Antioch is thrilled to have released a brand new CD of works by legendary choral composer Robert Kyr, titled In Praise of Music, on July 9, 2021, produced by the GRAMMY-award winning SoundMirror and released by Bridge Records.
- “Kyr’s creations [are] so powerful and affecting” “[Kyr] could hardly have better champions than the 13 Antioch voices.” “the singers convey Kyr’s messages with remarkable balance, flexibility and freshness.” – Gramophone
- “Here is Kyr at his strongest, met by a conductor and an ensemble who can master these challenging pieces and give them their full due.” – Earrelevant
- “Antioch’s flawless intonation and finesse is an ideal match for Kyr, whose exultant choral music is distinguished by warmth, lyricism, and contrapuntal sophistication.” – Textura
Have a listen on your favorite streaming app, or order a CD through Amazon today!
In our ongoing commitment to interpreting works by living composers and encouraging the creation of new choral music, we made a brand new recording of works by the distinguished composer Robert Kyr. The album was recorded in November 2018 at Washington and Lee University and has been produced by the GRAMMY-award winning SoundMirror studio. The recording was released on Bridge Records on July 9, 2021!
Review:
Gramophone
“[Kyr] could hardly have better champions than the 13 Antioch voices. Under the direction of founding artistic director Joshua Copeland, the singers convey Kyr’s messages with remarkable balance, flexibility and freshness.”
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(though love be a day) is a CD of works by living American composer, Matthew Brown.
(though love be a day)
1. (though love be a day)
2. the night has a thousand eyes
3. sweet was the song
4. a red, red rose
5. another lullaby for insomniacs
6. she walks in beauty
7. it may not always be so
8. daybreak
9. above: I there above
10. above: II dandelion
11. above: III you and i shall go
12. sitivit anima mea
13. o magnum mysterium
14. o ecclesia
15. table grace
16. true colors, Kelly/Steinberg arr. Brown
The Passing of the Year is a CD of works by Ford, Dove, Lauridsen and Whitacre.
The Passing of the Year
Quotes of Published Reviews:
“The excellent choir ACE under Joshua Copeland… Excellent performances…”
Turok’s Choice, Issue No.229 ~ February 2011
“The Antioch Chamber Ensemble… sing with an unaffected verve and tight ensemble unity that many other groups can only envy… the program as a whole is very satisfying… Jonathan Dove’s The Passing of the Year…is a fine cycle of no little invention and dramatic effect… the ACE brings a lot of energy and drive, not to mention subtlety and substance to all of this music, captured in great sound during the festival… Bravo to all concerned.”
Steve Ritter, Audiophile Audition ~ February 2011
“[In] Whitacre’s Sleep [the] singers are joined by piano and violin in sensitive performances by Christine Chang and Jennifer Cho, respectively. Indeed, Chang, the choir’s regular pianist, is unfailingly attentive to the needs of the music in this piece as well as the Dove… part of the choir’s success is its ability to characterize each piece fully, communicating its individuality; they make the performance about the listener, not the singer. The five songs to poems about roses by Morten Lauridsen are delightful, the choir again finding the perfect characterization: fresh yet sweet, matching Lauridsen’s tender but dry-eyed response to Rilke’s passionate words to produce something utterly charming… a remarkably successful disc… I am certain that any listener will appreciate and value these excellent performances by an outstanding choir.”
Jeremy Marchant, Fanfare ~ March/April 2011
“Copeland and his 11 fellow performers clearly appreciate the bitterness and hurt in the text and music [by Morton Lauridsen]. Textures are spare, the tempos initially swifter than other recordings, and the effect almost madrigal-like at times, despite modern harmonies… [The Whitacre] performances are the more moving for their luminous clarity. The early Three Flower Songs in particular engage both ear and heart, every line clear, every chord impeccably tuned, and the text beautifully projected. Antioch ‘s other Whitacre is comparable… Pride of place, however, must be given to the premiere recording of the choral version of Whitacre’s settings of Hila Plitmann’s Five Hebrew Love Songs. Heard here with piano accompaniment and Jennifer Cho’s elegant solo violin, the instruments underline the Semitic flavor of the work, now blended with, now standing apart from the voices in what is an ideal setting of his wife’s fragile, evocative verse. A recording of the string quartet version has just been released on Decca with the Eric Whitacre Singers, but this one is something special, not least for the wonderfully sensitive instrumental accompaniment… [Belmont Ford’s setting of] If Music Be the Food of Love suggests she should be better represented. This charming part-song, beautifully performed, is harmonically of a type with Whitacre and Lauridsen… The 12-voice Antioch Chamber Ensemble…projects the complex eight-part writing [of The Passing of the Year] with remarkable authority. As elsewhere in this program, the flawless blend, excellent intonation, and enthusiastic but sensitive phrasing of these relatively young artists, pure and slightly bright in the English style, assures aural bliss… The recordings…are crystal-clear without being analytical, the parts distinct, but the voices beautifully integrated into the ensemble, with a nice sense of space but no excessive reverberation… make sure to grab this second release while it is available.”
Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare ~ March/April 2011
“…this is a top-notch ensemble with extraordinarily fine blend and balance, unanimity of attack, intonation, and rhythmic accuracy… To those attracted to this repertoire, this disc is definitely recommended.”
James Altena, Fanfare ~ March/April 2011
“Without question…a commendable choir. They can be bright and engaging in selections like `Answer July’. A poignant hush descends for the opening bars of Whitacre’s `Sleep’ and for appropriate moments in the Hebrew Love Songs as well. Emotional entry into the music is admirable in all respects… an attractive program.”
Greenfield, American Record Guide ~ January / February 2011
Winter Songs is a CD of winter themed choral works.
Winter Songs
Antioch is certainly in the top rank of a cappella choirs in the United States. Their CD entitled “Winter Songs” is a marvelous showcase of demanding 20th-Century repertoire, including my Mid-Winter Songs on Poems of Robert Graves and O Magnum Mysterium. Both works are elegantly performed as are the other works on the CD. I recommend this CD most highly, especially to choral aficionados”. Morten Lauridsen, composer. CD Contents: Mid-Winter Songs – Lauridsen, Lament for Pasiphae, Like Snow, She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep, Mid-Winter Waking, Intercession in Late October; De grandes cuillers de neige – Poulenc; La bonne neige – Poulenc; Here is the Little Door – Howells; Sing Lullaby – Howells; A Spotless Rose – Howells; Coventry Carol – arr. Pilkington; Ah, Bleak And Chill The Wint’ry Wind – Burt; Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming – Distler; Greensleeves – V. Williams; Wassail Song – V. Williams; O Magnum Mysterium – Lauridsen; Notre Pere – Durufle