August 28, 2010

New York Polyphony - Tudor City

Classical vocal quartet New York Polyphony struck a chord with their 2007 Avie debut, I Sing The Birth (AV 2141). It was an Editor’s Christmas Choice in BBC Music magazine, and Classic FM awarded it five stars. For their second release, the all-male foursome delivers their signature fusion of historically informed performances in a range of styles. Interspersed among sacred masterpieces of Tudor England are four new works by British-Norwegian composer Andrew Smith, adding a modern harmonic richness and complexity to the album. The result is a compelling synthesis of ancient and contemporary vocal music. 4268 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:27 AM

BBC Singers - Purer Than The Purest Pure: Choral Works Of Daniel Asia

Daniel Asia recently won the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for composition, and has been the recipient of many competitive grants and fellowships in music including a Meet The Composer/Reader’s Digest Consortium Commission, United Kingdom Fulbright Arts Award Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, four NEA Composers Grants, a M. B. Rockefeller Grant, and many more. Britain’s foremost professional chamber choir, the BBC Singers, was founded in 1924. As a vital resource in the BBC’s music output, the BBC Singers hold a unique position in British musical life. Performing everything from Byrd and Birtwistle to Tallis and Takemitsu, the versatility of this 24-voice ensemble is second to none. 2339 CD 15.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:00 AM

August 27, 2010

Tenebrae - Figure Humaine

Francis Poulenc is now considered to be among the most important composers of choral music of the 20th Century. Yet his early career reveals no trace of the dazzling and idiosyncratic unaccompanied choral textures so abundantly produced in the second half of his life. This new collection of Poulenc‚s choral works is centered on his masterwork, the Figure Humaine. Even though it is only 20 minutes in length, the work is a supreme test of stamina, technical agility, range, aural skill and musicianship. The professional chamber choir Tenebrae (directed by former King‚s Singer Nigel Short) are more than capable of tackling this repertoire, and this disc promises to provide a new benchmark in interpretations of the work. 2327 CD 16.95

Posted by acapnews at 12:03 AM