Choral ensemble Ars Nova brings us a beautiful, moving Christmas album, recorded live in concert. 15 songs, beginning with a lovely 'Welsh lullaby' and the traditional hymn 'Once in Royal David's City;' Benjamin Britten's powerful 'A Boy Was Born,' Wm. Mathias' 'Hodie Christus natus est,' John Joubert's 'There is no Rose,' the traditional carol 'Wassail Song,' Trond Kverno's sweet 'Ave maris Stella,' the traditional English carol 'Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,' Steve Heitzigs' 'little tree,' 'The First Nowell' (arranged by Stephen Paulus), Healey Willan's joyous 'Tyrle, Tyrlow' and 'German Carol.' There is some light accompaniment. Another finely-crafted winner by Ars Nova!

Boulder, CO's 40-strong, mixed-voice Choral ensemble 8 works by 5 composers of Polyphonic works, two from the Renaissance, Thomas Tallis' 'Spem in alium' and Alessandro Striggio's 'Ecce beaatam lucem,' both motets for 40 voices; Stephen Paulus' 3-part 'Meditations of Li Po,' conductor Thomas Edward Morgan's 'Images from Thoreau' (for 40 voices); and Georgy Ligeti's 'Lux aeterna' (for 16-part chorus). There is a stunning photo of the Northern Lights on the cover of 'Luminescence,' and what we hear is the musical equivalent of this beautiful, haunting show. 

Founder Thomas Edward Morgan directs his talented, Boulder-based, mixed-voice ensemble in a program of classical a cappella religious pieces. These 12 songs begin with Hildegard of Bingen's (1098-1179) haunting 'O viridissima virga,' Carlo Gesualdo's (1561-1613) 'Tristis est anima mea,' and Robert Pearsall's (1795-1856) soaring 'Lay a Garland.' Following are contemporary works by Arvo Part, 'Magnificat,' Herbert Howells' beautiful 6-part 'Requiem' and two wonderful pieces by John Tavener, 'Ikon of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne' and 'Song for Athene.' Ars Nova has built their fine national and international reputation on performing beautiful, difficult Choral works like these, flawlessly!

40 mixed-voice, Boulder, CO-based ensemble Ars Nova, specializing in a cappella music of the Renaissance and the 20th and 21st centuries, bring us another strikingly different collection. The 17 tunes begin with Wm. Albright's 5-part 'Chichester Mass,' 4 by Arvo Part,' 'Prayer after the Kanon,' 'Bogoroditse Djevo,' 'Summa' and 'Solfeggio;' the lovely 'i thank you God' by Eric Whitacre, conductor and founder Thomas Morgan's 'Two Poems of e.e. cummings, the Polyphonic 'o purple finch' and 'when god lets my body be;' Lars Johan Werle's 4-part 'trees' and Bruce Stark's 'Wind Song.'

Ars Nova, 40 mixed-voice ensemble from Boulder, CO, directed by Thomas Edward Morgan, bring us a striking collection of 18 tunes. Favorites are 3 Polyphonic pieces written by director Morgan, 'Three Haiku,' followed by Antoine Burmel's 'Agnus Dei,' 'Two Motets' by Terry Schlenker, R. Anthony Lee's 'Jesu ducis memoria,' Edwin London's 'Bach (Again) Chorale: Wer hat dich so geschlagen,' 'Konstateringer' by Pelle Gudmundsen-Homgreen, 'The Ash Grove' (arranged by Morgan), the 4-part 'Suite de Lorca' by Einojuhani Rautavaara' and 'Irish Tune from County Derry' arranged by Percy Grainger. A beautiful, varied collection by Ars Nova.

The Ars Nova Singers of Boulder Colorado is composed of 40 selectively auditioned, mixed-voice, semi-professional choral musicians from the Denver/Boulder metropolitan area, specializing in a cappella music of the Renaissance and the 20th and 21st centuries. Founded by artistic director and conductor Thomas Edward Morgan, 2007-8 is their 22nd concert season. They have given over 250 performances of more than 100 different concert programs. The nationally-renowned ensemble brings us a fine collection of 17 New American Choral Works, including 3 haunting, surreal 'Songs from the Japanese' by Stephen Paulus (the title tune, 'Gentle Breezes' and 'An Ocean of Clouds'), Eric Whitacre's soaring 'Water Night,' David Del Tredici's lovely 'Acrostic Song,' Lauridsen's 'La Rose Complete,' a pair by Frank Ferko, 'O Verbum Patris' and 'O Vos Angeli,' and Edwin Lissinger's ringing chant, 'Fux Aeterna.' The final 8 cuts are R. Anthony Lee's 'The Great 'O' Anthiphons,' 'O Emmanuel,' 'O Sapientia,' 'O Radix Jesse' etc, These are beautiful, memorable chanted prayers to God. A powerful, beautifully-sung collection!

The Boulder-based 40 mixed-voice ensemble Ars Nova focuses on a sacred a cappella work by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1872-1943), the 15-part 'Vespers (All-Night Vigil, op.37).' 'Come, Let Us Worship,' 'Bless the Lord, O My Soul,' 'Gladsome Light,' 'Lord, Now Lettest Thou,' 'Rejoice, O Virgin'Éthese are all lovely, classic spiritual works, beautifully performed by the renowned Ars Nova. There are some church bells here, but mostly wonderfully harmonic a cappella!