SKU: HL.49045940

Artfully combining the old with the new - that is one of the hallmarks of Alwin M. Schronen. That this versatile balancing actor andbearer of numerous compositional prizes succeeds in mastering this artistic balancing act, he proves once again in his sacred choralcomposition Hodie Christus natus est. This Latin-speaking work for 8-part mixed choir a cappella (SSAATTBB) is based on the antiphonto the Magnificat of the Christmas Vespers. Schronen opens his Christmas song with the literal intonation of the traditional Gregorian melody. After this beginning, alternating between male and female voices, the composer lets the entire choir join in the jubilation of thanks for the birth of Jesus. He manages to lift the listener with his very own musical language in other heavenly realms. A wonderful, but at the same time vocally demanding piece of music, which is equally suitable for the use of church music asit is for concert use.

SKU: M2.MOS-81235

ISBN 9790203797357.

SKU: BA.BA07414

ISBN 9790006559183. 27 x 19 cm inches. Text Language: Latin.

Based on the well-known bible text “Sing unto the Lord a new song” (Psalm 96:1-3), this upbeat composition with strong dynamics and flowing block chords alternating with fast-paced polyphony brings across this joyful message and enthuses singers.

Originally conceived for male choir, women’s voices have now been added so that this version for mixed choir presents a further dimension of colour. This version also makes it possible to divide the choir into two groups, one for women and another for men, and to have them sing either together or as separate units.

The version for mixed choir was premiered in Uppsala Cathedral (Sweden) on 26 October 2013, with the Uppsala Cathedral Singers conducted by Ulric Andersson.

“My music is my own and I have never tried to be original. That has always been my motto and I have only tried to use music to express all the feelings which life has to offer. This has led people to describe my music as ‘so sad that it sounds like birds who have lost their wings‘ but also as ‘the happiest classical music that we have ever heard’.
My compositions are almost all sacred. They express not only my own faith but also my appreciation and respect for the timeless texts that have been used for centuries and centuries.”

Mårten Jansson (b. 1965), elected member of the Föreningen svenska tonsättare (the Society of Swedish Composers), graduated from the Royal College of Music, Stockholm (KHM) with an MFA degree in Music Education, Dalcroze Eurhythmics and Voice. For more than ten years he was the music director and conductor of “Carmen”, one of the most prominent womens’ vocal ensembles in Sweden. He currently teaches choral conducting and music theory as well as giving vocal tuition at the Bolandgymnasiet and Musikskolan in his home town of Uppsala.

Please find a recording of Cantate Domino performed by the Riga Recording Studio Singers (Latvia) by clicking on Multimedia.

SKU: CA.742900

ISBN M-007-25230-4. Language: Hebrew.

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 Abgesang, 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 on the CD Rejoice. Vocal Music by Kay Johannsen (Carus 83.496/00).

SKU: CA.738661

ISBN 9790007229351. Text language: Latin.

The composition of Verba Ecclesiastes begun in 2002 as a result of a comission from my friend Gary Graden. For many years I've found those words from the Old Testament very fascinating - as everyone knows, I'm not alone. Vanity of vanities! All is vanity! Writers, painters and filmmakers have for centuries been dealing with the subject and I found it high time to set the famous words to music. The suite, for soloists, choir and violoncello, consists of six movements, each one enlighting a different view of life and afterlife, and also, as Matthew Arnold puts it of human misery. Yet the suite is full of hope and humanity, specially recognizable in the two central parts, Dulce lumen and Omnia tempus habent. The music was completed in 2009. (Michael Waldenby).

SKU: CA.739600

ISBN M-007-25264-9. Language: English.

The motet Bless the Lord, O My Soul (2013) on verses from Psalm 103 exploits the possibilities of vocal combinations and the resulting sound effects to a high degree: In the opening invocation O my soul, the soprano 1 ascends to float above the fanned out low chord of the other voices; and beginning from For as the heavens are high above the earth, an eight-part fugato masses together into an extensive architecture of sound. The harmony of the work is tonal, but many enriched chords create a tension rich in nuances in the setting. The work has been released on the CD Rejoice. Vocal Music by Kay Johannsen (Carus 83.496/00).