"Hail Cecilia" was recorded live during Summer Festival 2009 in the beautiful acoustics of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Loretto Chapel and Santuario de Guadalupe by the 23-strong, mixed-voice Santa Fe, NM's Santa Fe Desert Chorale, directed by highly-respected Conductor Joshus Habermann. The program explores the myriad expressions of humanity's concept of the divine, from ancient Irish melodies and Haitian blessings to Scandinavian calls to the spirit of the wind. Some favorites are Benjamin Britten's "Hymn to St. Cecilia," Michael McGlynn's powerful, percussion-accompanied "Christus Resurgens," Sydney Guillaume's "Dominus Vobiscum," Ralph Vaughan-Williams' "Full Fathom Five," Jaako Mantyjarvi's "Lullaby," Matthew Harris's "It Was a Lover and his Lass" and "O Mistress Mine," and Francisco Guerrero's "Todo Quanto Pudo Dar." The SFDC has an angelic sound and handles difficult, eclectic material with ease and grace. The extensive liner notes contain all the lyrics. "Hail Cecilia" is a surprising, powerful and beautiful collection! |
