Album

Not only is the ensemble Elora Festival Singers founded and led by Noel Edison, the resident choir of the summer festival held about an hour west of Toronto, but its concerts, tours, and recordings have established it as one of the freshest Canadian chamber choirs. It's an exceptionally fine group, with a warm, well-blended, youthful sound, and the singers' discipline and technical prowess are evident in everything they sing. This album devoted to the choral music of Eric Whitacre includes almost half of the works for mixed voices he had written up to 2009, and it's an impressive collection. Whitacre is a master of the lusciously rich harmonic language that has become the lingua franca of tonal choral music in the new century, but he also brings an exceptionally lively and unencumbered imagination to the texts he sets, freely using non-traditional vocal techniques that are more often associated with the avant-garde, but in ways that seems entirely organic within his relatively conservative tonal context. The works that use those devices, such as "Little Birds," with a text by Octavio Paz, with its unembarrassed and entirely convincing use of bird sounds, are among the most memorable. "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine," one of his most spectacular works, is also vocally adventurous, and his incorporation and transformation of polyphonic madrigals is nothing short of stunning in its dramatic and emotional impact. Even the works that are more conventional, such as "Her sacred spirit soars," "Lux aurumque," and "Sleep," have the imprint of Whitacre's distinctive musical personality. "When David Heard" is based on a single sentence, King David's lament over the death of his son Absalom. It lasts 13 minutes and has an austerity and gravity reminiscent of Arvo Pärt. Naxos' sound is clean and warmly present, with just enough resonance for this repertoire. The album makes an excellent introduction to Whitacre's music and should be of strong interest to fans of new choral music.

© Stephen Eddins, Rovi

CD 1
Eric Whitacre Composer Her sacred spirit soars Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
1	Her sacred spirit soars	6:27			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer A Boy And A Girl Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
2	A Boy And A Girl	3:20			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer Water Night Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
3	Water Night	4:37			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer This Marriage Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
4	This Marriage	2:39			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer Lux aurumque, for chorus (also for wind ensemble) Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
5	Lux aurumque, for chorus (also for wind ensemble)	3:22			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer Little Tree, for chorus and piano Work Leslie De'Ath Piano, Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
6	Little Tree, for chorus and piano	5:37			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer When David Heard Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
7	When David Heard	12:54			$1.99
Eric Whitacre Composer Leonardo Dreams Of His Flying Machine Work Carol Bauman Percussion, Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
8	Leonardo Dreams Of His Flying Machine	8:36			$1.49
Eric Whitacre Composer Three Songs Of Faith Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
9	3.I Thank You God For Most This Amazing Day	6:39			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer Sleep Work Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
10	Sleep	4:30			$0.99
Eric Whitacre Composer Little Birds, for chorus and piano Work Leslie De'Ath Piano, Noel Edison Conductor, Elora Festival Singers Chorus/Choir
11	Little Birds, for chorus and piano	3:19			$0.99