Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier - The Christmas Story (2011/2012) [HDTracks]

17 Apr, 17:49
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Artist: Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier
Title: The Christmas Story
Year Of Release: 2012 (2011)
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (tracks) [24bit/88,2kHz]
Total Time: 01:05:08
Total Size: 1,19 GB (d.booklet)
WebSite: Album Preview

Recorded: January, 2011 at Garnisons Kirk, Copenhagen, Denmark.

AllMusic Review by Stephen Eddins:

The full title of this album gives a good overview of its contents and artistic intent: the Christmas story told in chant, motets, dialogues and traditional folk carols. Listeners should be aware that it's not a playful CD of "fun" holiday music, but a serious, thoughtfully assembled collection of Christmas music spanning the history of the Western European tradition, from plainchant to contemporary anthems and arrangements made especially for this album. Its format is based loosely on the Anglican service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Theatre of Voices, a mixed vocal quartet supplemented by organ and theorbo (or guitar), sings four lessons, three Biblical stories in Baroque Italian settings, plus the traditional We Three Kings. The carols, traditionally sung by the choir or congregation at the Christmas Eve service, are sung a cappella by the chamber choir, Ars Nova Copenhagen. The performances, led by Paul Hillier, are absolutely first-rate. Theatre of Voices, an ensemble of soloists, sings with exquisite purity, intonation, blend, and balance. Ars Nova Copenhagen has the same outstanding musical strengths, but simply by virtue of the relative size of the group, it makes a dramatic contrast in its contributions, which take up the bulk of the album. In spite of its size -- only four singers on a part -- it produces a wonderfully robust sound. The variety of the repertoire and the exceptionally high performance standards make this an album that should be attractive to anyone looking for a quality survey of Christmas music through the ages. The sound of Harmonia Mundi's hybrid SACD is clean, well-balanced, and natural.

Tracklist:

ADVENT
1 | Rorate coeli desuper • Plainchant 2’31
2 | Veni veni Emanuel • arranged Paul Hillier 3’19
3 | Es ist ein Ros entsprungen • arranged Paul Hillier 3’26
1-3: Ars Nova Copenhagen
4 | Dum deambularet Dominus in Paradisum • Biasio Tomasi (fl. 1611) 4’54
Dialogue: The garden of Eden: God, Adam and Eve, and the serpent
Theatre of Voices
5 | Adam lay y-bounden • Howard Skempton (b.1947) 1’36
6 | In dulci iubilo • arranged R. L. Pearsall (1795-1856) 3‘21
5-6: Ars Nova Copenhagen

ANNUNCIATION
7 | Missus est Gabriel • Alessandro Grandi (1586-1630) 7’27
Dialogue: the Angel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will bear a child
Theatre of Voices

NATIVITY
8 | Puer natus est • Plainchant 3’03
9 | O magnum mysterium • William Byrd (c.1540-1623) 3’06
8-9: Ars Nova Copenhagen
10 | Voi ch’ai notturni rai • Giovanni Francesco Anerio (1567-1630) 6’10
A pastoral dialogue: The shepherds go to worship the infant Christ
Theatre of Voices
11 | Dormi, dormi, o bel bambin • arranged Paul Hillier 2‘01
12 | Liebe Hirten • arranged Paul Hillier 1‘36
13 | Andachtsjodler • arranged Paul Hillier 2‘26
11-13: Ars Nova Copenhagen

EPIPHANY
14 | We three kings • J. H. Hopkins (1820-1891) 3’55
Theatre of Voices
15 | Videntes stellam • Plainchant 0’33
16 | Personent hodie • arranged Paul Hillier 1’51
15-16: Ars Nova Copenhagen

THE HOLY INNOCENTS
17 | Herodes iratus • Plainchant 0’37
18 | Vox in Rama • Plainchant 1’11
17-18: Ars Nova Copenhagen

EPILOGUE
19 | Uebers Gebirg • Johann Eccard (1553-1611) 2’47
20 | Maria wallt zum Heiligtum • Johann Eccard (1553-1611) 3’12
21 | The holly and the ivy • arranged Paul Hillier 2’47
22 | Barn Jesus i en krybbe lå • Niels Gade (1817-1890) 1’56
23 | We wish you a merry Christmas • arranged Paul Hillier 1’34
19-23: Ars Nova Copenhagen

*************************************
Theatre of Voices:
Sopranos - Else Torp, Abbi Temple
Alto - Linnéa Lomholt
Tenors - Chris Watson, Johan Linderoth
Bass - Jakob Bloch Jespersen
Theorbo & guitar - Fredrik Bock (Theorbo (tracks 4, 7, 10) by Ivo Magherini, Bremen, 2007; Baroque guitar (track 14) by Sebastian Nunez, Utrecht, 2010)
Organ - Bine Bryndorf (Organ (4, 7, 10) by Henk Klop, 1990, 4 stops: 8’, 4’, 2’ & Quint; Tuning: A = 440 Hz, quarter-point meantone)
Ars Nova Copenhagen:
Sopranos - Else Torp, Hilde Ramnefjell Dolva, Louise Skovbæch Korsholm, Abbi Temple
Altos - Kristin Mulders, Ellen Marie Brink Christensen, Linnéa Lomholt, Sine Tofte Hannibal
Tenors - Tomas Medici, Christian Damsgaard, Jakob Skjoldborg, Chris Watson
Basses - Asger Lynge Petersen, Jakob Soelberg, Thomas Kiørbye, Jakob Bloch Jespersen
Paul Hillier - artistic director

Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier - The Christmas Story (2011/2012) [HDTracks]

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