February 2, 2012

St. Olaf Choir - Great Hymns of Faith Vol 3

Recorded at the college's Boe Memorial Chapel, Great Hymns of Faith, Vol. III is a magnificent, inspiring collection of 23 songs, many of them accompanied by organ, brass quartet, piano and percussion. Some of our favorites are classics like "Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer," "It Is Well with My Soul," "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me," "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" and "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee;" and lesser-known but equally lovely tunes like "Gather Us In," "Open Your Ears, O Faithful People," "Canticle of the Turning," "Let the Whole Creation Cry," "Come, Ye Disconsolate" and "Send Me Lord." Wonderful, spirited harmonies and soaring leads from this powerful, beautiful collegiate ensemble! 2023 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:02 AM

December 16, 2011

Cantamus - Noel

Founder Pamela Cook directs Cantamus, based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK, her 40 hand picked singers, girls age 13 to 19, in a generous, finely-crafted Christmas collection of 19 songs. Just a quick listen to John Rutter's "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day," and accompanist Michael Neaum's arrangements of "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Do You Hear What I Hear," and we know what a treat "Noel" is going to be! Mostly accompanied by piano, flute and other instruments, there are few sounds as joyous and welcoming at Christmas than these soaring, spirited young voices singing favorites like "Patapan," "Stille Nacht," "White Christmas," "Riu, Riu Chiu" and "Away in a Manger;" and lesser-known tunes like "I Sing of a Maiden," "Lullay Myn Lyking," "Midwinter" and "Pastorcito Santo." Treat yourself and your loved ones to "Noel," a true musical Christmas gift! 5978 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:05 AM

King's Singers - Joy To The World

The first new Christmas CD from the King’s Singers since their popular 2004 release "Christmas", this new disc sets an eclectic assortment of modern Christmas classics with special arrangements of some much loved favourites. "Precise intonation, instinctive articulation, a downy, luxuriant tone, all captured in an excitingly lifelike recording" - International Record Review. "The King's Singers' style is beautifully detailed, and even the most familiar carols sound fresh." - Classic FM Magazine 9802 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:03 AM

December 15, 2011

Cardiff Festival Choir - Carols of Vaughn Williams

Listeners who love the sound and mood of the most traditional Christmas carols and hymns should be delighted with this collection of choral arrangements made by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The majority of the pieces are traditional English carols, many of which the composer collected himself as part of his research on folk song. For several of the carols where only a text survives, he wrote the melody. A few of the selections may be familiar to American audiences and a few more to fans of English choral music, but by and large these carols will be obscure to general audiences. Their tone tends to be gently contemplative rather than exuberantly celebratory; they're more similar to "Away in a Manger" than "Joy to the World." Vaughan Williams' intent was to create music that could be sung by the average church congregation or church choir, so the arrangements are simple and traditional. Some are arranged for unison singing, but most are in four parts. 2054 CD 12.95

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December 14, 2011

Cantus - Christmas with Cantus

In their newest recording, the men of Cantus bring the sounds of the holidays to you and your family. Including audience favorites “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Noel Nouvelet,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and of course the Franz Biebl “Ave Maria,” this collection of songs old and new is full of light and life. 2068 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:00 AM

December 12, 2011

Ensemble Amarcord - Coming Home For Christmas

Ensemble Amarcord is one of the most acclaimed male vocal ensembles performing today and this Christmas release shows why. Impeccable blend and enticing arrangements makes this a recording that will be a favorite every holiday season. It combines 15 Amarcord classics, taking you from Finland to Nigeria, from Trinidad & Tobago to Poland - sometimes jazzy, sometimes reflective and moving, but always guided by the longing for coming home for Christmas. 2043 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:46 AM

December 11, 2011

Chor Leoni - Yuletide Fires Vol 2

With our world changing so rapidly, with our means of communication accelerating at dizzying speeds, with our cultures and beliefs intermingling and becoming less well-defined, what does Christmastime mean to people in our world and how do we choose the music for a CD that will be appealing to listeners? In many ways the music on this CD, Yuletide Fires II, is a reflection of that current world. You'll find ancient Latin chant expressing the wonder of the virgin and child; familiar words and carols that connect us to a Christmas of our childhood; songs written in the 21st century that explore new ways to celebrate the joys of Christmas and hopes and possibilities of a new year. There are also tunes and tales that tell of traditions and transport us back in memory to that time of heightened anticipation. We are thrilled to have renowned mezzo-soprano Judith Forst join us on this CD - what a wonderful Christmas present! 2067 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:09 AM

December 1, 2011

Chanticleer - Our Favorite Carols

For many years the Chanticleer Christmas concerts were a San Francisco special treat and they performed sold out performances virtually every day from Thanksgiving to New Years. And then they started winning Grammys and the word soon spread. Now they perform year round and tour all over the world but Christmas has always been special to this very talented ensemble. Here is a release of their favorite Christmas carols with wonderful a cappella arrangements by some of the best including Joe Jennings, David Willcocks and Gene Puerling. 2030 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:00 AM

