Jeffrey D.: "Having recently received a copy of Over the River & Through the Woods, I can assure you that this recording will become, in our home, as much of a Thanksgiving staple as its sister recording, Harvest Home. The juxtaposition of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet with the choral ensembles of VocalEssence is as endearing as cranberry salad and pumpkin pie! Add to that the wit and wisdom of Garrison Keillor, and you'll have a recipe sure to please at this - or anytime - of the year."
From Sing Out Magazine, www.singout.orgVOCALESSENCE, GARRISON KEILLOR AND THE HOPEFUL GOSPEL QUARTET
Over the River and Through the Woods
Clarion Records 937
According to the show’s creator, Garrison Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion began as a lark over 30 years ago. Who would have ever predicted the impact that
this two-hour live radio program would have? Not just on the world of broadcasting, but on the millions of listeners who have tuned in on Saturdays to hear great music, listen to fake ads and skits, and catch up on the news of a small town in
Minnesota that only exists in Keillor’s mind and in the hearts of his devoted audience…
Garrison Keillor’s obvious love of song has helped forge a wide variety of musical associations that have become a highlight of the broadcast over the years.
Over the River and Through the Woods is a two CD collection of American folk songs and choral masterpieces performedat Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis in November of 2004 in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. Conceived by Garrison and longtime friend and collaborator, Philip Brunelle, the album includes performances by the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, featuring Robin and Linda Williams and Mollie O’Brien, and the VocalEssence chorus with accompaniment from Richard Dworsky and Charles Kemper. There are readings and monologues sprinkled throughout making this concert and this recording a joyous feast for this unique American holiday.
These two new releases gleefully remind me of the many hours I’ve spent over the
last 20 years or so entranced by the magic of live radio and by the creative blend of
musical styles conjured up and presented with class by Garrison Keillor. — Matt Watroba
(c)2005 Sing Out! Used by permission, all rights reserved.
Though we already did our first Christmas commercial here yesterday, we know that there is a major holiday coming up before December 25th! And, we have music for it!!! By now you should know about our two releases from Garrison Keillor and VocalEssence, but if you don't please click Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!
Ladies and gentlemen, classic Christmas choral music simply does not get any better than this. I have it on good authority that when we slip the surly bonds of earth, THIS is the music we hear as we move to that higher plain. Formed in 1972, the 40-voice Dale Warland Singers ("DWS") are a most remarkable ensemble; the singing is always first-class, the arrangements impeccable, and the production values flawless. If you are looking for the best "a cappella" group in the world singing a superb collection of classical holiday offerings, your search is over. In Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers, the DWS sets the standard, and the bar is extremely high.
This is far from the first Christmas offering by the DWS. In fact, the group's reputation soared through the 1980s in large part due to the extraordinary popularity of their holiday LPs. Now available on CD, these recordings include: A Rose in Winter, Carols for Christmas, Christmas Echoes Vol. 1, Christmas Echoes Vol. 2, and December Stillness. Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers is just the most recent in a string of musical gems; recorded last year, the CD came in response to DWS fans demanding a new Christmas recording. As a result, this CD includes new recordings of old favorites, as well as some spectacular new arrangements.
Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers is bursting at the seams with 21 tracks on over an hour of play time. The CD provides remarkable balance between the familiar and the lesser known. About half (11) of the cuts are performed "a cappella"; where there is accompaniment, it is minimal, lovely, and inobtrusive. Most listeners will immediately recognize at least six or seven numbers (such as Silent Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem) and other songs will take the audience in new directions. Picking "favorites" out of this group is almost meaningless; everything is done so well and sounds so right.
That being said, the most exciting moments on Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers include: the fragile opening of Il est né, le divin enfant, which builds in excitement and volume, moving into the English translation and back; the joyous exultations of Fum, fum, fum! and Patapan; the mesmerizing harmonies, key changes, and handbells driving Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; and the incredibly delicate, almost ethereal, Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose)--the DWS rendition is the most beautiful interpretation in existence.
Like everything else the group does, the liner notes are outstanding--28 pages (including the front & back covers) of information about the DWS, the founder, the artists, and naturally the music. For each selection, the notes set forth fascinating background and all the lyrics. In addition, for those numbers not in English, translations are provided.
