Monday, May 15, 2006

What Sweeter Music

Okay, so someone asked for details about the good choral music I like to listen to. Here's a quick list:

1. Anything performed by Evening Song (because my husband and I used to sing with them, and were part of the group during their first three CD recordings). You can visit them at www.eveningsong.com to order a CD or listen to a sampling in their recital room.
2. Anything written/arranged by John Rutter or Mack Wilberg (I accidentally left them out of my list of favorite composers!).
3. Anything recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir under their new label (especially because they sing a lot of stuff by Rutter and Wilberg on these newer CD's).
4. Handel's Messiah as recorded by the Monteverdi Choir and conducted by John Eliot Gardiner(Philips/Polygram label). It's hard to find, and it's expensive, but it's the best recording of that oratorio!
5. Anything recorded by the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge.
6. Anything recorded by the Tallis Scholars.
7. The Choral Moods CD recorded by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge (especially Allegri's "Miserere Mei, Deus" - which is purported to be the song whose score used to be so carefully guarded by the Vatican until Mozart heard it once and wrote it down from memory because he loved it so much - and Barber's "Agnus Dei", which is a choral version of his famous "Adagio for Strings" that a lot of people tell me is "the music from Platoon")
8. Requiems written by Brahms (especially "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place"), Durufle (especially "Pie Jesu"), and Faure (ditto on the "Pie Jesu"). (Hope that doesn't sound morbid, recommending requiems!)
9. Vivaldi's Gloria (especially "Et in Terra Pax" and "Que Sedes Ad Dexteram Patris" - the latter because it is a kick-butt alto aria that I wish I had the chance to perform somewhere).

And that's just what I came up with from the top of my pumpkin-carved/radiation seared head!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that Krista - I'll try and find some (hopefully SOMEWHERE in Australia has them!).

One of my favourite songs that gives me goosebumps is "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" from Ephraims Harp. Her voice is amazing!

It's song sample 6 "Antioch" http://www.ephraimsharp.org/music/audio.cfm

I play this when I need a pick-me-up. Keep strong, keep healthy and keep winning!

Anonymous said...

As a fellow choral music lover, may I just say "ditto" to your great list and add a couple:

-Anything by the BYU choirs (including, of course, a lot of Wilberg)
-Ralph Vaughn Williams

-And though you mentioned anything by Rutter, his "Requiem" is especially amazing!