Laudes Organi: Sacred Choral Music

On this CD:

1. Hear My Prayer ("O for the wings of a dove"), hymn for soprano, chorus, & organ or orchestra in G major
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Ursula Fiedler, Barbara Holzl, Peter Jelosits, Gerd Kenda
Conducted by Johann Georg Prinz

2. Rejoice in the Lamb, festival cantata for trumpet, ATB soloists, SATB chorus & organ, Op. 30
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Performed by Ursula Fiedler, Barbara Holzl, Peter Jelosits, Gerd Kenda
Conducted by Johann Georg Prinz

3. Cantique de Jean Racine, for 4-part chorus & organ (or orchestra), Op. 11
Composed by Gabriel Faure
Performed by Ursula Fiedler, Barbara Holzl, Peter Jelosits, Gerd Kenda
Conducted by Johann Georg Prinz

4. Laudes Organi, for chorus & organ
Composed by Zoltan Kodaly
Performed by Ursula Fiedler, Barbara Holzl, Peter Jelosits, Gerd Kenda
Conducted by Johann Georg Prinz

Tracks:

Veni, Creator Spiritus
Spem In Alium
Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Contrapunctus I
Contrapunctus I
Come, Holy Ghost
Immortal Bach
Laudes Organi
Hear My Prayer, O Lord
I. Expectans
II. Et Eduxit Me
III Et Dedit In Ore Meo
Veni, Creator Spiritus (Reprise)

Customer Reviews:

Bought this for Spem in Alium, enjoyed the whole cd........2005-10-20

I have always enjoyed Tallis's Spem In Alium. Recordings from the Cambridge Singers, Kings College and Kronos Quartet are excellent. But, the sonic possibilities of SACD convinced me to get this one.
The sound stage is perfect and the choir, especially the soprano section, sing like angels.
The newer compositions, usually modern takes on older choral masterpieces, vary from interesting to fabulous.
The Cambridge recording stands as a great cd, in regular sound.
Again, a wonderful choral experience.

Kodaly: Missa Brevis; Laudes Organi / Janacek: Mass in E Flat

Average customer rating:

An interesting showcase

Kodaly: Missa Brevis; Laudes Organi / Janacek: Mass in E Flat
Leos Janacek , Zoltan Kodaly , James O'Donnell , Choir of Westminster Cathedral , and Andrew Reid
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Langlais: Missa Salve Regina / Messe Solennelle
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Schnittke: Piano Concerto/Requiem
Dvorak: Mass in D; Biblical Songs Op99
Britten: Rejoice in the Lamb, etc

ASIN: B00004R61P
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

Missa Brevis: Introitus
Missa Brevis: Kyrie
Missa Brevis: Gloria
Missa Brevis: Credo
Missa Brevis: Sanctus
Missa Brevis: Benedictus
Missa Brevis: Agnus Dei
Missa Brevis: Ite, missa est
Laudes Organi: Introduction
Laudes Organi: Audi chorum
Laudes Organi: Musice! milites
Laudes Organi: Gravis chorus
Laudes Organi: Nunc per voces
Laudes Organi: Tali modulo
Laudes Organi: Huius artis
Laudes Organi: Fiat amen
Mass In E Flat: Kyrie
Mass In E Flat: Credo
Mass In E Flat: Sanctus
Mass In E Flat: Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

To the average secular humanist, Zoltán Kodály's Missa Brevis can be a bewildering experience. It's an erratic expanse of music, ranging from deep-throated organ runs to angelic boys-choir arrangements--all over, one might say, God's green earth. The familiar "Gloria in excelsis Deo," sung solemnly by a solo male voice, blossoms instantly into full-bodied polyphony; the brief but elaborate organ works that bookend the mass proper threaten to smother its memory. Pairing Kodály with Leos Janácek makes more sense as concept album than as seamless listening experience. Both wrote church music in the early 20th century, but the differences between these works are more striking than are their similarities. Janácek's vocal settings are highly sophisticated, concerned less with the specific words of God than with their haunting spirit. He favors shifting vocal parts, in contrast with Kodály's formal rounds; when Janácek's voices do align, it's for stark dramatic effect. The choir is remarkable in its enunciation and ensemble, but the volume levels on this recording vary so widely as to unnecessarily complicate the selection of an appropriate listening level. Paul Wingfield's opinionated liner notes remind us that the Lord's work is fraught with human ego. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews:

An interesting showcase.......2000-07-06

This is the last recording made for Hyperion by Westminster Cathedral Choir under James O'Donnell. It is quite an interesting combination of works to say the least.