If you spend Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers, then that will be a season extremely well spent. For the fan of classical choral productions, this holiday offering should be on your "must have" list. Simply spectacular!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)
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From the liner notes:
Many fans were introduced to the Dale Warland Singers (DWS) in the 1980s through a series of popular Christmas LPs. Those recordings were the best thing one could place on the Christmas turntable: familiar tunes in new arrangements, or original compositions that were a mid-winter breath of fresh air. The DWS went on to make a series of award-winning CDs devoted to folk, sacred, and concert music. With this recording, they respond to those hundreds of requests which have come in over the years for a new Christmas recroding.
The Dale Warland Singers:
Soprano: Beth Althof; Margaret Burton; Sara Dick; Marie Spar Dymit (section leader); Pamela Marentetter; Melissa Morey; Deborah Loon Osgood; Sarah Schlomer; Dawn Schuffenhauer; Monica Stratton
Alto: Abbie Betinis; Sara Boos; Joanne Halvorsen (section leader); Lynette Johnson; Shelley Kline; Mary C. Maiden Müeller; Krista Palmquist; Kelly Sorkin; Momoko Tanno
Tenor: Jared L. Anderson (section leader); Lawrence Bach; Joel Beyer; Joel C. Fischer; Eric N. Hopkins; Justin Karch; David Nordli; Hal Snyder; Gregory Tambornino
Bass: Jeffrey Bipes; Bruce Broquist; Matthew Culloton (section leader); Dave Jacobson; Brian Kremer; Michael Meyer; Kevin Michael Norberg; Tim O'Brien; Brian E. Petty; Brad Runyan; Terry Sheetz; Brian L. Steele
This CD was recorded at the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, in January 2002.
"Dale Warland--Founder and Music Director"
Celebrated American musician, Dale Warland, has made an indelible impression on the landscape of contemporary choral music both nationally and internationally. During his time with the Dale Warland Singers, he has shaped a vocal ensemble known for its exquisite sound, technical finesse, and stylistic range. From this platform, Warland not only masters the traditional repertoire, but has commissioned over 230 new choral works.
The choral world has responded by bestowing its highest honors on Warland, including a special award in 2002 from Chorus America and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for Warland's "pioneering vision, leadership, and commitment to commissioning and performing new choral works at the highest level of artistry." Other awards and recognition include the 2001 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal; the 2001 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements as a choral conductor; and the 1995 Michael Korn Founder's Award, the highest honor for a choral conductor in the United States, previously awarded to Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, and Roger Wagner, among others.
Warland's appearances as a guest conductor have taken him to the podiums of the Swedish Radio Choir, Danish Radio Choir, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, the Utah Chamber Artists, the Grant Park Music Festival, and Israel's Cameran Singers.
Warland is committed to sharing his knowledge about the choral arts and has served on the faculty of the All-Japan Chorus League National Competition in Fukuoka, Japan; lectured on American music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinnki; served on the artistic staff of the Tolosa Choral Festival in Spain; acted as co-chair of both the choral and recording panels of the National Endowment for the Arts; and completed a 19-year tenure as Director of Choral Music at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
A Question of Temperament
Today we thought we would share an article written by organist Hans Davidsson entitled "An Imaginary Conversation between Buxtehude and Schitger." As you should know Hans Davidson has been working on the Complete Organ Works of Buxtehude, and Volume 3 was recently released. Research has found that BBuxtehude's visit with Arp Schnitger in Hamburg in 1687 began an association that lasted for many years and resulted in the building of the four-manual organ at the Cathedral in Lùbeck, as well as modifications to the organ at Saint Marien. Hans Davidsson explores the encounter between Buxtehude and Schnitger using the four-manual organ in Gothenburg, Sweden in this final volume of the complete works of Buxtehude.An Imaginary Conversation between Buxtehude and Schnitger during the 1687 visit to Hamburg
Dieterich Buxtehude and Arp Schnitger:
The Visit to Hamburg in 1687
“Yes, after I meet with the church council next week you will be informed of when you can expect an invitation. I know you are very busy in the months to come, but I look forward to seeing you in Lübeck as soon as time and God allows! We have much to accomplish and to discuss, yes?”
The bright voice of the lively, middle-aged man turned to laughter. He energetically shook the hand of his somewhat taller and younger friend, entered the coach, turned around, waving and smiling warmly as he took his seat next to an elderly lady.
“So, you have visited with our young master organbuilder Arp Schnitger”, she said, not without curiosity, as she attempted to give some more space to her fellow passenger, who was attempting to maneuver a viola da gamba case between them.
