Hear selections from new releases with our weekly Choral Featured Album Fridays at 11 a.m. central on the Choral Stream.
This week on the Choral Featured Album, we present Transcendence, the new release from Irish vocal ensemble Anuna. Comprising 13 tracks, the record includes original works by the choir's director, Michael McGlynn, as well as Antonio Lotti's Crucifixus and Gregorio Allegri's Miserere. Read more about the album (from the Anuna website):
"This album is a collection of transcendent music that has been hidden, in some ways, within our repertoire," McGlynn says. "It is very easy, and somewhat lazy, to label and categorize the work of Anuna, but the legacy of performance and quality of the music is evident on this release, and I have to admit that it was a surprise for me to see the coherency of musical language spanning across the album."
This 70 minute compilation is remastered with one new piece, "Lorica," (conducted by Stacie Lee Rossow), and ends with the majestic "Miserere."
"Approaching classics is always difficult as there are so many interpretations already in the public arena," says McGlynn. "I have always seen this work, and the Crucifixus, as dramatic presentations, and the influence of the music of this period and earlier is evident across my own works."
Many of the works featured were commissioned from McGlynn. "Transcendence" was commissioned by University College Dublin for its 150 Anniversary, "Dormi Jesu" from Kultursamverkan Svenska kyrkan, "Lorica" by the Scottish vocal ensemble Canty and "Agnus Dei" from Chanticleer. Anuna infuse their own unique vocal color into these beautiful works.
Resources
Transcendence (Amazon)
Anuna (artist website)
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