Rolling River: American Choral

by Clare College Choir, Cambridge, Iestyn Davies, Graham Ross

Overview

American choirs sound quite different from British ones in the main, and one may wonder about the feasibility of performing American works in a British collegiate choral style, as is done here. However, this collection works nicely, and there are several reasons for this. The biggest is the web of interconnections between the choral traditions explored on this release by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, and director Graham Ross. The program kicks off with Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, composed for Britain's Southern Choirs Festival in 1965. Those wondering what Herbert Howells is doing on a program of this kind will learn that his Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing was written as a memorial to John F. Kennedy. Eric Whitacre has worked extensively in Britain, and it is delightful to have his Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine as the finale here rather than the ubiquitous Lux aurumque. Another point in the collection's favor is that the choir is composed of adult male and female voices, not boys. Bernstein preferred boys in the Psalms but agreed to the possibility of adult female singers, and they work better in this context. The folk song Shenandoah sounds a bit exotic here, but no more so than any number of American performances of British choral music. The bottom line is that this is a pleasing performance of a variety of American pieces, a bit on the restrained side perhaps, but fully idiomatic and enjoyable. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	04/21/2023
Label:	Harmonia Mundi
UPC:	3149020946916
Rank:	78980

Tracks

1. Chichester Psalms~I. Psalm 108, vs. 2; Psalm 100
2. Chichester Psalms~II. Psalm 23; Psalm 2, vs. 1-4
3. Chichester Psalms~III. Psalm 131; Psalm 133, vs. 1
4. Hashkiveinu
5. Shenandoah
6. Two Choruses Op. 42~1. Twelfth Night
7. Two Choruses Op. 42~2. To Be Sung on the Water
8. Take him, earth, for cherishing
9. O magnum mysterium
10. and the swallow
11. Protect yourself from infection
12. A Great Stone
13. A Good Understanding
14. Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Clare College Choir, Cambridge   Primary Artist,Choir/Chorus
Iestyn Davies   Primary Artist,Counter Tenor (Vocal)
Graham Ross   Primary Artist,Conductor
Samuel Jones   Organ
Jane Mitchell   Flute
Owen Gunnell   Percussion
Tanya Houghton   Harp
George Gillow   Organ
Rebecca Larsen   Flute

Technical Credits

Aurelius Clemens Prudentius   Text
Jennifer Higdon   Composer
Graham Ross   Liner Notes
James Erb   Arranger
Caroline Shaw   Composer
Eric Whitacre   Composer
Brad Michel   Mastering
Martine Sgard   Text Translation,Liner Note Translation
Yoav Oved   Language Advisor
David Lang   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Nico Muhly   Composer
Leonard Bernstein   Composer
Samuel Barber   Composer
John Rutter   Editing,Engineer,Artistic Director
Laurie Lee   Text
Louise Bogan   Text
Charles Anthony Silvestri   Text
Herbert Howells   Composer