurumque, Ave Maria, Complete this work from Choral Concerto, We Hymn Thee, To God "In Memoriam M. B.", Otche Nash

Review: Volume II of the reissue, by popular demand, of a classic pair of Christmas CDs, long out of print, by the renowned Dale Warland Singers. 29 songs: "The Holly and the Ivy," "A Savior from on High," "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree," "On Christmas Night," "Wexford Carol," "Lullay, My Liking," "Sing We Now of Christmas," "Christmas Lullaby," "The Kings and the Shepherds," "There Is No Rose of Such Virtue," "Lullaby, Dear Jesus," "How Far Is It to Bethlehem," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," "A Boy Was Born," "Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming," "Manger Dance" and many more. A classic!

Songlist: The Holly and the Ivy, A Savior from on High, Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, On Christmas Night, Wexford Carol, Lullay, My Liking, Sing We Now of Christmas, Christmas Lullaby, The Kings and the Shepherds, Lullaby, Dear Jesus, How Far Is It to Bethlehem, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, A Boy Was Born, Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming, Manger Dance, Snow Had Fallen; Christ Was Born, What Cheer, Evergreen, Birthday Carol, Tyrley, Tyrlow, Away in a Manger, Ding Dong! Merrily on High, Cradle Song, The Ship Carol, A New Year Carol

Review: Harvest Home originated in England as a festival for "bringing in the harvest" around the autumnal equinox. The community would work together to get the harvest (usually wheat, barley, corn, and oats) in before the autumn weather closed in. This bringing of the "harvest home" would be an occasion for great rejoicing accompanied by feasting, music, and dancing. Our "Homecoming" takes its origins from this festive term. This recording is a collection of familiar spirituals, folk songs, and hymns. Exquisitely sung and beautifully recorded, this CD offers some of the most heartfelt singing we've heard in awhile. Perfect intonation, sumptuous sound, and familiar tunes - this is Dale Warland at his best. Includes "Deep River," Simple Gifts, "The Water is Wide," Beautiful River ("Shall we gather at the river") "We gather together," and many more. The booklet features full text and notes on each song. The Grammy-nominated Dale Warland Singers, during their 31 years of concerts and recordings, set the standard for excellence in American choral singing. This was recorded before the group disbanded in 2004.

Songlist: Beautiful River (Shall We Gather at the River), Simple Gifts, She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain, Peace, McKay, A la claire fontaine, Deep River, We Gather Together, Not One Sparrow is Forgotten, Cindy, Gentle Annie, We Shall Walk Through the Valley, The Water is Wide, By and By, The Old Church, Lay Me Low, The Road Home

Review: Reincarnations is a program of five American masterworks and includes one world premier recording (Tom o'Bedlam). "The Hour Glass" by Irving Fine is difficult and virtuosic cycle, written in a lyrical style just before his 12-tone experimentation. "Tom o'Bedlam" by Jacob Avshlomov is based on a text about one of the patients of the insane asylum, St. Mary of Bethlehem, in 16th century. Accompanied by oboe and percussion, this powerful piece mimics the nonsense and madness in the text. "Reincarnations" by Samuel Barber is a set of three pieces which uses James Stephen's re-writing of old Gaelic poetry and includes the absolutely gorgeous setting of "The Coolin (The Fair Haired One)." All of the works on this recording are demanding but skillfully sung by the incomparable Dale Warland Singers.

Songlist: The Hour Glass, - O know to end as to begin, - Have you seen the white lily grow, - O do not wanton with those eyes, - Against Jealousy, - Lament, - The Hour-Glass, Tom o'Bedlam, Reincarnations, - When again all these rare perfections meet, - All-circling point, - His body was an orb, - On a round ball, - Nor do I doubt, - See how the arched Earth, Psalm 90 (Charles Ives)

Review: The Dale Warland Singers make their debut on Gothic with a beautiful new Christmas CD, featuring imaginative>arrangements of carols from around the world. The sound is incomparable. 21 songs, from "Il est ne, le divin enfant," "The Virgin's Cradle Hymn," "Susanni" and the Swedish carol "Prepare the Way," to the Latvian carol "Ai, nama mamina," the Medieval carol "The Friendly Beasts," the Canadian "Huron Carol" and the Basque "Gabriel's Message." A special, rare Christmas gift of beautiful music from around the world.

Songlist: Il est ne, le divin enfant (he is born) (French (Schultz)), The Virgin's Cradle Hymn (Dormi, Jesu!) (Edmund Rubbra), Susanni (German (Parker/Shaw)), Prepare the Way (Swedish (Jalkeus), Fum, fum, fum! (Spanish (Mechem), Sweet Was the Song the Virgin Sang (Alf Houkom), Hark! The Herald Angel Sing (Mendelssohn (Barnett), Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine (German (Luboff), Three Nativity Carols: (Stephen Paulus), O Little Town of Bethlehem (English (Warland)), Al, nama mamina from Three Latvian Carols (Latvian (Jansons)), The Friendly Beasts (Medieval Carol (Van), Carol of the Bells (Leontovich (Wilhousky), Est ist ein Ros estsprungen (Lo, How a Rose) (Praetorious (Sandstrom)), Huron Carol ('Twas In the Moon of Wintertime) (Canadian (Warland)), Patapan from Seven Joys of Christmas (Bergundian (Mechem)), Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (John Gardner), Gabriel's Message (Basque (Paulus)), Silent Night (Gruber (Sargent))

Review: Some of the most beautiful music in the world can be heard in a performance of Rachmaninoff's Vespers. Better to be described as an All-night vigil, Rachmaninoff uses Russian melodies dating from the Byzantine era. In the Eastern Church, the All-night vigil is observed before religious feasts. This piece is difficult for any non-Russian choir due to the language. The Dale Warland Singers sing with great energy and beautiful dark tones as befits the Russian style.