“My name is Frau Schmidt, and I am the wife of one of the church elders at St. Nichola’s, the congregation where Mr. Schnitger has been building for the last five years. It will be the largest organ that ever was built in our city, perhaps even in the world! Did you see the magnificent façade? Did you hear some of the completed voices? I gather you’re a musician?”
“Indeed, I am,” he said with another laugh and another futile attempt to make the gamba take up less room in the cramped coach. “My name is Dieterich Buxtehude. I am Organist and Werkmeister in St. Marien in Lübeck, and indeed you are right, the new organ with its four manuals and pedal and sixty-seven stops is the largest organ in anywhere in Christendom.”
Suddenly, the coach started to move, and Mr. Buxtehude looked out through the window and waved a final farewell to his host.
“Well, I am glad that you did not bring the whole organ with you,” said Frau Schmidt, now beginning to chuckle herself.
As they traveled along the Gänsemarkt and northwest out of the city, Dieterich Buxtehude started to gather his thoughts. Since he left Lübeck last Monday, he had found much time to think, and he had learned even more in his four days in Hamburg. “The visit had been most valuable, and indeed inspiring. Not only stimulating visits to instruments, but pleasant music making at the home of my old friend and musical brother, Jan Adam Reincken with some of his other friends, and, of course, good food and fine French wine!”
Buxtehude had been relieved that the church council in Lübeck sent him to visit before the St. Nichola’s organ was finished. “You learn so much about the organ builder, his craft, philosophy, the quality of his business and his workers when you see the installation in progress,” he said almost to himself. “And most of the flue stops and some reeds were already playable.”
The new organ was clearly going to be a masterpiece. Mr. Schnitger had developed the concept brilliantly, and he and his team were completely capable of building this enormous instrument. Buxtehude was convinced that Hamburg and northern Germany had not seen an organbuilder of this potential and caliber since the days of Gottfried Fritzsche, or perhaps Friedrich Stellwagen from Lübeck, who built the two marvelous organs in his own church, and worked on all the other organs in the city too. In fact, it was his late teacher Scheidemann who had brought Stellwagen to Hamburg to carry out the large rebuilding of the organ in St. Katharinen in the 1640s. “How much I enjoyed playing this beautiful organ during my apprentice years in Hamburg!” he smiled to himself, “and dreamed of once becoming the organist of a great instrument brought to life by this master. Well, for twenty years, I have had the good fortunate to play two of them!” Frau Schmidt, seeing her companion beginning to mumble asked a pointed question of her companion: “Herr Buxtehude, if your instruments are so grand, why are you considering a new organ? I follow music keenly, you will not lose me and we have much time before us.”
Buxtehude brightened and began to speak animatedly to his travelling companion. “At the time when I arrived in Lübeck, almost twenty years ago, the large organ in St Jacobi was substantially renovated by Joachim Richborn but since then nothing has been done. Now it is absolutely necessary to do something about the organs in Lübeck, not only in St Marien, but in several churches, and the Dom needed a new organ. And this time it my responsibility to see to it that the famous instruments of Lübeck will be revived and renewed by the best builder of our time. Mr. Schnitger already has an indisputable reputation as a very capable and gifted builder, as you well know. His instrument in Stade is already almost fifteen years old. He has substantial experience. The impression of the last three days of your new organ at St. Nicholas, and my time with the builder himself has convinced me that Arp Schnitger is the man for the organs in our city. I have made up my mind. I will bring him to Lübeck for a longer visit to examine and study all the organs of our city, and we will develop a plan that could be pursued with the representatives of the church and city councils.”
His entrepreneurial soul shivered with excitement. He sensed an unusual opportunity. However, also a considerable challenge... They needed a vision and a joint collaborative effort of a unique kind that had most likely not been undertaken in a long time.
“Would you like a piece of chocolate,” Frau Schmidt said awaking him from his second lapse into silence.
“Yes, thank you very much,” Buxtehude said with a gentle smile. And, as the conversation unfolded, his mind started to develop the scope and strategy for a long-term plan, an organ initiative that would again equip his city with well-working state-of the-art instruments.
—Hans Davidsson
Bethesda.
The word greeted composer Dominick Argento every day as he entered the hospital. It loomed from above the door as he went to visit his wife, reminding him of the biblical tale of the fountain of Bethesda, in which it was said that an angel would trouble the waters and the first to step into the fountain afterward would be healed.