Most of the programme is given over to the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly. The opening "Missa Brevis" is a remarkable work - it has a fine sense of melody and a tonal language that is at times unpredictable but nonetheless bearable if you're used to Mozart or Haydn or Schubert. There are some really haunting moments here - the austere and lyrical opening of the "Kyrie" gives way to a passage for trebles and high organ accompaniment of the most radiant quality, including some unbelievably quiet top Cs! By contrast, such movements as the "Gloria" and "Credo" manage to be joyful but at the same time rather staid. As the work draws to a conclusion, the contemplative and ethereal mood returns. It is not hard to imagine this in liturgical performance.

The centre of the programme is taken up by an unusual cantata, "Laudes Organi," in which Kodaly sets an ancient Latin poem extolling the use of instruments (especially the organ) in worship, as well as offering praise for the makers of such instruments. The harmonic language of the Mass is also evident in this much more exuberant work, although for some reason I find myself taking it with a pinch of salt; it doesn't come across as convincingly as the Mass, although in its own right it is well-written.

The disc concludes with a very special 'new' work: the "Mass in E flat" by Leos Janacek. This has often been referred to as the "Unfinished Mass" and has been a topic of interest to musicologists and Janacek scholars for many years - it is known that he wrote it as a study model for his composition pupils who sought to write short mass settings, and that the work was a prototype for the celebrated "Glagolitic Mass." There have now been at least two attempts to reconstruct the original sketches of the "Unfinished Mass," and the version recorded here is the most recent, made by musicologist Paul Wingfield (who describes the process in an informative booklet note). This is an interesting glimpse at Janacek's style: he had no religious convictions whatsoever and it certainly shows in places (the lack of a "Gloria" and the formal, almost stiff construction of the "Agnus Dei" are obvious examples). Nonetheless, like the Kodaly, one can imagine parts of this being performed in liturgical offerings, and it appears that Westminster Cathedral Choir are the first to try it out in that way.

This is certainly an interesting showcase of the now-legendary musicianship at the Cathedral. The daunting expressionism of the Kodaly Mass is ably met by the boys, a testament to James O'Donnell's choir training abilities, and the balance of voices throughout the rest of the programme is admirable. What is particularly arresting about the programme, however, is the performance of the Cathedral's sub-organist Andrew Reid. Each of the three works includes substantial passages for organ: the Kodaly Mass begins and ends with movements for organ alone; "Laudes Organi" naturally takes an opportunity to milk the resources of the organ (and test the stamina of its player!) and the Janacek Mass calls for some remarkably flambuoyant playing, particularly in the "Sanctus." Because of this, I feel that the disc is more of a presentation of the Westminster Cathedral organ that of the choir - not that there's anything wrong with that...

Tracks:

Laudes Organi
Missa Brevis: Introitus
Missa Brevis: Kyrie
Missa Brevis: Gloria
Missa Brevis: Credo
Missa Brevis: Sanctus
Missa Brevis: Benedictus
Missa Brevis: Agnus Dei
Missa Brevis: Ite Missa Est

Average customer rating:

Kodaly: Missa Brevis; Laudes Organi

Manufacturer: Globe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000025YMB
Release Date: 1994-01-01

Tracks:

Laudes Organi
Missa Brevis: Introitus
Missa Brevis: Kyrie
Missa Brevis: Gloria
Missa Brevis: Credo
Missa Brevis: Sanctus
Missa Brevis: Benedictus
Missa Brevis: Agnus Dei
Missa Brevis: Ite Missa Est

Average customer rating:

Kodaly: Choral Works

Manufacturer: Guild
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000026CZM
Release Date: 1999-10-01

In Praise of the Organ: The Latin Choral and Organ Music of Zoltán Kodály

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In Praise of the Organ: The Latin Choral and Organ Music of Zoltán Kodály

Manufacturer: Pro Organo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B0000520TL
Release Date: 2000-11-28

Tracks: