American Traditional-The ?VOCES8 singles? series includes songs for which the group is particularly well known in choral arrangements produced specifically for VOCES8. This beautiful folk song was commissioned as part of our fifth anniversary celebrations in 2012 and was included in our EP ?In the Beginning? and on our US concert tour. It has always been a fun challenge to perform with gorgeous flowing lines and a great opening solo for the bass. Our annual visit to sing for friends in the Shenandoah Valley is never complete without a rendition of this arrangement; performing it at Abbey Road Studios (the film can be found on YouTube) was also an unforgettableexperience.

The a cappella motet 'Alleluja' (2018) is a 'song of longing' which resonates existential need as well as the hope of a profound connection to God. In the beginning which is delicate and motivically very concentrated but metrically deliberately uncoordinated more and more voices gather to sing together until suddenly starting from the bass a violent and rhythmically exalted incantation breaks out. The following fortissimo unison in a high register is the climax of the entire work piece. In the â??Abgesang â? the beginning is taken up but now in a polyphonic and harmonically intensified setting. The end in A major seems like a salvation. The work has been released onthe CD 'Rejoice. Vocal Music by Kay Johannsen' (Carus 83.496/00).