Chor des Bayerischen Issues Lauda Per la Nativita de Signore on BR Klassik

 

Chor des Bayerischen Issues Lauda Per la Nativita de Signore on BR Klassik

On its new CD from BR-KLASSIK, the Bavarian Radio Chorus, directed by Howard Arman, presents Christmas music from Italy. With his Lauda per la natività del Signore, Ottorino Respighi modernised the medieval nativity play of the same name by the religious lyricist Jacopone da Todi. He had already explored art forms of the past in adaptations of early music, re-creations and free works based on Gregorian chants. In this piece, he assigned the medieval verses to three soloists - the angel (soprano), the Virgin Mary (mezzo-soprano), and the shepherd (tenor) - as well as a chamber choir. 

Accompanied by selected woodwind instruments reminiscent of the music of Italian shepherds, and by four-handed piano and triangle, the miracle of Christmas is brought to life in a simple yet impressive way.

Francesco Paolo Frontini is remembered less for his compositions than for his many collections of Sicilian folk songs. From his Canti religiosi del popolo siciliano (Religious Songs of the Sicilian People, published in 1938), a collection of 22 songs for voice and piano underlaid with Sicilian dialect verses and their Italian translations, Howard Arman selected eight songs and arranged them for choir and instruments. 

Like Frontini, who already included regional variants from Catania, Palermo, and other parts of the Mediterranean island, Arman also arranged different regional versions of two songs. The melody of the Italian Marian carol "hich is one of the most popular Christmas carols in the German-speaking countries with its opening verse O du fröhliche, could possibly also have originated from Sicily. The arrangement is once again by Howard Arman.

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                             

https://voces8.foundation/shop/rose-ever-blooming-voces8-foundation-choir-and-orchestra

Regent Records: New Sasha Johnson Manning: A Year at Third

 

Regent Records: New Sasha Johnson Manning: A Year at Third

Born in Manchester (1963) in the northwest of England, Sasha Johnson Manning studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music. 

Upon graduation, she established a career as a professional singer and choir director and also taught. 

Though she had written much for local choirs, her compositional skills were significantly encouraged through a formal association with the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus where she became its ‘Composer-in-Residence,’ creating an 8-movement ‘Requiem’ (Regent REGCD255).

In parallel with her growing reputation in the Midwest, Sasha has been applauded in the UK for her appealing and affecting music, with ‘The Manchester Carols’ (a collaboration with the poet, Carol Ann Duffy) enjoying much popularity. 

Another notable commission came from the BBC, resulting in ‘The People’s Passion’, a work performed both in the UK, and far beyond, in Europe, Africa and the USA.

For those who know Sasha primarily as a choral composer, this instrumental anthology will come as a surprise, but it provides important testimony to her versatility as an artist.

Each month Third Baptist Church in Saint Louis, Missouri, features in their Sunday services solo keyboard works on a theme recognizing the religious season and time of year. 

‘A Year at Third’ was commissioned to fulfill that role. Modelled on ‘The Seasons’ by Tchaikovsky, the twelve short pieces are beautiful studies, capturing the different character of the twelve months of the year in quintessentially English styles.

The recording concludes with two Christmas works for piano and String Quintet – the second an extended work in three movements – featuring rhapsodic treatments of well-known Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany carols.

All the music on the disc is recorded here for the first time.

with Chantal Incandela (track 13) and Anita Hagerman (tracks 14–16) double bass
conducted by Philip Barnes (tracks 13–16)

A Year at Third: 12 studies for Solo Piano

1 January: Melody of the cold earth, richness of kings’ gifts, new growth and promise of wholeness

2 February: The redemptive power of love

3 March: ‘Lead me to the rock that is higher than I’

4 April – Palm Sunday: An excitable crowd, perhaps not fully comprehending the true significance of what it is they are witnessing

5 May: The green hill

6 June: The Eternal Father

7 July : Be confident! Trust Jesus! God is our hope and strength!

8 August: Like as the hart

9 September: Finding God in the darkest depths

10 October: Affirmation

11 November: Awake, my soul

12 December: O come, O come, Emmanuel

13 On Christmas Day (for Piano and String Quintet)

A Christmas Rhapsody (for Piano and String Quintet)