Songlist: Vespers:, Come, Let Us Worship, Bless the Lord, O My Soul, Blessed is the Man, Gladsome Light, Lord, Now Lettest Thou, Rejoice, O Virgin, Matins:, The Lesser Doxology, Praise the Name of the Lord, Blessed Art Thou, O Lord, Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ, My Soul Magnifies the Lord, The Great Doxology, The Troparion "Today Salvation Has Come", The Troparion "Thou Didst Rise from the Tomb", To Thee, the Victorios Leader

Review: 1975 Pulitzer Prize in Music winner and winner of Fulbright and Guggenheim awards , Minnesota composer Dominick Argento marked his diamond jubilee in 2003 with performances of his works by the numerous musical organizations, including the Dale Warland Singers, who have commissioned him across the decades. First we have the first piece written for the group by Argento in 1981, "I Hate and I Love (Odi et Amo)," which includes percussion. Then "A Toccata of Galuppi's, a rhapsody for chamber choir, harpsichord and string quartet, with poetry by Robert Browning. The final piece, "Walden Pond," puts to music the outdoor musings of 19th century author and naturalist, Henry David Thoreau, including "The Pond," "Angling," "Observing," "Extolling" and "Walden Revisited." All songs are lightly accompanied. Extensive liner notes tell us all about the composer, the music and the group. Complex harmonies, dramatic phrasing--very few groups would attempt to perform this music; the DWS do it justice with professional elegance. Excellent!

Songlist: I Hate and I Love (Odi et Amo) (1981), I Hate and I love, Let us live, my Clodia, and let us love, Greetings, miss, with nose not small, My woman says she will be no one's, Was it a lioness from the mountains of Libya, You promise me, my dearest life, Wrethced Catullus, put an end to this madness, I hate and I love, A Toccata of Galuppi's (1989), Walden Pond (1996):, The Pond, Angling, Observing, Extolling, Walden's Revisited

Review: The forty-voice choir, directed by Dale Warland, are known for their advancement of modern choral literature. This CD bookends works by Bejamin Britten and Leonard Bernstein, with several other composers - Stephen Paulus, Nancy Wertsch and Aharon Harlap among them - contributing. Britten's "Rejoice In The Lamb" (Op.30), is an exercise in contrast, with eerie chromatic dissonances and diminutive solo passages in marked relief to the organ-accompanied, florid crescendos of the chorus. Harlap's "Bat Yiftach" features a distinctive solo French horn motif, rebuked by an agitated chorus; the music from Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" were actually exerpted from work the celebrated conductor had written for an unproduced Thornton Wilder play! With organ, percussion and harp, the result has several movements and is sung in Hebrew; moments of stark beauty are shattered by portentous discord, only to be relieved by a dreamlike peace.

Songlist: Rejoyce in the Lamb, Antiphon for God the Father, Pilgrims' Hymn, Bat Yiftach (Jephthah's Daughter), Fragments from the Mass, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Agnus Dei, Chichester Psalms

Review: The 49-strong Dale Warland Singers, directed by the renowned Dale Warland, bring us 19 beautiful traditional American songs and spirituals, recorded at the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Paul, Minnesota. There is some light accompaniment on a few songs, with harp, oboe and bass. The liner notes are extensive, with histories and words for each song. All the songs are wonderful, but some of our favorites are: "Oh, Shenandoah," "Skip to my Lou," "Soldier, Soldier Won't You Marry Me?," "Red River Valley," "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair," "Single Girl," "Buffalo Gals," "The Water Is Wide" and "Black Sheep." Another classic collection from Dale Warland!

Songlist: Oh, Shenandoah, He's Goin' Away, Skip to My Lou, Steal Away, Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Soldier, Soldier Won't You Marry Me?, Pretty Saro, Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier, Black is the Color, Red River Valley, Nelly Bly, My Lord, What a Mornin', Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, Hard Times Come Again No More, Single Girl, Deep River, Buffalo Gals, The Water is Wide, Black Sheep

Review: This critically acclaimed recording includes Frank Martin's Mass, Herbert Howell's Requiem, Allegri's Miserere, and Barber's Agnus Dei

Songlist: Kyrie, Gloria1, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Miserere Mei, Deus, Salvator mundi, Psalm 23, Requiem aeternam (I), Psalm 121, Requiem Aeternam (II), I Heard A Voice From Heaven

Review: A forty-voice chorus devoted to the performance of works by twentieth-century composers, this 1995 recording by the Dale Warland Singers is modern classical choral music at its most inspiring and proficient. Sometimes oblique, emphasizing texture over adherence to an immediately recognizable form, works such as the second track, "Izhe Xeruvimy," seem to unfold in a series of layers. The charming and delicate "The Rune Of Hospitality," with the voices gently and broadly undulating against a repetitive acoustic guitar, suggests the enigma of the universe, the expanse of the night sky.

Songlist: Long, Long Ago, Izhe xeruvimy, The Rune of Hospitality, Corpus Christi Carol, Magnificat, Khvalitye imya Gospoknye, The Oxen, Ave Maria (I. Stravinsky), Ave Maria (F. Busto), Quem Vidistis Pastores Dicite, Evensong, Little Tree