Customer Reviews

Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works, 1991-2001

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a beautiful and moving recording that includes all of Eric Whitacre's a cappella choral music, from 1991 to 2001. The works are performed by the choir and conductor that have always been and will always be the most important interpreters of this music: Dr. Ronald Staheli and the Brigham Young University Singers.

This recording is the end product of recordings made throughout the choir's long association and friendship with Eric Whitacre. It includes definitive recordings of pieces that have become favorites among choral music lovers everywhere: "Water Night," "Cloudburst," "When David Heard."

It also introduces us to lesser-know gems from Whitacre's oeuvre, such as "Sleep," "Lux aurumque," the three flower songs, the three songs of faith, and especially "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine," one of Whitacre's newest works that illustrates the thrill of flight as dreamed by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Water Night
Three Songs of Faith:
-02. i will wade out
-03. hope, faith, life, love
-04. i thank You God for most this amazing day
05. Cloudburst
06. Sleep
Three Flower Songs:
-07. I Hide Myself
-08. With a Lily in Your Hand
-09. Go, Lovely Rose
10. When David Heard That Absalom Was Slain
11. Lux aurumque
12. Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine

I would encourage any fan of Eric Whitacre's music to buy this disc. It seems that this is the recording that many people have been looking for for a long time. Well, now it's here! The recording of "Water Night" (and in my opinion, "Sleep," "Lux aurumque," "Leonardo...") is worth the price of the recording alone, and every other piece is just as good.

Dr. Staheli's sensitivity in interpretation, attention to detail, and obvious understanding and love for this music really shine through, making this the most important recording of Eric Whitacre's choral music - now, and for a long time to come.

(Not included on the recording are "little tree," "She weeps over Rahoon," and other pieces with instrumental accompaniment.)
(Please also see "Beautiful River" by the BYU Concert Choir for a recording of Whitacre's gorgeous "Hebrew Love Songs" in the version for mixed choir and string quartet.)

If you are a fan of choral music; this will be unbelievable. Amazing! The music is intoxicating. If there was one word I had to use to sum up his music it would be "penetrating." I listen to college and professional choirs as a hobby. I got to the bottom of this CD and group. Bear with me. This comes third person, but from a good source. When the BYU Singers were invited to sing at the World Choral Symposium in Australia in 1996 they sang "Cloudburst." They invited Eric Whitacre to come to their rehersal on campus to help them with the song. Eric said when he was approaching the rehersal hall he could hear the group practicing and, rumor has it, he just started shaking because he was so excited (this is repordetly what he said at the ACDA convention). Later, according to his own website, he was asked by the Barlow Foundation to write a song for this Choir. That's when he wrote "When David Heard that Absalom was Slain." If you get ahold of the score it says "Dedicated with love and Silence to Dr. Ronald Staheli." He is the conductor of the BYU Singers. This is a very special song to the Choir, especially the conductor. I was told this composition was written by Eric for a particular event in the life of the conductor, although I am not sure what exactly. I've heard it done a few times but nobody does it better than them. This piece is also remarkable because it is his only composition with sacred text. Eric Whitacre reportedly used this choir for a special interest session he was presenting at the ACDA convention and holds them in the highest esteem.

I have seen the choir perform once, in Carnegie Hall. They performed a couple of Whitacre's pieces and it sent chills down my spine. They stand in a half circle with two rows. All the music is memorized. Because of this they could do justice to Whitacre's music. His music is meant to be impressive. He uses tone clusters and dissonance to evoke thought and reflection. Every piece will envelop your soul if you let it. I did not appreciate the music until the third time I heard it. The tone and blend are perfect. Eric writes with such passion! I believe he meant to change the face of choral music. I find no fault from the singers on the CD. There is a reason he went to them. Still, for whatever imperfections everyone else may or may not find, remember, they are only students. Get this CD, it will be one of the best experiences of your life.

