Ars Nova Copenhagen – John Høybye: Hope. Easter Music & Psalm 151 (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 41:56 minutes | 430 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Carus
Danish composer John Høybye enjoys great acclaim at home and abroad, not just for his music but also for his work as a (choral) conductor and arranger.Presenting a medium level of difficulty, Hope. Easter Music is suitable for a good amateur choir. The mix of a beautiful choral sound and rhythmic intensity in jazz-inspired phrases is “trademark Høybye”. Primarily written for four voices (SATB), the choral writing subdivides at certain, particularly expressive passages to create six- or eight-part harmonies. In addition, the male voices are challenged by several excellently scored four-part passages (TTBB without female voices). The short male voice solo can be sung instead by the choir if necessary.The instrumental quartet is given ample scope for improvisation. While each of the eight movements has its own unique character, the work forms a cohesive whole. Based on a text by Edward Broadbridge, the movements are linked by the theme of “hope” as well as by recurring musical motifs and themes. This not only makes the piece easier to rehearse, but also ensures its popularity with audiences.
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Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier – The Christmas Story: told in chant, motets, dialogues & traditional folk carols (2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:05:17 minutes | 1,14 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi
The full title of this album gives a good overview of its contents and artistic intent: the Christmas story told in chant, motets, dialogues and traditional folk carols. Listeners should be aware that it’s not a playful CD of “fun” holiday music, but a serious, thoughtfully assembled collection of Christmas music spanning the history of the Western European tradition, from plainchant to contemporary anthems and arrangements made especially for this album. Its format is based loosely on the Anglican service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Theatre of Voices, a mixed vocal quartet supplemented by organ and theorbo (or guitar), sings four lessons, three Biblical stories in Baroque Italian settings, plus the traditional We Three Kings. The carols, traditionally sung by the choir or congregation at the Christmas Eve service, are sung a cappella by the chamber choir, Ars Nova Copenhagen. The performances, led by Paul Hillier, are absolutely first-rate. Theatre of Voices, an ensemble of soloists, sings with exquisite purity, intonation, blend, and balance. Ars Nova Copenhagen has the same outstanding musical strengths, but simply by virtue of the relative size of the group, it makes a dramatic contrast in its contributions, which take up the bulk of the album. In spite of its size — only four singers on a part — it produces a wonderfully robust sound. The variety of the repertoire and the exceptionally high performance standards make this an album that should be attractive to anyone looking for a quality survey of Christmas music through the ages. The sound of Harmonia Mundi’s hybrid SACD is clean, well-balanced, and natural. –AllMusic Review by Stephen Eddins
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Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier – …and… (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:02:46 minutes | 1,11 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Naxos
A collection of sacred music by Arvo Pärt, Julia Wolfe, Caroline Shaw, interspersed with songs from the Laudario di Cortona, Italy.
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