#4530, Choral Music

Hear mostly sacred choral music for this New Sounds, including Christian and Buddhist prayer set to music, along with work that bridges the worlds of Christian and Buddhist prayer by "operatically-inclined" Philadelphia composer Robert Moran.

Listen to Arvo Pärt's Nunc dimittis, a setting of the Latin canticle for mixed choir a cappella, and Caleb Burhans' setting from his "emo-classical" epic, Evensong, which closes with "Nunc Dimittis," recorded with the Trinity Wall Street Choir. There’s also a setting of this sacred text by UK singer Katie Melua who grew up in the republic of Georgia. In her recording, she features the Gori Women’s Choir, who sing in that choral tradition.

Then, listen to Philadelphia composer Robert Moran’s Buddha goes to Bayreuth for two choirs, two string ensembles, solo countertenor, and very long reverb. The sung text is made of fragments of Tibetan mantras and his favorite chords from Wagner’s opera, Parsifal, which were reduced and then cast through the I Ching and chance-operations, re-orchestrating each as selected, and for one or the other choruses and/or string groups, (Robert Moran’s Bandcamp liner notes.) Listen to some of this giant work. - Caryn Havlik 

Program #4530, Choral Music (First Aired 8/30/2021)

ARTIST: Katie Melua, ft. Gori Womens Choir (Georgia)
WORK: Rachmaninoff: All-night vigil - Nunc Dimittis [1:15]
RECORDING: In Winter
SOURCE: BMG 538234952
INFO: katiemelua.com, Available at Amazon & iTunes

ARTIST: Gesualdo Six
WORK: Donna McKevitt: Lumen (Nunc Dimittis) [2:42]
RECORDING: Youtube
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist
INFO: thegesualdosix.co.uk

ARTIST: Katie Melua, ft. Gori Womens Choir (Georgia)
WORK: Rachmaninoff: All-night vigil - Nunc Dimittis [4:15]
RECORDING: In Winter
SOURCE: BMG 538234952
INFO: katiemelua.com, Available at Amazon & iTunes

ARTIST: The Choir of Clare College Cambridge, dir. Graham Ross
WORK: Arvo Pärt: Nunc dimittis [6:51]
RECORDING: Arvo Pärt: Stabat Mater
SOURCE: Harmonia Mundi
INFO: prestomusic.com

ARTIST: Choir of Trinity Wall Street
WORK: Caleb Burhans: Nunc dimittis [4:39]
RECORDING:Evensong
SOURCE: Cantaloupe Music CA21094
INFO: cantaloupemusic.com

ARTIST: UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus, cond. Philip Brett
WORK: Lou Harrison: La Koro Sutro - Strofo 1 [4:45]
RECORDING: La Koro Sutro
SOURCE: New Albion #015 
INFO: Try Amazon.com

ARTIST: UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus, cond. Philip Brett
WORK: Lou Harrison: La Koro Sutro - Strofo 4 [4:11]
RECORDING: La Koro Sutro
SOURCE: New Albion #015 
INFO: Try Amazon.com

ARTIST: Stefan Görgner, Countertenor (Part I); KammerChor KlangsCala Salzburg; Stuttgarter Kammerorchester; Rupert Huber, Conductor
WORK: Robert Moran: Buddha Goes to Bayreuth, Part I [20:35]
RECORDING: Buddha goes to Bayreuth
SOURCE: Neuma Records
INFO: neumarecords.org