SKU: HL.1437384

UPC: 196288204497.

“The Listening,” written by Grammy-nominated composer Cheryl B. Engelhardt in December 2017 for VOICES 21C under the artistic direction of André de Quadros, draws its inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s impactful 1967 speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” This dynamic, emotion-filled piece expresses King's call to end societal silence. The rhythmic elements in the piece are derived from the poetic nature of King's speech. The inclusion of a children's choir, inspired by the Parkland school shooting and subsequent protests, symbolizes the disruption of childhood peace by violence. Notably, the virtual collaboration, featuring Donzaleigh Abernathy, Dr. King's goddaughter, emphasizes the song's contemporary relevance in addressing social issues, and was featured in PEOPLE. Premiered live at the Massachusetts Music Educators Conference in 2018 by VOICES 21C, and digitally released during Black History month in 2021, “The Listening” stands as a profound anthem for breaking silence and to foster positive change.

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.924100

ISBN 9790007244361. Language: French. Text: Gounod, Charles.

In Charles Gounod's L'absent, composed in 1873, the absent one asks at night time whether the beloved remembers him in the light of the moon and at the sound of the evening prayer bells. 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.924500

ISBN 9790007244408. Key: E flat major. Language: German. Text: Morike, Eduard.

Hugo Wolf composed over 250 songs to texts by the greatest poets of his day. One of the best-known of these is Verborgenheit. In Denis Rouger's arrangement it reveals its own momentum which does not conflict with the original masterpiece, but presents new facets alongside it, inviting us to discover something new in the old. 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.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.