Search - Paul Halley, Nick Halley, organ and piano :: In The Wide Awe And Wisdom

ALBUM DESCRIPTION Grammy Award-winner Paul Halley features sixteen new choral works from among his commissions of the past decade. Halley's signature style, of vibrant harmonies, lyrical melodies, and intricate rhythms, underlays a range of beautiful texts. ALBUM NOTES In this stunning double CD set, with a repertoire sequence that is beautifully balanced and considered, Paul Halley features sixteen new choral works from among his commissions of recent years. Halley's signature style, of vibrant harmonies, lyrical melodies, and intricate rhythms, infuses these musical settings, underpinning a diverse range of texts. Keramion Singers present these works in definitive fashion at Halley's direction with a vocal sound that is alternatively immediate and bright or rounded and atmospheric. Four acappella pieces showcase the choir's impeccable tuning and phrasing. Twelve accompanied works, with Halley on organ and piano, and additional instrumentalists on trumpet, French horn, timpani, and saxophone, reveal the singers' mastery of rhythmic range and contextual expression. This long-awaited release on the Pelagosmusic label is sure to please followers of Paul Halley's work as as a composer as well by those who admire his mastery of keyboard performance, and the choral sound he elicits from his renowned choirs. This album, which stands in a category all its own, possesses the inimitable setting, sound, and performances that are pure Halley. ABOUT THE COMPOSITIONS The commission of each of these choral works came with certain parameters, as well as a specific text proposed by the commissioning organization or individuals. These texts cover a wide range, from the poetry of George Herbert, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson and Pablo Neruda, to the psalter and the Song of Mary. Paul Halley notes, 'It is significant that each text was chosen not by me, but by those for whom the musical setting was to be created. The words themselves pushed me into areas of musical expression that I might otherwise have left unexplored. For example, the poem In the Wide Awe and Wisdom of The Night called for a setting based on an octatonic scale and Hopkins sonnet generated a passacaglia of irregular ( sprung ) rhythms and broken phrases. At times, I felt I wasn't so much composing as translating, just as the poets themselves had translated brief glimpses of universal mysteries. These poems are clearly sufficient unto themselves, but perhaps, being sung, aspects of their inner power and beauty are made more manifest.' ABOUT THE DOUBLE CD PACKAGE The physical album package of Paul Halley's 'In The Wide Awe And Wisdom' from Pelagosmusic features a double CD set, six-panel digipak, with all sixteen compositions, Marina Malvada's stunning artwork on the cover, and a sixteen-page booklet with complete texts and translations of all choral works on the recording. The physical package (as opposed to the mere download) is highly recommended. ABOUT KERAMION SINGERS Directed by Paul Halley with Nick Halley, assistant director, the current roster of Keramion Singers comprises professional musicians and choral scholars who regularly sing with Paul Halley at the institutions in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he serves as Director of Music. SINGERS Keramion Singers Paul Halley, director Nick Halley, assistant director Sopranos - Jen Hall, Elizabeth Halley, Vanessa Halley, Janelle Lucyk, Marielle Nicol, Dominique Saulnier, Altos - Anne Bell, Katie Merwin, Sarah Myatt, Alan Rempel, Karis Tees, Tenors - Nick Halley, Paul Rogers, Nicolas Veltmeyer, Ben Von Bredow, James Whitley, Basses - Simon Blake, Shaylan Burkhart, Steve Roe, Leo Timmins, David Wallis INSTRUMENTALISTS Paul Halley, organ/piano, Nicolas Veltmeyer, organ A Brighter Garden, Tristan De Borba,soprano saxophone, Curtis Dietz, trumpet, Erin Donovan, timpani/cymbals, Gina Patterson, french horn ENGINEER John Adams