A gloriously beautiful choral offering for the Poulenc Centenary year; the perfect introduction to his music and one that truly celebrates the human voice. While no other CD duplicates the programme exactly, all the music is justly familiar. The earliest works are the Sept Chansons of 1936, hailed as comparable to the finest madrigals of Monteverdi. His masterpiece is perhaps the wartime Figure Humaine, written in preparation of when liberation could be celebrated with the majestic climax of the final Liberte. Contemporary with this is the chamber cantata Un Soir de Neige, contrasting the bleak coldness with the peace of Christmas. Among the many delights of this beautiful programme are Poulenc's most popular choral pieces, the four Christmas Motets, tranquil and joyful by turn, and the Four Little Prayers of St. Francis of Assisi, written for monks to sing. His last motet, for female voices, was the exquisite Ave verum corpus of 1952.

In every way imaginable, this is an extraordinarily moving recording. A Garland for Linda arose from Paul McCartney's desire to help find a cure for cancer while creating that support by composition of life enhancing music. His goal found precedent in 'a Garland for the Queen' from 1953 when ten leading British composers, including Vaughan Williams, contributed new works as a musical celebration of the coronation. This celebration is of the life of Linda McCartney. The recording opens with one piece from the earlier 'Garland,' 'Silence and Music' by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This remarkable recording then has new works by John Tavener, Judith Bingham, John Rutter, David Matthews, Paul McCartney, Roxanna Panufnik, Michael Berkeley, Giles Swayne, and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. It is a glorious 'Who's Who' of contemporary British composers.

A unique all-American program from the amazing Joyful Company of Singers that contains some of that country's most beautiful choral works of our time, including Barber's own choral version of his Adagio. The dozen choral pieces chosen by Peter Broadbent superbly demonstrate Barber's melodic genius. They include the only recording available of his radiantly intense God's Grandeur. Offering stimulating contrast are contemporary William Schuman's Perceptions and the hilariously entertaining Mail-Order Madrigals, the words taken straight out of an 1897 catalogue.