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Track(s) taken from CDA67449

Ubi caritas et amor

composer
1999
author of text
Antiphon during the Washing of the Feet and Vespers on Maundy Thursday

Polyphony, Stephen Layton (conductor)
Recording details: August 2003
Temple Church, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Mark Brown
Engineered by Julian Millard
Release date: March 2005
Total duration: 7 minutes 0 seconds

Cover artwork: Why Seek Ye the Living Among the Dead? (1905). Howard Pyle (1853-1911)
American Illustrators Gallery, NYC / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘Exquisitely sung by Polyphony with strong support from the Britten Sinfonia under Stephen Layton’ (The Observer)

‘The music has freshness and an affecting emotional pull to it that explains its popularity with singers and audiences across the pond. Stephen Layton's Polyphony, whose recent recordings of Pärt, Tavener and others have been revelations of choral singing, brings a comparable firmness, tonal opulence and refinement to this new repertoire, which will undoubtedly gain new admirers as a result’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Conventional choral wisdom suggests that the American Morten Lauridsen is a one-work wonder and certainly O magnum mysterium is wonderful, with vocal lines that arch out like fan vaulting. With this new recording Stephen Layton and Hyperion are clearly out to prove that Lauridsen's gifts are not just for Christmas but for all seasons too … now the jury is back: the choir and Layton have acquitted Morten Lauridsen. Here's a three-, perhaps four-work wonder!’ (International Record Review)

‘Layton and company have here produced the finest I've heard among several excellent collections of Lauridsen's work. None are quite as exquisitely nuanced or sung with such glowing vocal sheen as this. Clear and shimmering sound, plus Hyperion's usual complete and user-friendly booklet, make it all the more attractive. No committed choral fan or singer will ever regret letting Lauridsen into his life’ (American Record Guide)

‘Stephen Layton's feel for the inner line and structure melts the heart, as does the impeccable, unforced singing of Polyphony. Their music-making remains in heavenly realms throughout the virtuoso Madrigali: pure choral gold’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘Every one of the works on this mesmerising Hyperion release is deliciously lyrical and harmonically sumptuous, but spiced with delicate dissonances that are Lauridsen's signature … every performance here is delivered with liquid perfection’ (The Scotsman)

‘It's not often I have to brush away the tears when I'm reviewing a recording, but I will happily confess that on this occasion Lauridsen got me again and again. I can't give this disc a higher recommendation than that. Run out and buy it as soon as you can’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Above all, these performances by Stephen Layton's Polyphony are breathtakingly beautiful, powerfully expressive without trace of forced sentimentality. Hyperion's Disc of the Month for March should become one of the year's classical hits’ (Music Week)

‘A flawless, perfectly balanced performance from the British choral group Polyphony, directed by the gifted Stephen Layton, and ably assisted by the Britten Sinfonia. If you love choral music, if you appreciate compositions that lift you from the mundane, you should not miss Lux aeterna’ (St Louis-Post Dispatch)

‘This Hyperion release is superb and the disc is a must. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have’ (Classical Music Web)

‘This is compelling and challenging music that deserves wider performance. The world-class ensemble Polyphony has made many first-rate recordings, and this is another—and it will be an immediate acquisition for this composer's growing legions of fans … if you love choral music, Lauridsen's work is required listening’ (Classics Today)

‘The sound is very clean, very focused and detailed, and has remarkable sound-stage depth … the bottom line is, if you aren't familiar with Lux aeterna, your life is the poorer for it. You do need a recording of it’ (Stereophile)
A setting of an antiphon for Maundy Thursday, Ubi caritas et amor was written in 1999 in memory of the choral conductor and scholar, Richard H Trame, SJ. In this motet, Lauridsen subtly adapts the plainchant melody, adorning it with contrapuntal elaborations that create a glowing nimbus of sound.

from notes by Byron Adams © 2005

Mise en musique d’une antienne pour le jeudi saint, Ubi caritas et amor fut écrit en 1999 à la mémoire du chef de chœur et érudit Richard H. Trame. Dans ce motet, Lauridsen adopte subtilement la mélodie grégorienne, en l’ornant d’élaborations contrapuntiques, source d’un étincelant nimbe sonore.

extrait des notes rédigées par Byron Adams © 2005
Français: Hyperion Records Ltd

Die Vertonung einer Antiphon für Gründonnerstag, Ubi caritas et amor, entstand 1999 zum Gedenken an den Chorleiter und Forscher Richard H. Trame SJ. In dieser Motette bearbeitet Lauridsen die Choral-Melodie auf subtile Art und Weise und schmückt sie mit kontrapunktischen Verzierungen aus, die einen tönenden Nimbus erzeugen.

aus dem Begleittext von Byron Adams © 2005
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Lauridsen: Lux aeterna
This album is not yet available for downloadSACDA67449Super-Audio CD — Deleted
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