SKU: FG.55011-857-7

Žibuoklė Martinaitytė tells about the background of Aletheia (2022) for mixed choir (SSSSAAAATTTTBBBB): Aletheia is variously translated from Greek as unconcealedness, revealing or unclosedness. It is uncovering of the Truth - the one we are afraid to face, the truth that can only be expressed directly through the pre-verbal communication. How do you find words for the horrors of the war, for all unimaginable global atrocities? How do you even allow yourself to feel it out? Solely through art, through music that offer a safe space and a formalized framework for processing these accumulated complex emotions and sharing them with others in a moment. This piece has no verbal text and it is based on various combinations of vowels and consonants, thus connecting us on a deeper level through the immediate emotional experience.

The war in Ukraine in spring of 2022 had an impact on all of us and shattered my deeply rooted Lithuanian identity. When the freedom is threatened and innocent people are dying, it is hard to make sense out of the reality. Yet there is poetry even in the worst nightmares. I was imagining that the only instrument people have even in situations of destruction, in the midst of the war, is their VOICE. It brought back memories of my youth when Singing revolution was taking place in the Baltic countries. Human voice was the only weapon that people used to express their determination for freedom and independence. Voice is our first and the very last instrument we have in our lifetime. Thinking in these terms brings almost a sacred dimension to the voice as an expression of the life itself - from the very first baby's scream until the last breath and whisper.

Duration c. 15'

The works of New York -based Lithuanian composer Žibuoklė Martinaitytė (b. 1973) have been lauded as breathtaking and profoundly moving. Her stimulating music bristles with energy and tension and revolves often around the subject of beauty, which she calls both a guiding principle and an aesthetic measure for sonic quality.

SKU: ST.CN26P

ISBN 9790220225390.

Richard Bullen's 'dark lullaby' The Oxen was commissioned by Choir & Organ magazine for the choir of St Paul's Cathedral, and it was featured in the September 2016 issue as part of the New Music series showcasing choral works by young composers. Although lilting rhythms evoke a mood of naivety and innocence, of children gathered in hushed excitement around the fireside on Christmas Eve as pictured in the first verse of Hardy's well-known poem, there is also an edge to the music that reflects its nostalgic, even bitter content. First published in The Times on 24 December 1915, this seasonal lyric can also be read as a lament for loss of innocence and of the simple urge to faith. We might also find in its reflection on the distance between the ideals of civilisation and its reality, a tragic separation that continues to this day. Part of the subtle resonance of the poem is its conversational manner. Each voice should therefore be phrased flexibly and feelingly in its contribution to the discourse, while the tempi should be judiciously chosen to enhance this overall effect according to the prevailing acoustic.

SKU: ST.CN20P

ISBN 9790220224850.

Greatly admiring the poetry of Christina Rossetti, and in particular the elegance and poignancy of her sonnet 'An Echo from Willow-Wood', the composer initially wrote this work as the second of a group of three anthems entitled Echoes from Willow Wood, exploring aspects of hope and despair in love. These are indeed powerful themes throughout Rossetti's oeuvre, and there was a strong creative tension here with another text selected for the collection, her much anthologised 'A Birthday', which is brimming with hope and joy at the prospect of love. By contrast, in On Life's Dividing Sea the poet tugs vainly at the heart-strings of hope and concludes in dejection. Taking its title from line 8 of the poem, the setting focuses on imagery of the sea, an emblem which inspired many of the textures of the central section. Cluster chords, more lyrical gestures, and suggestions of quasi-Purcellian cadences convey a message of youthful, innocent desire being torn apart, while maintaining Rossetti's poised Victorian turn of phrase.

SKU: GI.G-5918

English, Latin. Text Source: Matthew 2:16-18, Jeremiah 31:15. Text by Sylvia Dunstan. Scripture: Matthew 2:16–18, Jeremiah 31:15.

Sylvia Dunstan’s pointed, unsettling words resound: “God, hear the blood crying out from the ground.” They find balance in O’Brien’s sensitive music for two solo voices and choir. The “miserere nobis” underpinning throughout provides a beautiful, comforting mantra. A good piece to consider not only for Christmastide but also for the unborn or the funeral of a child. 

Text by Sylvia Dunstan.