SKU: PR.114419960

ISBN 9781491135037. UPC: 680160683130.

I have always been fascinated with the concept of archangels - huge, supernatural beings with gigantic wings who visit earth to carry out their heavenly tasks. Archangels are the chief angels in Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions. The precise number of these high-ranking celestial beings varies from one religious source to another (typically from four to seven). The three movements of Archangels depict Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel - the three archangels most commonly referenced. Michael is a warrior who is ever vigilant to march into battle against forces of evil. In art, he is often portrayed with his wings spread open in mid-flight and wielding a large sword that is raised into an attack position. The first movement begins in darkness with the foreboding sound of his large, beating wings. Suddenly, Michael appears in all of his terrible glory and wreaks havoc on an army of demons. Raphael is a Hebraic name that translates to God heals, and he is in charge of all manners of healing. Artwork of Raphael typically shows him holding a staff, and he is often pictured with the round cheeks associated with a young cherub. In this quiet middle movement, Raphael gently makes his rounds to tend to the sick. Gabriel is the heralder of news. In Christianity, Gabriel's purpose is quite significant: he appears to Zechariah to announce the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary to announce the forthcoming birth of Jesus. Gabriel is often depicted holding a scepter, a stem of lilies, or an unfurled scroll. In this final movement of the piece, Gabriel trumpets his news for all to hear. -S.G.

SKU: TM.02440SET

Sc in set. Includes: No. 49 Deeper and Deeper; No. 50 How Dark O Lord; No. 51 Hide Thou Thy Hated; No. 52 A Father Offering Up; No. 53 Waft Her Angels. No. 49 and 53 are arranged for fuller orchestra (1.1.2.1/4.0.0.0,str); No. 50-52 extracted from the original complete Jephtha (No. 50 scored for 2.2.0.2/0.0.0.0,str; Nos. 51-52 scored for 0.0.0.2/0.0.0.0,str).

SKU: FG.55011-455-5

ISBN 9790550114555.

This cycle of carols, to the poetry of Christina Rossetti, was assembled piecemeal over a number of years, gradually acquiring a larger dramatic and harmonic arch shape as new settings were added. I was particularly attracted to Rossetti's conflation of the dark, fallow winter landscape with that of the soul waiting for salvation. The cycle traces the long nights of watchfulness before Christmas, with the great event constantly deferred, only glimpsed periodically in different visions before the music turns inward again to contemplation. The opening carol embodies this spirit, with passages of diffuse, roving harmony interspersed with meditative, lyrical pedals, calling out the night watch and dreaming of a far-off summer of the spirit. Earth Grown Old is a kind of double carol, setting two complete poems, their lines at first presented separately as a still, expectant chorale and a jubilant dance, then progressively interwoven toward a fervent climax before once again receding into quiet. In the bleak mid-winter, which sets a highly compressed version of Rossetti's original poem, presents an enfeebled landscape frozen in time, in dire need of deliverance. A gentle melody weaves its way through static drones, broken by an angels' chorus announcing the joy to come. Love Came Down at Christmas ends the waiting, with its gently falling, overlapping lines building to a final revelation, the mystery of Christmas at last made real.

SKU: HL.48010102

UPC: 073999478037. 9.0x12.0x0.072 inches.