At 9am GMT on each day of Advent, I’ll be posting a YouTube video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice. You can access the full Choral Christmas here.
Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil, movement 8: O Praise the Name of the Lord
The video can be watched on YouTube.com in HD, by clicking on the player twice.
This movement, part of a glorious work sung in Church Slavonic, has some magnificent interplay between male and female voices, and of course the impact of the sheer volume of singers is breathtaking. You can find a score here (select movement 8). The translation below is reproduced from Signum Records.
The words
(Polyeleyinye Stikhi)
KHVALITE IMYA GOSPODNE. Alliluya.
Khvalite, rabi, Gospoda. Alliluya.
Blagosloven Gospod ot Siona, zhivyi vo Iyerusaleme. Alliluya.
Ispovedaitesya Gospodevi, yako blag. Alliluya.
Yako v vek milost Ego. Alliluya.
Ispovedaitesya Bogu nebesnomu. Alliluya.
Yako v vek milost Ego. Alliluya.
(Polyeleos Verses)
PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, O you his servants. Alleluia.
Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem. Alleluia.
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good. Alleluia.
For his mercy endureth for ever. Alleluia.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven. Alleluia.
For his mercy endureth for ever. Alleluia.
At 9am GMT on each day of Advent, I’ll be posting a YouTube video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice. You can access the full Choral Christmas here. This is an opportunity to be reminded of what we are capable of when we sing. I hope you enjoy it, do let me know in the comments.
Christmas Medley, performed by the London Gay Men’s Chorus
I must admit it takes a lot to get me to like the London Gay Men’s Chorus. They’re tremendous fun, but as a rule not massively imaginative in their repertoire. I have sat through rather too many versions of Kylie arranged for two hundred curiously choreographed gay men.
What they do have in spades however, is the sheer joy of performance. In that spirit, enjoy the show! There may even still be tickets available for this year’s show, which supports The Samaritans.
At 9am GMT on each day of Advent, I’ll be posting a YouTube video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice. You can access the full Choral Christmas here. This is an opportunity to be reminded of what we are capable of when we sing. I hope you enjoy it, do let me know in the comments.
Maschwitz and Sherwin: A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, performed by the Yale Whiffenpoofs
The Whiffenpoofs are an a cappella American phenomenon, who bring a distinctive trans-Atlantic twist to this 20th century British song. They are the Marmite ensemble for me – you either enjoy them, or you hate them. I enjoy the fun. More information about the song on Wikipedia.
At 9am GMT on each day of Advent, I’ll be posting a YouTube video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice. You can access the full Choral Christmas here. This is an opportunity to be reminded of what we are capable of when we sing. I hope you enjoy it, do let me know in the comments.
Thomas Tallis: If Ye Love Me, performed by the Cambridge Singers
The beauty of the opening few chords of this piece reach in to my chest and instil a deep sense of elation… and it just keeps getting better.
In this increasing secular (western) world, the words from scripture seem to me to take on a new, plaintive edge. If ye love me.
At 9am GMT on each day of Advent, I’ll be posting a YouTube video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice. You can access the full Choral Christmas here. This is an opportunity to be reminded of what we are capable of when we sing. I hope you enjoy it, do let me know in the comments.
Orlando Gough: Fuse, performed by The Shout
Orlando Gough is one of Britain’s most prominent contemporary composers for vocal ensembles, principally his own group The Shout. This piece demonstrates their amazing vocal dexterity and also how they use their ears as much as their mouths. Theirs is a tightly intertwined performance of many individual lines.
