SKU: CA.926400

ISBN 9790007261870. French. Text: Victor Hugo.

In his poem Soiree en mer, Victor Hugo describes how the sea can be perceived very differently by two lovers at the same time in the same place. While the man perceives the deepening shadows on the dancing waves, the woman marvels at the stars shining ever brighter in the firmament. In nature, as in the words of the poem, the painful ambiguity that represents life at its core can be experienced. Like no other poet, Hugo captures this almost unbearable simultaneity of living and dying, of love and suffering. Saint-Saens translates this into music - probably the most ephemeral and contemporary of all art forms. His balanced musical form leaves plenty of room for the poetry and his subtle variations in timbre, which also inspired Denis Rouger to his choral arrangement, create a seething motion under the surface of the sea.

This art song was originally composed not for chamber choir, but for solo voice and piano. Denis Rouger has carefully adapted it to suit the requirements and expressive possibilities offered by a larger ensemble, without losing any of the qualities of the original in the process. Each part in the choir has a melodic line drawn from the harmonic and rhythmic framework. In the process, the variety and refinement of the choral language combines with an enormous flexibility in form and expression, as French melodies or German art song demand from a soloist and pianist. The songs have been recorded by the figure humaine chamber choir on the CD ...wo die Ztronen bluhn (Carus 83.514).

SKU: CA.924400

ISBN 9790007244392. Key: B flat major. Language: German. Text: Cornelius, Peter.

Sei mein! was written and composed by Peter Cornelius in 1865 for his future wife Bertha Jung. The composer set the poem in short rhyming lines using the scheme aaabcccb, recounting with loving humor what his beloved means to him. These art songs were originally composed not for chamber choir, but for solo voice and piano. Denis Rouger has carefully adapted them to suit the requirements and expressive possibilities offered by a larger ensemble, without losing the any of the qualities of the original in the process. Each part in the choir has a melodic line drawn from the harmonic and rhythmic framework. In the process, the variety and refinement of the choral language combines with an enormous flexibility in form and expression, as French melodies or German art song demand from a soloist and pianist. The songs have been recorded by the figure humaine chamber choir on the CD Kennst du das Land ... (Carus 83.495).

SKU: CA.924000

ISBN 9790007244354. Language: French. Text: Bourget, Paul.

Claude Debussy's romance L'ame evaporee et souffrante is a setting of Paul Bourget's Romance from the collection Les aveux (1882). The song was first published in 1891 with Les cloches, but had probably been composed earlier in 1885. These art songs were originally composed not for chamber choir, but for solo voice and piano. Denis Rouger has carefully adapted them to suit the requirements and expressive possibilities offered by a larger ensemble, without losing the any of the qualities of the original in the process. Each part in the choir has a melodic line drawn from the harmonic and rhythmic framework. In the process, the variety and refinement of the choral language combines with an enormous flexibility in form and expression, as French melodies or German art song demand from a soloist and pianist. The songs have been recorded by the figure humaine chamber choir on the CD Kennst du das Land ... (Carus 83.495).

SKU: OU.9780193361713

ISBN 9780193361713. 12 x 8 inches.

For SSATB unaccompanied Commemorating the martyrdom of St Catharine, this reflective piece sets the Antiphon at First Vespers, Feast of All Saints alongside a thought-provoking contemporary poem by Colin Tan, full of vivid imagery. Melodic lines reminiscent of plainchant enhance the contemplative mood.

About Oxford New Horizons

New Horizons showcases the wealth of exciting, innovative, and occasionally challenging choral music being written today. It encompasses the whole gamut of small-scale choral genres, both secular and sacred, and includes pieces for upper-voice and mixed choirs. With titles by some of the most accomplished choral composers active in Great Britain and abroad, the series introduces new repertoire and fresh talent to a broad spectrum of choirs. New Horizons features composers with growing reputations for quality composition reflecting a strong individual voice. The series is continually expanding and should be the first place to look for attractive and performable contemporary choral music.

SKU: HL.125013

UPC: 884088986506. 6.75x10.5 inches.

A well-known text set by a veteran composer who knows how to make it singularly superior. The melody is immediately entrancing, a middle section introduces a high church chant-like, liturgical sound, then the melody resumes and brings us home. The passionate lyrics, although from scripture, make it appropriate for church and concert use.

SKU: CA.966600

ISBN 9790007167714. Language: English.

This is a short, skilful song setting, a typical English Christmas carol with an Advent text: the cold winter as symbol of the frozen world, waiting for Christ. The setting, through-composed in verses, in five-four time, captivates through its sparse use of diatonic formations of dissonances, cantabile imitations and wide-arching melodic lines. This little gem encourages a beautiful, expressive legato interpretation and makes an excellent counterpart to Deilig (Carus 9.664) in an Advent concert program.