Westminster Choir

Setting the standard for choral excellence for 80 years, the Westminster Choir is composed of students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, N.J. With its conductor Joseph Flummerfelt, it has been the chorus-in-residence for the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. since 1977, performing both in concert and as the opera chorus. The Choir was also the chorus-in-residence for the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, for 23 years.

The Choir’s 2002-2003 season began with the national radio broadcast of In The Shadow of the Towers, a program commemorating the events of September 11, 2001. Also this season the choir will perform Handel’s Messiah with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Sir Neville Marriner and Fauré’s Requiem and Haydn’s Mass in B-flat "Theresienmesse" with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joseph Flummerfelt. The women of the Choir also performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas at Carnegie Hall in October. Recent seasons have also included tours of Korea and Taiwan, as well as a series of performances at the Colmar (France) International Music Festival.

The Westminster Choir and Joseph Flummerfelt have premiered many works and have made a wide range of recordings during the past 32 years. During the 2000-2001 season, the Choir performed with the New York Philharmonic in the world premiere of Stephen Paulus’ Voices of Light, conducted by Joseph Flummerfelt. This work was commissioned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Westminster Choir College and Joseph Flummerfelt’s 30th anniversary as artistic director. Their Delos recording of Brahms’ choral works (Singing for Pleasure) was selected by The New York Times as a favorite among all existing Brahms recordings. Their newest recording, American Choral Classics, with members of the New York Philharmonic, will be released by Newport Classics this year.

Praised by critics for its "full-bodied, incisive singing" (The New York Times), the Westminster Choir also forms the core of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with the leading conductors and orchestras of our time. The Symphonic Choir’s 2002-2003 season includes performances of Berlioz’ Requiem with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Charles Dutoit and Berlioz’ Béatrice et Bénédict, also with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

Discography

Heaven to Earth

Agnus Dei - Barber
Requiem Aeternam - Durufle
Kyrie - Durufle
Psalm 90 - Ives
Psalm 23 - Bernstein
Credo - Srtavinsky
Pater noster - Srtavinsky
Love bade me welcome - Vaughan Willams
The Call - Vaughan Willams
Ave Maria - Verdi
Friede auf Erden - Schoenberg

This is a beautifully assembled collection of religious choral music featuring the likes of Ives, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg. The Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, is perhaps the most important choral music school in America, with a standard of excellence that is well known throughout the music world. For the past 33 years, Joseph Flummerfelt has led this choir in countless important performances and recordings with many of the leading orchestras and conductors of his generation. He retired in the summer of 2004. This disc was recorded at Princeton University Chapel in June of 2002, 2003, and 2004, and it can serve as a summation of Flummerfelt's remarkable accomplishments as a trainer of choruses and as a musical leader.... the rich, full-bodied but crystal clear sound of the choir ... stays in the mind's ear. The SACD sound is reverberant without ever losing clarity, the accompanying notes are informative, and texts and translations are included. Joseph Flummerfelt leaves an important and unique legacy of choral training in America, and this a cappella CD is an appropriate and beautiful reminder of that legacy.

8994 CD $15.95

Folk Songs

Danny Boy
Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair
Annie Laurie
O Waly Waly
Turtle Dove
Alister McAlpine's Lament
Ca' the Yowes
O Dear! What Can th Matter Be?
Polly Wolly Doodle
Old Folks At Home
Beautiful Dreamer
Comin' Through the Rye
Loch Lomond
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton
Shenandoah
My Lord, What A Morning
Great Day

Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, has been combining scholarship and professional training in music for over 60 years, and during that time the mixed, 40-voice Westminster Choir has set the standard for choral excellence. Forming the core of the 200-voice Westminster Symphonic Choir, the Choir has performed with every internationally known conductor in the last 50 years and has performed with the NY Philharmonic alone over 300 times. Internationally recognized conductor Joseph Flummerfelt has directed the Choir since 1979, and arranged several of the songs on this CD. There are 17 classic a cappella tunes, and picking favorites was not easy, as each song hits us right in the nostalgia bone and tugs 2 or 3 heartstrings. "Danny Boy," "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair," "Annie Laurie," "Turtle Dove," "Old Folks at Home," Beautiful Dreamer," "Loch Lomond," "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton," "Shenandoah"Éthey're all winners, sung by one of the best choirs of all time.
6912 CD $15.98


Favorite Hymns and Anthems

When In Our Music God Is Glorified
O How Amiable (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
How Lovely are the Messengers (Felix Mendelssohn)
Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones
Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Dwelling-Place (Ronald Arnatt)
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need (arr. Virgil Thomson)
For All the Saints
Like as the Hart (Herbert Howells)
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
How Firm a Foundation
Lord Make Me An Instrument (David Stanley York)
The Last Words of David (Randall Thompson)
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart
Holy, Holy, Holy
Be Thou My Vision
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night
Old Hundredth Psalm Tune (arr. R. Vaughan Williams)

Westminster Choir College is a center for music studies in Princeton, NJ, with a four-year music college and graduate school which prepares men and women for careers as music leaders. The 40 mixed-voice Westminster Choir, part of the 200-voice Symphonic Choir, is internationally renowned, as is Joseph Flummerfelt, who besides being choral activities director at the College, is Chorus Master of the NY Philharmonic. 20 songs, all organ accompanied, but the focus is on the perfect, soaring voices. "When In Our Music God Is Glorified," "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones," "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah," "Let All The World In Every Corner Sing," Randall Thompson's "The Last Words of David," "Holy, Holy, Holy," "All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night" and "Old Hundredth Psalm Tune" are favorites, reveling in the magnificence of this powerful, traditional church music!
6913 CD $15.98


Singing For Pleasure

Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op. 52:
No. 8 Wenn so lind dein Auge mir
No. 9 Am Donaustrande
No. 10 O wie sanft die Quelle
No. 11 Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen
No. 12 Schlosser auf, und mache Schlosser
No. 13 Vogelein durchrauscht die Luft
No. 14 Sieh, wie ist die Welle klar
No. 15 Nachtigall, sie sigt so schon
No. 16 Ein dunkeler Schacht ist Liebe
Deutsche Volkslieder:
Abschliedeslied
In stiller Nacht
Die Wollust in den Malen
Ziguenerlieder, Op. 103:
No. 5 Braunner Bursche fuhrt zum Tanze
No. 6 Roslein dreie in der Reihe
No. 7 Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn
No. 8 Horch, der Wind klang in den Zweigen
No. 9 Weit und breit schaut niemand mich an
O Heiland, Reiss Die Himmel Auf, Op. 74 No. 2
Four Quartets:
An die heimat, Op. 64, No. 1
Der Abend, Op. 64. No. 2
Spatherbst, Op. 92, No. 2
Abendlied, Op. 92, No. 3
Neue Liebeslieder-Walkzer, Op. 65:
No. 15 Zum Schluss

Director and conductor of The 37 mixed-voice Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ since 1971, Joseph Flummerfelt has made the Choir synonymous with musical excellence, working with eminent conductors and performing with the world's major orchestras. "Singing for Pleasure" is all about Brahms, and has 23 pieces, 9 movements of "Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op. 52, the 3 sweet a cappella movements of "Deutsche Volkslieder," 5 movements of "Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103," "O Heiland, Reiss Die Himmel Auf, Op. 74, No. 2," Four Quartets, and Neue Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op. 65." Most songs are piano-accompanied. The Westminster is the perfect choir for this music, with the strength and passion for a dramatic piece like "No. 5 Braunner Bursche fuhrt zum Tanze," and the perfect harmonic pitch for pieces like "In stiller Nacht" and "No. 7 Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn." A lovely collection of lesser-known works by the master composer.

7561 CD $15.98

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