Such miracles were on Argento's mind because his wife, Carolyn Bailey Argento, had been suffering through a long, painful illness. For more than 50 years, the soprano had been the muse and partner of one of America's most prominent composers, best known for operas and song cycles that have won the Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy. They shared a life at the center of the Twin Cities' growth as an artistic capital.
Now, Argento felt his composing career was over. Until, on one visit to the intensive care unit at Minneapolis' Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital, his wife helped change his mind.
"I told her that the National Cathedral of Washington wanted to commission me to write a work for its 100th anniversary," Argento said last week from his home in Minneapolis. "I wasn't interested in writing anything, least of all a nice big religious celebratory piece for the cathedral's 100th anniversary. But my wife said, 'Well, I wish you would do it.'
"Her father was a Methodist minister in Baltimore. She recalled being taken to the National Cathedral as a young girl and said that it was a day she never forgot. So she was thrilled to hear that they had picked me to write a 100th anniversary piece. She said, 'Please write it.' I said, 'I don't feel like writing that kind of a piece.' And we sort of ended the argument.
"Then, one day, I came in and said, 'Listen, I've been thinking about it. When you get better, when you get home, I'll start working on the piece, if there's still time.' And that was our agreement. But she never got better."
After Carolyn Bailey Argento's death in February 2006, the National Cathedral Choral Society's music director, J. Reilly Lewis, again contacted Argento.
"He said, 'What about writing a piece in honor of your wife? In her memory.' And the more I thought about it, I thought that I'd be fulfilling that commission and honoring my wife's request."
The result was a work called "Evensong: Of Love and Angels." It premiered last year at the National Cathedral and will receive its second performance tonight at Minneapolis' Central Lutheran Church, where Philip Brunelle will lead the choruses and orchestra of VocalEssence. Argento said that he had the work in mind for VocalEssence all along.
"Philip Brunelle was at the premiere in Washington with me," Argento said. "And we were already talking about this performance. The one in Washington was wonderful, but everybody involved in it was a stranger. I didn't know the conductor, the soloists, anyone in the chorus, and I didn't know anyone at the cathedral. They had taken the work to their hearts and really gave it a wonderful performance. But this one is different in that this is almost something between friends.
"Philip and I and Carolyn, my wife, have been friends for almost 50 years. And my wife was very fond of Maria Jette's singing. I think that she would be thrilled to know that Maria was doing the big soprano part. Both Carolyn and I knew a lot of the people in the VocalEssence chorus and a lot of people who are going to be in the orchestra. So it's so different here in that this is a kind of memorial being done by a group of friends."
"Evensong" became an even more deeply personal work for Argento, because he wrote most of the text himself.
"At first, I wanted to use the last lines of Thornton Wilder's novel, 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey': 'There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.' But I couldn't get permission (from Wilder's estate)."
However, Wilder still had an influence. His short play about the fountain at Bethesda and the angel that troubled the waters inspired Argento.
"The subtitle is 'Of Love and Angels,' " Argento said. "And the reason for the angels is that my wife's favorite icon all through her life had been angels. If you were to look at our kitchen right now, you'd see that there's a wall plastered with angels of all kinds. She always bought them when we went on trips and gave them to friends as gifts."
Has the creation of "Evensong" been part of Argento's healing process?
"Oh, yes," he said. "She died the first week of February in 2006. The next month or two, I was debating whether or not to write this piece. And I spent the summer thinking about how I would do it, if I did it. By the time fall came, I was thinking: Our wedding anniversary was Sept. 6, so I would start the piece then, whether I was ready or not. It was harder to do than I thought it would be. But I kept going and completed it on Sept. 6 a year later. They would have been our 52nd and 53rd anniversaries."
The Hopeful Gospel Quartet is:
Over the River & Through the Woods, a 2 CD set featuring the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, and Garrison Keillor, is perfect for those who prefer the music segments of A Prairie Home Companion. If you are a fan of hymns, gospel and traditional music there is a lot of joy to the ears in this 2004 VocalEssence records release. If you are wondering why this particular release is on a comedy site it is because I still absolutely love the later VocalEssence release Hymn to Potatoes and just wanted to hear more from this ensemble.
Personally, hymns and gospel are not my cup of tea but Over the River & Through the Woods is beautiful music. It is obvious while listening to this 2 CD set that VocalEssence and the Hopeful Gospel Quartet are not only great singers but that they sing with a joy that is contagious to the live audience and the listener. This is really what makes this recording work for me.