14 I O come, O come, Emmanuel

15 II Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing?

16 III How brightly shines the morning star

https://www.regent-records.co.uk/product/sasha-johnson-manning-a-year-at-third/ 

Marina Baranova release new Christmas Album "Star of Mendelssohn" on Berlin Classics

 

Marina Baranova release new Christmas Album "Star of Mendelssohn" on Berlin Classics

As winter approaches and the lights twinkle in the windows, a time of reflection and music begins for many. For Marina Baranova, born in Kharkiv and a resident of Germany for many years, Christmas is far more than just a festive occasion. It's a moment where cultures, traditions, and personal stories converge. With her new album, "The Star of Mendelssohn," she invites listeners to cross this bridge between worlds—and rediscover Mendelssohn.

Baranova, whose musical roots are diverse and vibrant, understood music as a universal language from an early age. 

Influenced by the Eastern European piano school and a home filled with Bach, Mozart, jazz, and blues, her childhood fostered the openness that characterizes her work today. Christmas was initially foreign to her — her Jewish heritage and Soviet upbringing meant she largely ignored the holiday for a long time. 

It was only through her children that Christmas became a personal experience for her: "For me, Christmas is a festival of love that possesses utopian potential. It is a time when people come together, empathy and understanding grow, and differences can be overcome," says Baranova.

The Star of Mendelssohn

1 "The Midwinter Night's Dream" Christmas Scherzo

2 Songs With Words: Greensleeves extended, Op. 19 No. 6

3 Songs With Words: Daughters of Zion extended, Op. 67 No. 2

4 Songs With Words: Auld Lang Syne extended, Op. 30 No. 1

5 Es wird ein Stern aus Jacob Aufgehn

6 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Improvisation in E Major 

7 Drinking Song, Op. 75 No. 3

8 Songs With Words: O come, All Ye Faithfull extended, Op. 19 No. 1

9 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

10 Auf Flügeln des Gesanges

11 From the Christmas Tree Suite: Carillon

12 From the Christmas Tree Suite: In dulci jubilo /The Sheperds at the Manger

13 The Sense of Cohesion

14 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Improvisation in F-Sharp Major

https://www.berlin-classics-music.com/en/album/885470044132-the-star-of-mendelssohn/ 

Jonas Müller and the Tomasi Musso Guitar Duo present Schubert's Winterreise

 

Jonas Müller and the Tomasi Musso Guitar Duo present Schubert's Winterreise

In this debut album, baritone Jonas Müller and the Tomasi Musso Guitar Duo present Schubert's Winterreise, for which the accompaniment has been arranged for two guitars. 

This creates a new dimension demanding of a different approach from the singer, who must now internalise what the piano used to provide. 

This is particularly in keeping with the idea that Winterreise is not simply a collection of songs composed by a travelling horn player, but that the existential encounter between the stranger and the hurdy-gurdy man gives rise to new songs that have never been heard before and can only be sung together.

1.Gute Nacht
2.Die Wetterfahne
3.Gefror’ne Tränen
4.Erstarrung
5.Der Lindenbaum
6.Wasserflut
7.Auf dem Flusse
8.Rückblick
9.Irrlicht
10.Rast
11.Frühlingstraum
12.Einsamkeit
13.Die Post
14.Der greise Kopf
15.Die Krähe
16.Letzte Hoffnung
17.Im Dorfe
18.Der stürmische Morgen
19.Täuschung
20.Der Wegweiser
21.Das Wirtshaus
22.Mut
23.Die Nebensonnen
24.Der Leiermann

https://www.oehmsclassics.de/artikel/31990/Jonas_M%C3%BCller___Tomasi_Musso_Guitar_Duo_Franz_Schubert__Winterreise

Ensemble Nobiles Releases "vollxlied – XMAS"

 

Ensemble Nobiles Releases "vollxlied – XMAS"

24 Christmas carols from every corner of the German-speaking world – freshly arranged and with cheeky charme.

Anyone who has ever strolled through a Christmas market during Advent knows: amidst the scent of mulled wine, the sounds of pan flutes, and children's choirs, familiar melodies mingle with the hectic bustle. 

