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Description
Komm süßer
Tod - Bach/Knut Nystedt arr. Gunnar Eriksson
Cois Cladaigh invited the composer to Galway to
lead a workshop on his innovative approaches to performance of
choral music. In this piece, he used an arrangement of a Bach
chorale by Knut Nystedt as a template for the arrangement.
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O
Bone Jesu - Marc'Antonio Ingegneri
When the Hilliard Ensemble joined forces with Jan
Garbareck to record Renaissance homophony, the result was so effective
that Cois Cladaigh copied the idea to blend old and new. The choir
is joined by Bertrand Huvé on saxophone.
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Ab Oriente
venerunt Magi - Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
This piece evolves over its three sections, from
initial simplicity to final complexity. The opening section is
written in a steady, traditional polyphonic style; the writing
then moves on to more complex contrapuntal writing and closes
with an energetic, ebullient Alleluia. Thanks to Tim Thurston
for sending us this piece.
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Sleep - Eric Whitacre
Whitacre explains in the introduction to this piece
that he wanted to set Frost’s text “Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening” and wrote the music with this poem in
mind. However, when he was not given permission to use the text
by Frost’s estate, he had to find a new text and asked his
friend Charles Silvestri to write words for the music.
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I'm still
here - Eamonn Murray
Ex-Cois Cladaigh singer, but full time sub and
repetiteur supreme, Eamonn Murray wrote this short, tight harmony
piece using text by the American poet Langston Hughes. Eamonn
has set four other of Hughes’s texts for Cois Cladaigh.
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Who
built the Ark? - Moses Hogan
The story of Noah building the Ark is set for choir
and a mini female and male chorus which alternately tell the tale.
It opens with a section of the Book of Genesis spoken by one of
the choir. Hogan specifically notes that he wants “Noah”
pronounced as “Norah”. This is typical gutsy Hogan
writing.
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In Paradisum
- Ben Hanlon
Br. Ben’s Della Salle boys choir has performed
many times over the years at the Cork International Choral Festival
and they frequently performed works written by him. Cois Cladaigh
commissioned Br. Ben in 2007 and this performance of “In
Paradisum” (in Irish) was its premiere.
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Szeroka
Woda - Henryck Gorecki
The emigrant poet cries out to see the broad waters
of his beloved Vistula once more.
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O vos omnes - Jacquet
of Mantua
Cois Cladaigh recorded some of Jacquet of Mantua’s
music on its first CD “Lux Aeterna” and incorrectly
attributed a setting of Jacquet de Berchem’s “O Jesu
Christe” to him. This “O vos omnes” however,
is typical, lyrical Jacquet of Mantua with the addition of Bertrand’s
sensitive saxophone.
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Water Night - Eric Whitacre
Here Whitacre shows off his trade mark stacked
chord writing; he starts from only a few notes that subsequently
develop into shimmering clusters of 10 and more notes; these arch
from the lower bass register right up to the higher levels of
the soprano voice. They produce a very complex sounding effect
but he writes so well that singers do not find making such chords
difficult.
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Ecce quomodo
- Albert Alcaraz
For such a young composer, Albert writes with a
deftness and depth that belies his age.
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S'andasse amor a caccia
- Claudio Monteverdi
This setting captures the rhythm of the hunt –
not the hunt for game but the hunt for love.
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Beatus Vir
- Oliver Kentish
This lyrical setting is always appreciated by audiences.
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Lamento - Karl
E. Welin
This is a lovely, simple, yet poignant setting of
the Shakespeare text.
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The
Battle of Jericho - Moses Hogan
This setting starts with a threatening “tattoo”
effect of the men’s voices that is re-used throughout the
piece. The glissandi of the soprano and alto lines introduce a
blues like effect to the piece. The writing is hostile, bellicose
and triumphal throughout. Super ending to this piece.
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