Voces8 Foundation Choir & Orchestra Release Rose Ever Blooming

 

Voces8 Foundation Choir & Orchestra Release Rose Ever Blooming

VOCES8 Foundation Orchestra, Jack Liebeck (violin), VOCES8 Foundation Choir, Barnaby Smith (countertenor), Katie Jeffries-Harris

Rose Ever Blooming honors the role of Mary in the story of Jesus, highlighting the importance of family and the eternally strong bonds between mother and son. Inspired by poetry by Patricia Monaghan, we have constructed a libretto featuring twelve of these poems. Traditional Christmas carols are woven together with this poetry, acting as musical touchstones while also supporting the themes and narratives in Monaghan's poetry.

Each divine moment of the Christmas story is presented here with a human counterpart. These poems portray Mary in all her humanity and as a reluctant hero of the Christmas story. In Rose Ever Blooming, Mary's story is presented as a reflection from the end of her life, beginning with the Annunciation and ending with her own list of Beatitudes, praising the ordinary and the everyday blessings we take for granted.

We see the onset of motherhood as a metamorphosis from ordinary girl to one who will "bring forth the future." A new Magnificat, not praising an entity outside ourselves, recognizes the divine within all of us. It was refreshing to tell Mary's story through her eyes, and Monaghan's brilliant portrayal of her character shines through in these sensitive and poignant poems.

- Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy C. Takach

1. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Lo, How a Rose
2. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: The Beginning of the Story 
3. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Annunciation: With a Sound Like Wing
4. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Gabriel's Message
5. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: And Then It Was Over
6. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Miracles
7. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: A Stranger Tells Us the News
8. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Life After Angels
9. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy
10. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming C. Takach: Resurrection
11. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Magnificat
12.    Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
13. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: I Said Yes to Hope 
14. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Beatitudes y
15. Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy C. Takach: Woman Clothed With the Sun                             

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