Description
This unique collection brings together some of the finest a cappella choral music of the twentieth century, performed among others by the Phoenix Bach Choir which is regarded as one of the finest professional choral ensembles in America. 'Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae' by the Finnish composer M?ñntyj?ñrvi is dedicated to those lost in the Estonia ferry disaster on the Baltic Sea in 1994 and takes its text from two sources, one being Psalm 107, vv 23-30, and the other a news report of the wreck. M?ñntyj?ñrvi calls his piece 'a meditation involving three distinct elements' and is an appealing combination of past and future, tradition and innovation. Ticheli, who teaches composition at the University of Southern California, is primarily known as an instrumental composer. He has been the recipient of the Charles Ives Scholarship and his lush and lyrical 'There Will Be Rest' has already become something of a standard in the choral repertory. Written for a friend whose child had died, it sets a hauntingly beautiful poem by Sara Teasdale, one of America's greatest female poets. The Mass for Double Choir is one of Martin's purest and most sublime utterances. This truly wonderful work combines intensely personal moments of religious contemplation with outbursts of overwhelming glory, and is one of the great choral monuments of the twentieth century. Ren?® Clausen's 'In Pace', written in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, draws on the plainchantbased harmonies of Samuel Barber, and is pure balm for the ears. \...great intelligence and sensitivity with snug part-singing, buoyant rhythms, and a tone that shifts easily from deepest gloom to gleaming light. Fanfare Magazine "...where has this fabulous choir been all my life?... No choral strength you can name eludes them. Chandos's usual lucid and unaffected note, full texts and resplendent SACD-hybrid sound conspire with irresistible choral wizardry to make this an absolute must." American Record Guide""
