Gregg Smith Singers - 20th Century Choral Music in Space!

Title: 20th Century Choral Music in Space! Artist: Gregg Smith Singers Release Date: 2006 Label: Newport Duration: 64:20 Album Type(s): composition (work) description, lyrics/libretto UPC: 032466567421 Genre: Choral Music Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Antiphonies, for two choirs
2. Earth Magician, for two choirs
3. Ad Flumina Babylonis, for two choirs
4. Carmina Mariana, for two choirs
5. A Capella for chorus & orchestra
6. Five 4 Part Rounds, for chorus in round
7. Meditabor, double round for choir
8. Motets (2), for choir
9. The Moon, for choir
10. Sound Canticle on Bay Psalm 23, for choir
11. Now I Walk in Beauty, for choir

If judged by the silly Star Wars typeface on the cover, the Gregg Smith Singers' 2006 album on Newport Classics, 20th Century Choral Music in Space!, might appear to be a collection of cosmic choral music used in science fiction films. However, "space" in the title actually refers to the performance space, and this CD features works composed for choirs divided antiphonally, positioned in the round, or arranged in unconventional, spread-out formations. One might find the album interesting for this under-appreciated aspect of choral performance, yet except for the obvious stereo separation, one discovers with some disappointment that the spatial arrangements are much less apparent on disc than they would be in concert; the point of this collection seems minimized unless one listens attentively with headphones. Even so, the mix of compositional approaches is varied, and the program holds considerable appeal for anyone interested in modern choral music. Most of the selections are accessible, tonal in direction with mild dissonances, and fairly regular in their counterpoint and textures. Only Jacob Druckman's Antiphonies, Edmund Najera's Ad Flumina Babylonis, Dale Jergenson's The Moon, and Gregg Smith's Sound Canticle on Bay Psalm 23 could be considered experimental, though they are by no means jarring or confrontational. But if these works are too strong in their techniques and effects, there are others that provide balance in their smooth lines and luscious sonorities, most notably James Fritschel's Earth Magician, John Biggs' Double Round, and William Hawley's Two Motets. The ensemble is spot-on in all these performances and marvelously in tune, even in the densest of chromatic harmonies; but this group sounds especially rich when the music divides into more than four parts. Newport's reproduction is warm and natural and the recording is quite enjoyable, though the performers' positions are not always clearly distinguishable. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

Name Credits Eileen Clark Soprano (Vocal) Gerard Manley Hopkins Text Gregg Smith Liner Notes, Conductor Gregg Smith Singers Vocal Ensemble Megar Friar Alto (Vocals) Rosalind Rees Soprano (Vocal)