I post these playlists weekly with the hope that you might find them useful as you plan your programs. All of my playlists are on Spotify for you to enjoy at your convenience.
GSM – July 15, 2018 https://spoti.fi/2uDfAa4
Don’t forget that we have more choral and organ music programmed
on Sunday evenings beginning at 10 p.m. eastern.
Rob Kennedy
WCPE The Classical Station
Web: TheClassicalStation.org
Facebook: www.facebook/theclassicalstation
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Anonymous: Pia Mater
Hilliard Ensemble
Sir Edward Elgar: O salutaris hostia
Choir of Westminster Abbey, James O’Donnell
Robert Quinney, organ
Fernando Sor: O Crux
Coro Cervantes, Carlos Fernandes Aransay
This 3 voice 14th century setting of the “Pia Mater” text is one of several dozen rarely-performed works on a seven-CD set put out by the Hilliard Ensemble entitled “Renaissance & Baroque Music.” One of three settings of these words, this strophic setting of a Gregorian hymn was made for service use at St George’s, and is perhaps reassuring to us of the choral standard they achieved”…from notes by Lewis Foreman (2007). The Latin “O Crux” translates as “O Cross” WHile Spanish composer Fernando Sor (1778-1839) is perhaps best known for his prolific composing for the guitar, he did manage to leave us four exquisite sacred choral works.
Aaron Copland: Long Time Ago ~ Old American Songs, Set I
London Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton
Jubilant Sykes, baritone
Alan Hovhaness: Jesus, Lover of my Soul, Op. 53b
Choir of St. John’s Cathedral, Denver, Donald Pearson
Eric Plutz, organ
Thomas Haweis: Praise to the Holiest in the height
Choirs of Saint Paul’s Parish, K Street; Washington Symphonic Brass
Jeffrey Smith
Bruce Neswick, organ
American composer Aaron Copland wrote two sets of Old American Songs. The ballad “Long Time Ago” was first performed by tenor Peter Pears accompanied by his partner Benjamin Britten at Aldeburgh in June 1950. Somerville, Massachusetts native Alan Hovanhess (Alan Vaness Chakmakjian) was one of our most prolific composers with over 500 compositions to his credit including 67 symphonies. I wonder if the Massachusetts environment has something to do with this volume of composition. Contemporary composer Carson Cooman seems to be following the same path with his immense ouevre. The text “Praise to the holiest in the height” comes from “The Dream of Gerontius” by John Henry Newman and is set to Thomas Haweis’ hymn tune, “Richmond” with a fauxbourdon by Sir David Willcocks.
GSM Commentary: Professor Dan Locklair
Dan Locklair: St. Peter’s Rock; The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Sospiri, Christopher Watson
Jeremy Cole, organ; Ellie Lovegrove, trumpet
American composer Dan Locklair is a professor and Composer-in-Residence at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Steven Whitehead in CrossRhythms makes this observation about Dan’s music: “Repeated listening deepens our appreciation of Dan Locklair’s considerable compositional gifts, and also our own understanding of the texts themselves.”
Josef Haydn: O coelitum beati
Tafelmusik; Tolzer Knabenchor, Bruno Weil
Ann Monoyios, soprano
Marcel Dupre: Cortege and Litany, Op. 19 No. 2
Peter Richard Conte, organ
The Wanamaker Organ, Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I had the good fortune to teach Peter when he was a teenager. His senior recital (high school) included many formidable compositions including John McCabe’s “Dies Resurrectionis.” I had a little booklet about the Wanamaker Organ which I gave to Peter. When he saw the photo of the Wanamaker console, he made up his mind that he would one day be Grand Court Organist at Wanamaker’s. And so he has been since 1989.
J.S. Bach: Cantata 107, “Was willst du dich betruben”
Holland Boys’ Choir; Netherlands Bach Collegium, Pieter Jan Leusink
Ruth Holton, soprano; Sytse Buwalde, alto
Nico van der Meel, tenor; Bas Ramselaar, bass
The German title of this cantata translates as “Why are you distressed?” The late Craig Smith notes: “This is a cantata that gets stronger and stronger as it goes on. This tune with the original words was the subject of one of Bach’s greatest organ chorale preludes BWV 658, published in the 18 Leipzig Chorales. It clearly engages him ever more progressively here.”
Jean-Baptiste Lully: Te Deum
Le Concert Spirituel, Herve Niquet
Jean-Baptiste Lully was actually born as Giovanni Battista Lulli, a native of Florence. He spent most of his life and career in the employ of King Louis XIV of France.
Henri Mulet: Carillon-sortie
John Balka, organ
1971 Ruffati organ in St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco, California
American organist John Balka (1948-1999) was a founding member of the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians.
Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Marin Alsop
Thomas Kelly, treble; Elizabeth Franklin-Kitchen, soprano
Victoria Naylor, alto; Jeremy Budd, tenor; Paul Charrier, bass
English organist John Birch (1929-2012) commissioned Bernstein to write the Chichester Psalms for 1965 Southern Cathedrals Festival held at Chichester Cathedral.
Charles Gounod: Messe Chorale
Vocal Ensemble of Lausanne, Michel Corboz
Marie-Claire Alain, grand organ of the Cathedral
of Lausanne; Daniel Fuchs, choir organ
The Messe Chorale or Quatrieme Messe Solonnelle for chorus and two organs dates from 1888.
Louis Vierne: Final ~ First Symphony for Organ, Op. 14
John Scott, organ
Mander organ in Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London
The pairing of the late English organist, John Scott, with the music of Louis Vierne is felicitous. Both were organists of the world’s greatest cathedrals: Scott at the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, commonly known as Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, from 1990-2004, and Vierne at Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris or The Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, France, from 1900-1937.
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