From what I know of this particular kind of music I know that the biggies of the genre are here: Morning Has Broken, sung by the audience, Rivers of Babylon (which I am only familiar with because of the Boney M version), Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and How Great Thou Art.
For fans of A Prairie Home Companion there is a News From Lake Wobegon story included here. My only reservation about this 2 CD set is Garrison Keillor sings a bit too often. When you have vocal ensembles as good as Vocal Essence and the Hopeful Gospel Quartet you should let them sing, especially if your own voice is not professional quality. This recording is, however, a tie-in to a Prairie Home Companion show so it was his show.
If you have never spent an enjoyable Saturday evening listening to Garrison Keillor spinning yarns about fanciful Lake Wobegon and its residents, let this CD be an introduction you’ll never forget. The selections are taken from the many appearances that VocalEssence has made on this much-loved public radio program.
Garrison Keillor is an enormously appealing storyteller and narrator, and this recording displays his considerable talents to the best advantage. His unassuming manner, masterful yet understated comedic timing, and ability to bring the audience along as involved participants have made him one of today’s most popular radio personalities. Those who have been lucky enough to attend one of his live shows (as part of his ongoing tours) will attest that it is just as funny in person.
The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, conducted by Philip Brunelle, is one of the finest and most versatile choral groups in the country. Their artistic range extends from the earliest Renaissance motets to a John Lennon tune with visits to everywhere else in between. The voices of this ensemble are well tuned and beautiful - especially the sopranos, who have a bell-like quality in their upper ranges that makes the entire group that much sweeter to the ear. The other sections are just as good and provide listeners with an appealing sound that lets them appreciate the humor behind some of the material presented here without having to forgo good choral singing in the process.
There is an abundance of humor to enjoy on this disc. Garrison Keillor tells a story of how Franz Schubert was loved and supported by his friends while waiting for an audience to find his music, during which time they fed him his favorite food that inspired him to write his famous “Hymn to Potatoes” (unknown to me until I was enlightened by this tale.) Apparently, Schubert also composed a men’s piece about the joys of being without women entitled “Song of the Sons of Bernie” (sung to the tune of “Wiederspruch”). Listen carefully to the words and imagine a counterpart that might have been composed by women. For those of us who grew up as “choir nerds,” I highly recommend “Runaway Choir.” It will bring back memories and give you a healthy dose of nostalgia and memories of musical times gone by, as well as providing some great choral singing along the way in many different styles. My favorite selection on this disc was “Come With Me and Be My Love” by the popular British composer John Rutter. It reminded me of another Rutter song I have conducted, “It Was a Lover and His Lass.” This jazz-infused selection is very challenging; and VocalEssence truly did it justice. Another lovely performance on this disc is “I Denna Ljuva Sommartid,” arranged by Swedish composer and conductor Anders Öhrwall.
The 2-CD set provides lucky listeners with almost 100 minutes of pure pleasure from this clever combination of great singing and amusing stories that will warm your heart and please your ears. So, go to the VocalEssence website, and get it right away so you can start appreciating the great partnership that Philip Brunelle and Garrison Keillor have sustained for many years. Choral music enthusiasts as well as the national radio audiences have been the recipients of their great gifts. Music and humor have never been this much fun before, and may not be again until the next CD from these talented performers appears.
Tracklist, Disc 1: Song of the Sons of Bernie, A Word about Schubert (An die Musik, Hymn to Potatoes), Ave Maria, Dutch Calvinism: The T.U.L.I.P. Doctrine (Our Faithful God, We Gather Together, Doxology), Come Live with Me and Be My Love, Brahms in Love (Wiegenlied, Liebeslieder Walzer), Two Folk Songs (Y Bore Glas, I Denna Ljuva Sommartid, The “Shenandoah” Syndrome, Julia.
Tracklist, Disc 2: The Runaway Choir (Spring, the Sweet Spring, Sugar Sugar, Aquarius, Mandy, Bohemian Rhapsody,, Karma Chameleon, Copacabana, Sunshine on My Shoulders, Memory), Norwegian Independence (Kan Du Glemme Gamle Norge, Serenade, Landkjenning, Aftensolen), Holy Trinity Lutheran Seeks Music Director, Beulah Land, The Choral News from Lake Wobegon (Now Thank We All Our God, Sanctus, America the Beautiful, April Is in My Mistress’s Face, Hymn to the Trinity), Something, Spring Fever
- Ann Stahmer
