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Track(s) taken from CDA67818

Tenebrae factae sunt

composer
15 March 1995; Vilnius; published in 2002
author of text
Fifth Responsory at Matins on Good Friday

Royal Holloway Choir, Rupert Gough (conductor)
Recording details: January 2010
St Alban's Church, Holborn, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Mark Brown
Engineered by Julian Millard
Release date: November 2010
Total duration: 4 minutes 26 seconds

Cover artwork: Tree. Charlie Baird (b1955)
 

Reviews

‘His music has a timeless and highly atmospheric quality. Textures and nuances are used with great perception … the effect on the listener is best summed up as being one of 'contemplative meditation'. Rupert Gough has wrought wonders with his Egham choristers. Their tone glows warmly, with a firm bass-line and bell-like top soprano and tenor lines. Pitching is spot-on and climaxes are beautifully controlled  … the sumptuous swimming acoustic of St Alban's, Holborn, is perfect for this delicious music’ (Gramophone)

‘Vytautas Miškinis might be the best thing to happen to choral societies since Morten Lauridsen … the Choir of Royal Holloway sing with excellent intonation and blend’ (International Record Review)

‘The clarity and translucence of Royal Holloway's young voices, expertly trained and throroughly prepared for this demanding job, ideally suits Miškinis' infinitely subtle art. Gough and his choristers are outstanding … exquisite in their hypnotic contrasts and folk-like purity’ (Classic FM Magazine)
The emotional turmoil surrounding the death of Christ, as dramatically depicted in the Fifth Responsory for Good Friday, has inspired many choral composers. For his setting of Tenebrae factae sunt, Miškinis delivers a dramatic narrative. Particularly effective are the lamenting chords for ‘Deus meus’ and, following the angular and chromatic ‘ut quid me dereliquisti’, the serenity of ‘Et inclinato capite, emisit spiritum’. The piece begins and ends in a shroud of darkness weighed down with murky, tonally ambiguous chords.

from notes by Rupert Gough © 2010

Maints compositeurs choraux furent inspirés par l’émoi entourant la mort du Christ—un émoi dont le cinquième répons du Vendredi saint, par exemple, nous restitue tout le drame. Dans ses Tenebrae factae sunt, Miškinis nous livre une narration dramatique. On est impressionné par les accords lamentables pour «Deus meus», comme par la sérénité d’«Et inclinato capite, emisit spiritum», après le saccadé et chromatique «ut quid me dereliquisti». La pièce commence et termine dans un linceul de ténèbres appesanti par de noirs accords, harmoniquement ambigus.

extrait des notes rédigées par Rupert Gough © 2010
Français: Hypérion

Die in Zusammenhang mit Christi Tod aufwallenden Emotionen und ihre dramatische Behandlung mit dem Fünften Responsorium für den Karfreitag haben viele Chorkomponisten inspiriert. Miškinis’ Vertonung des Tenebrae factae sunt ist eine dramatische Erzählung mit besonders wirkungsvoll klagenden Akkorden zum „Deus meus“ und, nach dem eckig-chromatischen „ut quid me dereliquisti“, einem ruhig feierlichen „Et inclinato capite, emisit spiritum“. Das Stück beginnt und endet in nebligem Dunkel unter der Last von trüben, tonal obskuren Akkorden.

aus dem Begleittext von Rupert Gough © 2010
Deutsch: Henning Weber

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