Robert Ward's widely performed orchestral works and opers have tended to overshadow his many choruses and cantatas. This relearse of representative religious and patriotic works is therefore especially timely. The album begins with 'Earth Shall be Fair,' which was commissioned by the Des moines Council of Churches and was first performed by massed choirs from that city's churches. The version recorded here is for choirs and organ. The second group centers on the Palm Sunday/Easter theme. 'When Christ Rode Into Jerusalem' is a musico-dramatic telling of the Palm Sunday story. The third group begins with Concord Hymn, written in 1949 for the 25th Anniversaary of the Julliard School of Music. Three choruses from 'Sweet Freedom's Song,' which was commissioned and first performed by the Lexington Choral Society, complete that patriotic set. |
