SKU: HL.1422269

ISBN 9798350120998. UPC: 196288199403. 6.75x10.5x0.305 inches.

From prophecy and promise to powerful proclamation, this work is a celebration of light and joy! Filled with beloved carol tunes and original seasonal selections, the cantata is traditional in style but fresh with meaning and relevance. The work's thoughtful scripture-based narration journeys the listener through the timeless account of the birth of Jesus and the coming of the Light of the World. Festive orchestrations and a full line of rehearsal support products aid learning and provide directors with a variety of performance options. Songs include: Prelude of Promise; The Light of Hope; Carol of the Rising Star; Dreamers of the Dawn; A Morning Star Will Rise; Star of Promise; A Whisper on the Wind; A Child Is Born; You Are the Star; Carols of Hope, Songs of Light.

SKU: GI.WW1628

UPC: 785147012665. English. Text by Charles Anthony Silvestri.

The text for Dreamweaver is based on parts of the well-known Norwegian medieval folk poem Draumkvedet, an epic ballad that has a lot in common with Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The protagonist, Olav Åsteson, falls asleep on Christmas Eve and sleeps for thirteen days. He wakes up and rides to church to describe his dreams to the congregation about his brave, beautiful, terrifying, and ultimately redeeming journey through the afterlife. For this composition, the Draumkvedet poem has been adapted into a playful interpretation in English penned by Charles Anthony Silvestri.

SKU: FG.55011-455-5

ISBN 9790550114555.

This cycle of carols, to the poetry of Christina Rossetti, was assembled piecemeal over a number of years, gradually acquiring a larger dramatic and harmonic arch shape as new settings were added. I was particularly attracted to Rossetti's conflation of the dark, fallow winter landscape with that of the soul waiting for salvation. The cycle traces the long nights of watchfulness before Christmas, with the great event constantly deferred, only glimpsed periodically in different visions before the music turns inward again to contemplation. The opening carol embodies this spirit, with passages of diffuse, roving harmony interspersed with meditative, lyrical pedals, calling out the night watch and dreaming of a far-off summer of the spirit. Earth Grown Old is a kind of double carol, setting two complete poems, their lines at first presented separately as a still, expectant chorale and a jubilant dance, then progressively interwoven toward a fervent climax before once again receding into quiet. In the bleak mid-winter, which sets a highly compressed version of Rossetti's original poem, presents an enfeebled landscape frozen in time, in dire need of deliverance. A gentle melody weaves its way through static drones, broken by an angels' chorus announcing the joy to come. Love Came Down at Christmas ends the waiting, with its gently falling, overlapping lines building to a final revelation, the mystery of Christmas at last made real.

SKU: AU.9781506495217

ISBN 9781506495217. 8.5 x 11 inches.

Conveying the dreamlike mood of the William Blake poem that begins, “Sweet dreams, sleep, sleep happy child, this anthem by David Hurd features sumptuous, jazz-inflected harmonies that gently sway beneath expressive choral writing. The piece was originally published in 1994 for SATB choir with organ. In this new edition, Hurd has added a C instrument part as well as new accompaniment option for flute, oboe, horn, violin I and II, viola, cello, and bass.

SKU: CA.7003849

ISBN 9790007227531. Key: E minor. Language: German/French.

The history of the composition of the oratorio is odd: the kernel of this three-part work were the movements from the middle section, the Flight to Egypt, which Berlioz composed on a whim in 1850 and which he passed off as the work of a baroque composer whose existence he himself had invented. In 1854 the triptych, which was completed with the parts entitled The dream of Herodes and The arrival at Sais, had its celebrated first performance. Starting from the Gospel of St. Matthew, with the visit of the astrologer to Herodes and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt, Berlioz chose to relate the story of the events of Christmas from another angle. This skillful dramatisation, with impressive instrumental sections, such as the independent trio for two flutes and harp as well as the effective choruses with local color, make this sacred trilogy a grateful enrichment of the repertoire for Christmas music. Score and part available separately - see item CA.7003800.