#2446: Choral Music

This New Sounds program samples a bit of choral music, with works that draw upon the Odyssey and the ancient folk songs of Estonia to a work based on a portion of the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi. Listen to David Bedford’s interpretation of the seductive feminine charms of the singing temptresses in “The Sirens,” part of a larger work inspired by scenes of Homer's poem, featuring a female choir. Also, there’s music by Veljo Tormis, his “Curse Upon Iron,” a suggestive symphony for voices, which uses glissandos, shouts, shrieks, and percussive singing together with shaman drum. At the work's climax, the chorus sings about nuclear warheads and plutonium as it imitates the hair-raising sound of an air-raid siren. Rounding out the show is music from the Philip Glass opera, Satyagraha (a Sanskrit word meaning 'truth force'), which deals with Mahatma Gandhi's early years in South Africa and his development of non-violent protest.

PROGRAM # 2446, Choral Works (First aired on Tues. 8/30/05)

ARTIST(S)	RECORDING	CUT(S)	SOURCE
Philip Glass	Glassmasters	The Vow (Satyagraha, Act. I) [11:30]	Sony Classical #62960** (3 CDs) www.sonyclassical.com*
David Bedford	The Odyssey	The Sirens [9:00]	Virgin #2040 LP Long out of print, but try auction sites or give a go at ordering from this UK website: www.freakemporium.com
Gavin Bryars	On Photography	Expressa Solis/ Tersa Perfetta (Tersa Perfetta section) [9:00]	GB#07** www.gavinbryars.com
Veljo Tormis	Litany To Thunder	Curse Upon Iron [10:00]	ECM #1687 ** www.ecmrecords.com*

*, ** - Find the recordings you've heard - go to the New Sounds Recordings Information page