With its tenth recording Ensemble Amarcord takes a stroll through the musical Leipzig of the nineteenth century. Simultaneously, this anniversary release is a reverence to the hometown of the five world-class vocalists. They obviously feel very much at home in this repertoire, and the listener is accorded many a musical discovery in Restless Love. Besides widely known songs from which they elicit new nuances by means of their just as fresh as knowledgeable creative will, eight of the titles appear for the first time on this CD, including a piece for male choir by Mendelssohn! The Weihgesang (Consecration Song) for Goethe‚s funeral service was rediscovered by the Leipzig Mendelssohn researcher Ralf Wehner. Yet, besides the music of the then Gewandhaus music director Felix Mendelssohn and his friend Robert Schumann, it is exactly the today hardly known composers that make this CD so remarkable. This is music by Adolf Eduard Marschner, a relative of the crazy, brilliant Heinrich Marschner, who was also active in Leipzig ˆ or the musical jewels by Carl Steinacker, August Mühling, and Carl Friedrich Zöllner, whose works have long been forgotten by the history of musical reception. Unjustly, for the songs of love and pain that amaracord has bundled together in Restless Love are without exception musical treasures. 4232 CD 16.95

Pekka Kostiainen (b.1944) is perhaps not known as well as other Finnish composers outside his native land. Although he wrote mainly instrumental music early in his career, he now concentrates on choral music. Pekka Kostiainen is the present conductor and composes extensively for them. Vox Aurea have excelled in performing his demanding but inspiring music, and taking it on their world tours. Tuhat kertaa tuhat vuotta (A thousand times a thousand years) is the most substantial a capella work on this 6th disc of Alba's "Kostiainen Conducts Kostiainen" series. It is a setting of a poem by Lauri Viita, one of the central characters of post-World War II literature in Finland, and narrates the origin of the world from an empty Cosmos, the building of mountains, ocean formation and the development of life. Softly vibrating tone-clusters suggest the void, magically expanding into the warm church acoustic, and a variety of eerie vocalisations including clicks, hisses and open-mouth tapping give way to firmer melodic lines. The altos, with more robust tone than the sweet sopranos, intone the verses in a modal runic chant style which derives from the Kalevala, the Finnish National epic, very close to the narrative style used by Sibelius in Kullervo and his epic tone poems. The choir are divided into four groups, two of sopranos and two altos, and the music moves antiphonally across the sound stage, suggesting the dynamic events at hand. This really is a tour-de-force of choral pictorialism, a miniature epic in its own right. 4229 CD 15.95

Founded in 2004 by Dr. Dawn Willis, Bella Voce consists of 40 to 45 auditioned singers, performing existing and newly-commissioned sacred and secular works for women's voices. The ensemble is drawn from four counties throughout Vermont, many of whom also sing in a variety of school, church and community choruses across the region. One of the highlights of the last few years for Bella Voce has included several collaborations with Gwyneth Walker. The members have enjoyed working closely with this gifted composer, whose catalog includes over 170 commissioned works, reflecting both serious and light-hearted musical styles. These 17 works are surprising, refreshing, witty, innovative and inspiring. Some favorites are "Women Should be Pedestals," the dramatic "How Can I Keep From Singing," "Gifts From The Sea," the delicate "Mornings Innocent," the a cappella tune "The Name is Changeless," the joyous "Love Is A Rain of Diamonds," the love song "I Will Be Earth," the lovely a cappella song "So Many Angels," "Walk That Valley," "Never Sit Down," the traditional songs "Crossing the Bar," "Peace I Ask of Thee, O River" and the title tune. There is some light accompaniment on most songs. The beautiful liner notes contain all the lyrics. An uplifting treat from Bella Voce and the wonderful composer Gwyneth Walker, that will touch and move you from beginning to end! 4235 CD 15.95

Listen to "Walk That Valley"

Sanctus features seven tracks, including the famous “Miserere Mei Deus” by Allegri. This sublime piece features stratospheric soprano vocals and runs to just under 13 minutes in length. The album includes four original pieces by Michael McGlynn, including his “Agnus Dei”. Four of the tracks have been previously released, however over two thirds of the album features newly recorded material. 4867 CD 15.95