Theatre of Voices - The Christmas Story

Inspired by the much-loved service of "Nine Lessons and Carols" given every Christmas Eve in England, this recording presents the Nativity story told through plainchant, motets, 17th Century dialogues, and traditional folk carols. Paul Hillier leads Theatre of Voices and Ars Nova Copenhagen in music he has culled and arranged from Italian, German, Danish, English, and American sources. 2020 CD 18.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:00 AM

November 30, 2011

Bach Choir - Colors of Christmas - John Rutter

John Rutter conducts the Bach Choir and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in what is surely the finest new recoding of Christmas carols this year. Rutter is a composer, conductor and arranger and he brings all of that to these high holiday gems. Most of the carols are very well known, though in the arrangements of Rutter they sound completely fresh. There are some new carols here - Rutter's own 'Riu Riu Chiu' (the sounds a nightingale makes) and 'The Colours of Christmas' - and some new approaches to old ones. The main factor that makes this such a perfect selection of holiday music is the free intermixing of religious carols with contemporary Christmas songs. 2059 CD 17.95

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November 15, 2011

Cantabile The London Quartet - Songs of Cricket

Cantabile, AKA The London Quartet, have been wowing audiences across the world since the 1980s with their shows that blend performance flair, comic timing, and a deep passion for high-quality vocal music. This album is an eclectic tribute to the very British obsession that is cricket, bringing together works from the turn of the century to the present day. Featuring guest performances from the likes of Richard Stilgoe, Rory Bremner and Tim Rice, this album should prove a must-buy for cricket- and music-fans alike.. 2040 CD 16.95

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November 11, 2011

Anonymous 4 - Secret Voices

The women of Anonymous 4 revisit their favorite era with repertoire from the Codex Las Huelgas. Spanning the entire 13th century - from virtuosic motets and conductus to heartfelt laments, plainchants and sacred songs - this important manuscript was compiled for a convent of aristocratic Castilian women who (in spite of a rule forbidding Cistercian nuns from singing polyphony) sang the most beautiful and demanding music from all across Gothic-era Europe. 2019 CD 18.95

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November 6, 2011

The King's Singers - High Flight

A must-have for choral-aficionados everywhere that sees perhaps the world’s finest a cappella ensemble The King’s Singers join forces with The Concordia Choir – one of the USA’s best collegiate groups – to perform works by choral composers Eric Whitacre, Bob Chilcott and Morten Lauridsen. 2018 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:14 AM

October 31, 2011

Voces8 - Brahms, Bruckner, Reger

The international award-winning octet Voces8 has established itself as the foremost young British a cappella group. Performing a repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique jazz and pop arrangements, the group has been praised for stunning performances, exquisite singing and creating a sound that spans the entire range of vocal color. Founded in 2003 by ex-choristers of Westminster Abbey, Voces8 first achieved success in 2005, winning first prize at the International Choral Grand Prix in Gorizia, Italy. This collection of German choral music for Mirare finds the group in top voice. 2021 SACD 19.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:02 AM

October 29, 2011

Tenebrae - Songs of Farewell

Following a string of five-star reviews for their previous discs of 20th-century French choral music the professional chamber-choir Tenebrae go from strength to strength with this new recording of British partsongs and choral music – centered on Hubert Parry’s Songs of Farewell. Composed towards the end of Parry’s life, the Songs of Farewell have taken on something of an epithetical interpretation; they are almost a musical summation of his compositional life, reflecting Parry’s love of English renaissance madrigals and partsongs as much as the influence on his work from German composers like Brahms – made more complicated as these works were composed as the country (and its music) fell out of favour at the start of the Great War. This disc also includes works by Tavener, Sullivan and Vaughn Williams. 2022 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:06 AM

October 18, 2011

Timothy Sharp - Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts

Conductors are artists—but they also have a singular responsibility to go beyond the music to nurture the inner voices of their ensemble members. In Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts, author Tim Sharp examines the mentor/protégé dynamic and its critical impact on the lives of ensembles and their conductors. Sharp draws from research, his own experience as a choir conductor, mentor, and protégé, and his travels as Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association. The result is a profound portrait of this rarely discussed aspect of a conductor’s life. Coming full circle, Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts reinforces a conductor’s own desire to develop his or her own personal learning community to continually strive for excellence by being a protégé to other leaders. The goal of this book is to help the conductor realize the full potential of the mentor/protégé relationship and to assist both mentor and protégé in achieving the best possible benefits of these relationships. The result will be better music making and more fulfilled human beings for generations to come. 7453 BOOK 21.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:09 AM