Out July 9 on Bridge Records: Antioch Chamber Ensemble sings music by Robert Kyr
Choral ensemble's album In Praise of Music celebrates the transformational power of music
On July 9, 2021 Antioch Chamber Ensemble with conductor Joshua Copeland releases Robert Kyr: In Praise of Music on Bridge Records (BRIDGE 9558). (Amazon pre-order link available here.)
The choral ensemble's album, In Praise of Music, touches on themes of conflict, celebration, peace-making, and music itself throughout the album's ten works, with texts by Kyr and a variety of other sources.
This collection celebrates the many ways in which music can be transformative. Kyr elaborates, declaring music "as a healing and awakening force; as a motivator for constructive action; as a spiritual catalyst; as a voice for freedom and peace; as wordless inspiration; and as a guide towards the light at the end of the tunnel."
Descriptions of each of the compositions bear this out. Freedom Song is a contemporary spiritual focused on the struggle for freedom in the face of racial and societal injustice. Santa Fe Vespers commemorates the 400th anniversary of two cultural landmarks—the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Claudio Monteverdi’s celebrated masterpiece, the Vespers of 1610. Most effectively described without text, the most serene aspects of daybreak are expressed in the wordless vocalise, Dawnsong.
A Vision of Peace is a setting of Kyr's adaptation of the “prayer of peace” from St. Francis of Assisi; and Alleluia for Peace gives voice to the word “Alleluia” in a variety of harmonic styles, and ultimately is interwoven with the text “Dona nobis pacem” (“Give us peace”).
Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.
Robert Kyr: In Praise of Music
Antioch Chamber Ensemble
Joshua Copeland, conductor
Bridge Records (BRIDGE 9558)
Release date: July 9, 2021
TRACKS
[01] In Praise of Music 5:39
[02] O Great Spirit 3:17
[03] In the Name of Music 4:00
[04] Veni Creator Spiritus 6:26
Santa Fe Vespers 10:36
[05] I. Heaven Hear My Words 3:15
[06] II. Hail, Star of the Sea 2:55
[07] III. Seraphim 4:25
[08] Dawnsong 6:07
[09] Ode to Music 6:25
[10] Voices for Peace 3:12
[11] Freedom Song 3:53
[12] Alleluia for Peace 8:49
Widely regarded as one of the finest professional choral ensembles in the United States, the Antioch Chamber Ensemble has been giving exceptional performances since 1997. Under the leadership of founding Artistic Director Joshua Copeland, and executive director Stephen Sands, the ensemble strives to present a diverse program of the world’s greatest choral literature, both sacred and secular, and has performed works ranging from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary masterpieces with a core group of ten to twelve of the New York metropolitan area’s finest singers. The ensemble is a Ditson Foundation grantee for this recording project, and received a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music for the first recording of choral works by Matthew Brown, "(though love be a day)".
The American Academy of Arts and Letters has recognized the breadth of Robert Kyr’s work with an award for distinguished artistic achievement. Hailed by The Wall Street Journal as “a powerful new achievement in American music that vividly traces a journey from despair to transcendence," Kyr's music often explores themes related to conflict, the environment, and spiritual issues. He is a renowned mentor and composition teacher at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where he directs the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, the Music Today Festival, the Vanguard Concert and Workshop Series, the Oregon Composers Forum, and the Pacific Rim Gamelan.