Here you simply have one of the very best choral recordings ever made. It successfully captures the real sound of a superb choral group, Brigham Young University Singers, in a real space. Given the complexities, as well as the utter textural and harmonic clarity characteristic of this composer's style, such qualities are necessary so that the music can live and breathe. Having studied with Julliard composer John Corigliano, there is a palpable modernity of movement and purpose to Eric Whitacre's choral writing. The building up of immense, blocked (and often shimmering) choral chordal effects would seem to owe little to traditional harmony or rhythm. Nevertheless, I deny anyone to listen to this music, and to this performance, without somehow recalling the best of the old medieval polyphonists. These works are no doubt quite difficult to sing a capella, that is, without any other accompaniment. Just singing in tune, given how Whitacre writes, must be a fiendish challenge. The composer's style is also reminiscent of several Scandinavian-Nordic choral composers (like Arvo Part, Trond Kverno and others), without being overly beholden to any one of them. There is a persistent lyrical impulse throughout all the pieces that Whitacre has written for this disc, which contains all his a capella choral music from a ten year period between 1991, and 2001. Part of the composer's secret is his own tremendously musical ear which allows him to ring clear as a bell, no matter how innovative his harmony or far-reaching his experimental choral technique. As an incredible example of just how far out he goes, sample the setting of Octavio Paz' "Cloudburst". Using vocal effects which roundly musicalize what tends to pass for extended vocal writing, Whitacre manages to actually recreate the watery sound effects of a cloud burst without ever stopping the musical flow, and without violating the lyrical and emotional strengths he has uncannily placed at the core of his writing in this piece. If friends want to borrow this disc, my advice is, don't let them. You will probably never have anybody get around to returning it, if borrowed away. Meanwhile, the profound peace and joyfulness, as well as the deeply human communicativeness of this music will pay repeated listening. In fact, this recording belongs in my top three list for all time. The other two honorees are Gaudamus, available in a stunning 5.1 dts master; and A Rose in Winter by the Dale Warland singers. Don't delay. Highly recommended.

There is nothing, I repeat NOTHING, that is second rate about this superb recording, or this monumential composer, Eric Whitacre. If you are familiar with the incredible quality & interpretation of Robert Shaw or the Corydon Singers you will not be disapointed with this awesome CD. Someone, maybe even Eric himself, chose the Brigham Young University Singers to produce these recordings of his acappela works, and it is an unbelievable success. I would challenge anyone to find a professional choir that could produce a more mature & fully satisfying rendering of these inovative compositions, it can't and won't be done.

Twenty-five years ago in a university chorus, I experienced the emerging greatness of Rutter & more recently that of Lauridsen knowing that they would achieve the highest pinicle in musical achievement. Today, I believe that Eric Whitacre can produce some of the greatest gifts to music that ever existed. His youth holds the promise of greater things to come (if that is even possible after what he has already accomplished) and his mastery of harmony and its progression, at such a young age, promises inovation that will not likely be surpassed for generations, and maybe even, never.

"When one cannot find the words to describe the intense pleasure and solemn reflection that Whitacre creates, he must only listen, to find complete and utter fulfilment." Gary Dissette Denver, Colorado

I'm a high school student and recently our choir performed "Lux Aurumque" for our annual Christmas concert. In the months preparing for this I fell in love with the piece and decided to purchase this CD. I couldn't be more happy.

Eric Whitacre is a master of dissonance. His chords are complex and move into one another with astonishing clarity. The climaxes are intense, but so are the quiet moments - which is a lot harder to do.

When buying this CD, I expected that I'd like the other songs, but didn't expect to find anything better than "Lux Aurumque". After listening to it, however, my favorites include, "Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine", "When David Heard", and "Sleep". It's hard to believe that such beautiful songs could come from a man who didn't discover music until college. I highly recommend this CD.

Songs included on this CD are as follows:

01) Water Night

:Three Songs of Faith:

02) i will wade out

03) hope, faith, life, love

04) i thank you God for most this amazing day

05) Cloudburst

06) Sleep

:Three Flower Songs:

07) I Hide Myself

08) With a Lily in Your Hand

09) Go, Lovely Rose

10) When David Heard

11) Lux Aurumque

12) Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine

I can't think of enough positive adjectives to describe this recording! First of all, Eric Whitacre (God, give him a long life), is ONLY about 33 years of age and in less than 10 years (you should read his history...it'll AMAZE you completely!) he's gone from winning the American Choral Director's First prize for Composition in '94 to writing a complete "Electronic Opera" (in 2002?) based on creation, geared to attract the younger crowds (which has also garnered excellent reviewes from ALL audiences).

This recording featuring all his a cappella works from '91 to '01, gives us a glimpse into the brilliance of this man's genius in composing sounds and textures that actually have emotion (tons of it!), warmth, exuberance and best of all, the ability to calm and soothe your heart/soul!