Listen to "Mariam Matrem Virginem"

Santa Fe Women's Ensemble has been singing together for New Mexico audiences since 1981, and has performed all its Christmas concerts in the acoustically magnificent Loretta Chapel in Santa Fe. The 14-voice group performs seldom-heard and challenging music from all periods, and has commissioned 22 new works. The pieces on this Christmas album are from Christmas and Spring Offering concerts from 2003 to 2005. Dr. Linda Raney has directed the SFWE since 1988 and is director of music and organist at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe. There are 24 songs, some lightly accompanied, in this generous, eclectic collection. Jim Leininger's soaring "Deo Gracias," Karl Henning's "Alleluia in D," William Byrd's "Non Nobis, Domaine," Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's "What Can Lambkins Do," Daniel Gawthrop's dissonant "There Is Sweet Music," Pavel Chesnokov's "Otche nash" and Stuart McIntosh's "Baloo Baleerie" are lovely, rarely-heard, unexpected selections for a Christmas album, but they work. Michael Larkin's "Ave Maria," "Carol of the Drum," Palestrina's "Hodie Christus Natus Est," "Four Noels," "Il est ne, le divin Enfant," "Polish Christmas Carols" and Handl's "O magnum mysterium" are more familiar and no less enjoyable. "When the Savior Christ is born," "He is sleeping in a manger," "Sleep Thou, my Jewel," Keith Christopher's "Beyond Winter," Naomi Stephan's "Hodie" and Uzee Brown Jr.'s "Oh, the Savior's Comin, Hallelu" are all relatively new to us, lovely and fine. A beautiful, impressive, eclectic holiday collection from one of New Mexico's finest women's ensembles! 5786 CD 15.95

Listen to "Beyond Winter"

Evoking Sound set new standards for its vision of the choral conductor's role when it was published in 1998. Now significantly revised and expanded, James Jordan's groundbreaking book incorporates more than ten years of new conducting insights, pedagogy, and philosophy to create a resource that is not only informative but transformative. Unique to this edition is the inclusion of a revolutionary DVD with Dr. Jordan and Eugene Migliaro Corporon of the University of North Texas. For the first time, a conducting text contains visual examples of patterns that—with the help of state-of-the-art animation and multiple camera angles—guide you to a deeper understanding of how conducting gesture influences sound. You will come away from Evoking Sound with a renewed sense of the totality of the conducting experience and also an understanding of how to better evoke honest and meaningful sounds from your choir. 5573 Book & DVD 49.95

Some of the most celebrated recordings from Harry Christophers and his award-winning ensemble, in a beautiful 2-CD digipak set. Equally appealing to fans of The Sixteen as well as listeners who are unfamiliar with the group, this set provides a definitive collection of familiar classics and lesser-known treasures. 9134 2CDs 16.95

Emerging with beauty and grace, well-known Utah choral conductor Jean Applonie has ushered the BYU Women’s Chorus into the ranks of BYU’s premier auditioned choirs, featured on Tantara Records. Heard previously on best-selling Tantara CDs A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns and The Road Home, the BYU Women’s Chorus presents its first complete CD with the beautifully executed Wondrous Love. 8934 CD 15.95

Artistic Director Barbara Berner leads the various permutations of the 500 strong St. Louis Children's Choirs in this accompanied, 2-disc collection of 38 songs, which features eight new works commissioned to celebrate the Choirs' 30th anniversary. These include the Concert Choir, Children's Choir, Music Makers, Chorale, Chamber Singers, Young Men's Ensemble and Alumni of these smaller choirs. These commissioned works are among our favorites: Imant Raminsh's "The Path That Leads to Nowhere," Lee Kesselman's "Rad Halaila," "Dream Angus," arranged by Mandy Miller, Rollo Dilworth's "A Symphony of the Heart," David Brunner's "Psalm of Praise," David Gawthrop's "Repose," Bob Chilcott's "Red Boots On," and Andrea Ramsey's "Cover Me With The Night." Each of these choirs has its own personality and sound, and the well-chosen songlist is a joy from beginning to end. Meet us in St. Louis for this beautifully recorded, feel-good collection! 9169 2CDs 19.95

For those who love the purity of chant, for the audiences who are discovering chant (or returning to it) as listeners or as singers, and also for those who are new to the work of Anonymous 4, the celebrated vocal quartet presents a stellar collection of some of the greatest medieval chants culled from its many acclaimed recordings. This special mid-priced release documenting the history of chant, presented in deluxe packaging with in-depth liner notes, would make a perfect holiday gift selection. 5785 CD 15.95

Chicago Children’s Choir honors their roots in the Civil Rights Movement with a new recording, Songs on the Road to Freedom. Much of the music comes directly from the movement while other songs are written recently, including “We Need A Word” composed by a 16-year-old member of Chicago Children's Choir. Also featured is the anti-apartheid music of South Africa, where people similarly struggled for freedom and justice. 9060 CD 16.95

Elektra’s Garden is a collection of secular music from many parts of the world, including Spain, France, England, the United States and Canada. The music, much of it recently written, evocatively explores the human experiences of nature and love. Canadian composers Allan Bevan, Eleanor Daley, Allison Girvan, Diane Loomer, and Stephen Smith offer works ranging from new compositions to lyrical texts to exceptional folk song arrangements. The disc also includes two major suites: the delicate and deservedly famous Five Hebrew Folk Songs by Eric Whitacre and Stories of the Wind from Spain’s Alejandro Yagüe, which was written for Elektra. 9135 CD 15.95

Listen to "Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's"

This comprehensive DVD on the art of conducting covers a wide variety of conducting issues and techniques, and is an excellent refresher course for all conductors at all levels of ability. Conducting: A Hands-On Approach features a variety of musical examples and styles utilizing a live ensemble, making this DVD a welcome resource for any conductor’s library. 5163 DVD 21.95

Women have had a profound impact on the choral arts. This groundbreaking volume is a celebration and affirmation of this critical role, both through history and looking into the future, written by thirteen of the most significant voices in the choral profession. Wisdom, Wit, and Will is a refreshing perspective on the choral field, rebutting conventional attitudes toward conducting and gender, and including distinctive biographies of some of the pioneering female choral conductors. But even more importantly, this book is of tremendous value to anyone seeking fresh insights into the choral conducting profession. Divided into three sections—Our Music, Our Teaching, and Our Lives—this book is about creating the best possible experiences for choral conducting students and choral singe rs. Among just a few examples, Ann Howard Jones discusses “Analyzing the Choral-Orchestral Score,” Doreen Rao focuses on “Feminine Perspectives on Conducting and Teaching Choral Music,” and Hilary Apfelstadt enlightens us about “Finding Balance: Professional and Personal.” This book also includes concise presentations of the score preparation techniques of Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, Nadia Boulanger, and many others. What do women want? They want the same things men want, or should want: exciting musical performances, sensitivity to text, attention to sound learning strategies in rehearsal, solid vocal technique, knowledge of the score, and more. Wisdom, Wit, and Will is a wonderful resource for anyone who aspires to develop his or her role as a professional and artistic choral conductor and teacher. 5301 BOOK 39.95

A new recording by John Rutter and his Cambridge Singers is always welcome, and this one features 20 works drawn from the sacred choral repertoire of the Renaissance and Baroque. Most of these are motets and many are familiar (Palestrina's Sicut cervus and Exsultate Deo, Gabrieli's Jubilate Deo, Lassus' Timor et tremor, Josquin's Ave Maria) and all are included in Rutter's published anthology, European Sacred Music (Oxford). As Rutter states, the program's theme is to focus on the "wealth of sacred music...created in continental Europe out of the ferment of the age of Reformation", and while Rutter has chosen primarily works resulting from the "extraordinary flowering" of musical activity in the Catholic church during this period, we also are treated to a motet by Bach (O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht BWV 118/231, often mis-classified as a cantata), a Magnificat (presumably) by Buxtehude, and a psalm (100) by Schütz. 9055 CD 16.95

Listen to "Jesu dulcis memoria"