Releasing it yourselves: Seraphic Fire, WMU, and Monteverdi

Date: August 29, 2010

All of the record labels turned them down, so they released it themselves. And now, the recording is tops on iTunes.

Patrick Quigley told ChoralNet about it on Monday. I thought it needed a little more prominence, so here is the story:

A new compact disc by the Western Michigan University Chorale in collaboration with the professional singing ensemble Seraphic Fire has climbed to the top of the iTunes classical recordings charts, displacing new releases by the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and the London Symphony Orchestra.

The recording of Claudio Monteverdi's 1610 masterpiece, "Vespers of the Blessed Virgin," also known as the "1610 Vespers," was released on iTunes last week, immediately landing in the Top 10 classical recordings and prompting National Public Radio to feature the CD and the story behind its creation on the program "All Things Considered."

"It's really an amazing story," says Dr. James Bass, who just left WMU after serving as director of choral studies. "I'm so proud of the students at Western."

Here is the NPR story.

Reply >>

John Howell on August 29, 2010 10:50am

This is indeed an amazing story, and also a classic "small world" situation.

Yesterday afternoon I met one of the Seraphic Fire tenors, Derek Chester, who was sharing the stage that evening for the final "Handel Extravaganza" concert with my son, countertenor Ian Howell, and soprano Ilana Davidson, at the Summer Music Festival in far-off, exotic Staunton, Virginia. In fact Derek was on line, checking on the CD sales figures just before we sat down to dinner! Needless to say, it was a superb evening, with a fantastic pickup baroque orchestra led by harpsichordist David Schrader.

The guest chorus, by the way, was the Madison Singers, alledgedly from James Madison University, prepared by Patrick Walders, although how a school could produce such a fine chorus in the last week of August escapes me completely!!! They sang the pants off Handel's "Dixit Dominus," "The trumpet's loud clangour," and "Zadok the Priest."

A wonderful evening, and a reminder for this teacher of how well things can be done.

John

Reply >>