A Crown of Stars/Requiem
Lisa Edwards-Burrs (soprano), Joseph Dietrich (tenor), Cantate Chamber Singers, Maryland Boys Choir, Gisele Becker, Stephen Holmes
Andrew Earle Simpson's A Crown of Stars is a wedding oratorio celebrating the universality of human love and was commissioned by the Cantate Chamber Singers while Simpson was the ensemble's Composer-in-Residence. This is the world premiere recording. Mr. Simpson's music follows four principal threads of interest: humanistic music; music for silent films; theatrical music; and folk music. He has created a prodigious array of works for the concert and operatic stage, which have been performed throughout the U.S., Europe and South America. Russian composer Alfred Schnittke's (1934-1998) Requiem evokes vivid images, perhaps because it began as a stage work. It is based on music from a piano quintet that Schnittke dedicated to his mother just after her death.
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Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| A Crown of Stars | Andrew Earle Simpson | Cantate Chamber Singers, Lisa Edwards-Burrs, soprano, Joseph Dietrich, tenor, Maryland State Boychoir, Gisèle Becker, conductor |
| Requiem | Alfred Schnittke | Cantate Chamber Singers, Maryland State Boychoir, Gisèle Becker, conductor |
Reviews
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"[Andrew] Simpson pays homage to jazz, Eastern and Middle Eastern folk idioms, Renaissance madrigals and the sounds of Appalachia. His appropriations of these traditions are clever and make for a fast-paced, often rambunctious score. the Cantate singers can be commended for their efforts. whether they're mourning the dead or serenading the lovers, they make a full emotional commitment to the composers and their music."
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