I tire easily of Christmas music — especially the traditional carols. Part of the reason is that I’ve heard the same overblown arrangements (and variations thereof) over and over. That’s what made this new Albion release so refreshing. It gets back to basics, and let me hear these pieces as Ralph Vaughan Williams intended when […]
choral music
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Telemann Christmas Oratorios – stellar performances from the Kölner Akademie
For Telemann, 1730-31 was the “year of oratorios.” Given the rich musical resources of Hamburg, he wrote a series of oratorios for the liturgical year. Michael Alexander Willens and the Kölner Akademie perform three of these recently rediscovered works, all centered around Christmas. The Baroque oratorio was closely related to opera, and Telemann wrote accordingly. The […]
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John Harbison Requiem – A Contemporary Choral Masterwork
What impressed me most listening to the Requiem was how well it all hung together. Harbison started sketching parts of it back in 1985. A version of the “Sanctus” was written in 1991 for a commission. In 1995, what would become the “Introit” was written for Harbison’s contribution to the multi-composer work, Requiem of Reconciliation. […]
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Panufnik – Celestial Bird gives gift of song
“Celestial Bird” is more than an album — it’s a present. In celebration of Panufnik’s 50th birthday, this release brings together ten of her previously unrecorded choral works. The music is all fairly recent, dating from 2013 through 2018. And it shows the wide-ranging interests of the composer. St. Pancras Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis is […]
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Exceptional performances of Graupner cantatas
This release features three cantatas and two overtures by Christoph Graupner. Graupner was a contemporary of Bach, Handel, and Telemann, and their near-equal in talent. He spent most of his career at the court of Hesse-Darmstadt, composing over 1,400 works. The three cantatas on this release are early works, written between 1714 and 1725. Graupner […]
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Czech Choral Masterworks: Martinu, Reznicek, Fiala
This has to be one of the most unusual albums of choral music I’ve listened to. The concept is solid — sacred music by 20th Century Czech composers. What’s unusual is the relationship between the composers. The Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno performs two works by Bohuslav Martinu. Rounding out the album are works by […]
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Vasks – Laudate Dominum “strengthens faith, love, and soul”
This is the third release by the Latvian Radio Choir of Peteris Vasks’s music. The choir has long collaborated with the composer. And what a fruitful partnership. Several of his works they premiered appear in this release. The music of Latvian-born Peteris Vasks shares some qualities with that of other regional composers, such as Arvo […]
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Wesser-Renaissance Bremen Ideally Suited to Johann Rosenmüller
In the 1650s “The Amphion of his Century” was an up-and-coming musician in Leipzig. He was poised to take over as the cantor of St. Thomas’ in 1653 (a position J.S. Bach would hold years later). Suddenly everything changed. A scandal forced Johann Rosenmüller to leave in haste. While it was a setback for his […]
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Schütz – Kleine geistliche Konzerte II; Little Masterpieces
Schütz published his second volume of “little spiritual concerts” in 1639, three years after the first. It’s a remarkable collection of sacred works, full of inventiveness and variety. Schütz spent some time in Venice studying with Giovanni Gabrielli. There are some indications he also studied with — or at least studied the music of — […]