For those who, after all the hustle and bustle, wish to channel the many impressions into a harmonious flow, the CD "vollxlied xmas" offers the perfect solution: a collection for Advent and Christmas that beautifully combines tradition and new discoveries.

With each of the 24 tracks, Ensemble Nobiles opens a new sonic world. The foundation of this Advent calendar is a dramaturgy of diversity, emphasizing the opportunity for sonic rediscoveries, even of well-known melodies.

The four Sundays of Advent stand out from the other pieces. Guest choirs accompany the singers, lending these tracks a special brilliance.

Ensemble Nobiles' ninth album follows their 2020 release, vollxlied – Made in Germany, which invited listeners on a musical journey through German-speaking countries, spanning styles, regions, and eras – this time with a Christmas theme.

Christmas carols from every corner of the German-speaking world – freshly arranged and with a cheeky charm.

https://www.ensemblenobiles.de/shop

New Release on Avie Records of 13th-15th Century Christmas with Concordian Dawn ensemble

 

New Release on Avie Records of 13th-15th Century Christmas with Concordian Dawn ensemble

New York-based early music ensemble Concordian Dawn presents Veni Redemptor Gentium, a joyful and introspective celebration of the Christmas season centred around songs from the 13th – 15th centuries, plus two world-premiere recordings of works by Australian-born composer David Yardley.

1. This Holy Tym Oure Lord Was Born
Kennedy, Hedberg (voice and percussion), Karageorgiou, Thompson (voice and percussion), McCargar (voice and percussion), Mor (recorder and percussion), Seligmann (vielle)

2. Isaiah and Sybil’s Prophecies
McCargar (voice), Thompson (harp), Mor (ney), Seligmann (vielle), Evans, Karageorgiou

3. Gabriel fram Heven King
Karageorgiou, Thompson (voice), McCargar (voice)

4. Veni, redemptor gentium
Kennedy, Hedberg (voice), Thompson (voice), McCargar (voice)

5. Kuando el rey Nimrod
Mor (voice and percussion), Seligmann (vielle), Hedberg (voice and percussion), Thompson (voice and percussion), McCargar (percussion)

6. Alma redemptoris mater
McCargar (voice)

7. Ave, regina caelorum/Alma redemptoris mater
Evans, Hedberg (voice), Mor (recorder), Thompson (harp)

8. Orientis partibus
Mor (recorder), Seligmann (vielle), Thompson (harp), McCargar (percussion)

9. Alle psallite cum luya
Karageorgiou, Thompson (voice), McCargar (voice), Seligmann (percussion), Mor (percussion)

10. Psallite regi glorie: Thompson (voice and harp)

11. Hail Mary, full of grace
Karageorgiou, Thompson (voice), McCargar (voice)

12. Personent Hodie
Seligmann (vielle), Thompson (harp), Mor (percussion)

13. Beata viscera
Kennedy (voice), Seligmann (vielle)

14. Vox Clamantis in Deserto
Evans, Hedberg (voice), Thompson (voice), McCargar (voice), Seligmann (vielle)

15. Dum medium silentium
McCargar (voice), Karageorgiou, Thompson (voice)

16. Magnificat
Evans, Thompson (voice), McCargar (voice)

17. Now make we mirthe all and sum
Evans, Karageorgiou

18. Quem pastores laudavere
Mor (recorder), Seligmann (vielle), Thompson (harp), McCargar (percussion)

19. Verbum caro factum est
Evans, Hedberg (voice), Thompson (voice)

20. Ther is no rose of swych vertu
Kennedy, Hedberg (voice), Karageorgiou (voice), Mor (recorder), Seligmann (vielle), Thompson (harp)

21. In Adventu Domini
Karageorgiou, Thompson (voice), McCargar (voice)

22. Be mery, be mery
Evans, Hedberg (voice), Karageorgiou, Mor (recorder), Seligmann (vielle), Thompson (harp)

https://www.avie-records.com/releases/veni-redemptor-gentium/