Notes and Editorial Reviews
Signum Records are pleased to welcome a new ensemble to their catalogue: The Elysian Singers perform the chroal works of composer, James MacMillan. MacMillan characteristically draws inspiration for his vocal works from recurring themes such as the Catholic Church and/or Scottish traditional culture. The most substantial work on this recording is 'Cantos Sagrados (Sacred Songs). MacMillan takes the poems of Latin American poets Ariel Dorfman and Anan Maria Mendosa, and combines their settings of political repression with traditional religious texts to create a powerful combination of liberation theology. The result is at times delicate, and then terrifying. The composer's intentions were to create a work both sacred and secular, being
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timeless yet contemporary. Of the other works on this disc, the majority are settings of Latin or English religious texts often written for particular occasions or places. 'A Child's Prayer', for instance, was dedicated to the victims of the Dunblane tragedy of 1996, where one teacher and sixteen of her pupils were shot dead while in class. The only secular work on the recording is 'The Gallant Weaver', a setting of that most Scottish of poets, Robert Burns, to a nostalgic evocation of Celtic folk-music. The Elysian Singers, under the direction of Sam Laughton, were founded in 1996. They have established a national reputaiton as a young and lively chamber choir, winning awards for commissioning new music. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Divo aloysio sacrum by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1991; Scotland
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 5 Minutes 24 Secs.
Notes: This selection is sung in English and Latin.
2.
The Gallant Weaver by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1997; Scotland
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 5 Minutes 37 Secs.
Language: English
3.
A Child's Prayer by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1996; Scotland
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 4 Minutes 9 Secs.
Language: English
4.
Seinte Mari moder milde by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1995; Scotland
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 5 Minutes 57 Secs.
Notes: This selection is sung in English and Latin.
5.
Tremunt videntes angeli by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 2001; Scotland
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 8 Minutes 48 Secs.
Language: Latin
6.
Cantos sagrados by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1989; Scotland
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 22 Minutes 4 Secs.
Notes: This selection is sung in English and Latin.
7.
Christus vincit by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1994; England
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 7 Minutes 21 Secs.
Language: Latin
8.
So Deep by James MacMillan
Conductor:
Sam Laughton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elysian Singers of London
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1992; Scotland
Date of Recording: 05/2003
Venue: All Saints Church, Tooting, London, UK
Length: 3 Minutes 21 Secs.
Language: English
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