His use of numerous tone clusters (sometimes upto 18 parts!! in "When David Heard") are just out of this world. And it all comes to life gloriously, due to several reasons: The BYU Singers' almost perfect intonation, blend and diction (they are my newest favorite Choral Group! :) Dr. Ronald Staheli's marvellous interpretation of Eric's works (Eric worked with them on this recording), the complete absense of vibrato (except the solos) which I think is VERY essential for works of this kind, and ofcourse the acoustics of the BYU Hall (I forget it's name) where it was recorded.

I could go on forever about how this recording brought many tears of joy for me (Waternight, When David heard, etc.), or the fact that I have listened to it almost every day for the past 6 months that I've had it (esp. before I go to bed at night), and how it actually deserves 10 stars out of 5 but I think you get the idea, right? :) If you care even a little about Choral music, I do not recommend, but *order* you to put this recording in your shopping cart right away and purchase it. I cannot emphasise more...truly, I promise you will have just purchased perhaps your MOST FAVORITE piece of music ever! :)

Wil.

This disc contains some incredible choral works, performed by one of the nation's best collegiate choirs. The music is brilliantly written and well performed, and based on those qualities alone I would easily give this CD a five-star rating.

Unfortunately, the sound quality is not up to the standards I expect from a commercial disc. The music, like most choral compositions, contains a very wide dynamic range, and there is discernable audio clipping during the loud passages on nearly every track.

Don't get me wrong, this is a truly enjoyable disc, and a must-have for any Whitacre fan, especially since there is no other recording of the complete a cappella works available. However, the poor mastering reduces my enjoyment of this recording from a five to a four.

Eric Whitacre (Julliard graduate) is clearly a man of talent, but his music is a bit of an acquired taste. The texts of his choral works are poetic and flowing and do not fit easily into straightforward music phrasing. He really likes to use dissonant chords. Some of his pieces sound similar.

However, upon repeated listening I realized that there is *something* special about this CD. I'm somehow drawn to it and I think it's because the music is different and even musically enlightening. The pieces that really stand out to me are Water Night, I Will Wade Out, Hope Faith Life Love, When David Heard, and Leonardo Dreams.

The BYU Singers are what kept me listening long enough to appreciate this music. The Singers' dedication to Whitacre's music is clear; their hard-work apparent. Their other-worldly tone is truly beautiful and I honestly don't how they can perfect such challenging music and still find time to be students.

In my life I have been exposed to quite a lot of music and the best I've encountered has been pieces that I didn't appreciate at first. Such music challenges your notions and broadens your horizons. It then intrigues you, and finally, it becomes a part of you. The compositions of Eric Whitacre are a fine example of such music.

If you enjoy choral music, you should buy this CD. If you are a general music fan with an open mind that is ready to be challenged, you should buy this CD.

Attention all music lovers!

Regardless of the level of musical training that you may have, or your specific area of musical concentration, this is a CD that you can benefit from and enjoy immensely, even if you are not a vocalist.

Over the last decade and a half, Eric Whitacre has become one of, if not the -the- premier next-generation choral composer in the world today. Every one of this works is carefully thought out, and painstakingly emotional. Whatever your instrument, whether it be wind, string, or vocal, this music can change your life, can open new musical worlds to you. Even if you have no musical training, but enjoy listening to breathtakingly beautiful music, this is a CD to add to your collection.

Recorded by the Brigham-Young University Singers in 1997, 1999, and 2002, this CD contains the complete twelve works of Whitacre's first decade (1991-2001) of choral composing, completely A Cappella (without instrumental accompaniment). Undoubtedly this is the single greatest CD I have ever purchased, and deserves to be ranked with the work of Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan as one of the greatest collections of music ever to be gathered into one place.

Selections range from the vivacious and effervescent With a Lily in Your Hand (1992) to the deeply emotional When David Heard (1999) to the chillingly beautiful Water Night (1995), a tour-de-force of magnanimous scope, finished in under an hour. Many places of the CD will bring chills to your entire body, and even a few places can invoke tears. You will not be disappointed of this CD, and I implore you to take in the creative breath of fresh air that is [Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works].

David W. Blair

This is constantly in my cd player! It's the perfect CD if you're a fan of Eric Whitacre. Every song I ever wanted is on there, and I thank the BYU singers profusely for recording this CD. The chord structures get me every single time. It's enough to send chills down your spine.