See if you can keep a straight face as you sing these “serious” examples of fine choral literature! From the Turtle Creek Chorale Series comes a brilliant collection of settings of “Mary Had a LittleLamb.” Arranger Eric Lane Barnes presents a wonderful music history lesson with these marvelous tongue-in-cheek Lambscapes set in Gregorian chant baroque German classical and Italian operatic styles. For high schoolthrough adult choirs this humorous collection is a must!!!

Many of the old hymns have great sometimes stunning messages. Michael Hurley feels that sometimes the “antiquated” melody and/or harmony can get in the way of these important words. He has embarked upon an ongoingproject to create fresh new music for these grand expressions of faith. He has definitely accomplished that with this arrangement! Higher Ground is lively and upbeat with exciting harmonies and catchy syncopation.“Pressing on the upward way” is no problem with this uplifting choral. The melody soars as the mood of the text climbs higher adding a great high soprano descant on the final verse “I want to scale the utmostheight and catch a gleam of glory bright!” A wonderful orchestration or accompaniment CD is available taking this spirited octavo to new heights...to Higher Ground!

The word ‘tsunami’ is of Japanese origin. When you look it up in a dictionary you will find that it means ‘a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption’. A megatsunami is the superlative of this awesome expression of power that nature can create and has catastrophic consequences. When Carl Wittrock completed this composition not many such big earth movements had occurred but since then we have become all too familiar with the disastrous consequences which a tsunami may have. On the 26th of December 2004 a heavy seaquake took place near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tidal waves 10 meters in height ravaged the coastal regions ofmany countries for miles around. The tsunami took the lives of thousands of people and destroyed many villages and towns. There are more areas which run the risk of being struck by a tsunami such as the island of La Palma one of the Canary Islands. This island is based on oceanic crust at a fracture zone and as such is one of nature’s time bombs. The consequences of a natural calamity like a megatsunami are immense. In the case of La Palma the tidal wave will move in the direction of South America where it may reach 50 km inland destroying everything on its way. In his composition Wittrock describes an ordinary day which will have an unexpected ending. Right from the beginning there seems to be something in the air the music creating an oppressive atmosphere of impending disaster. Themes are interrupted broken off suddenly followed by silence suggesting the calm before the storm. Suddenly a short climax (glissandi in the trombone part) indicates the seaquake and the megatsunami is a fact. Hereafter follows a turbulent passage symbolising the huge rolling waves. After nature’s force has spent itself resignation sets in and the composition ends with a majestic ode to nature.

The word ‘tsunami’ is of Japanese origin. When you look it up in a dictionary you will find that it means ‘a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption’. A megatsunami is the superlative of this awesome expressionof power that nature can create and has catastrophic consequences. When Carl Wittrock completed this composition not many such big earth movements had occurred but since then we have become all too familiar with the disastrousconsequences which a tsunami may have. On the 26th of December 2004 a heavy seaquake took place near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tidal waves 10 meters in height ravaged the coastal regions of many countries for miles around. The tsunamitook the lives of thousands of people and destroyed many villages and towns. There are more areas which run the risk of being struck by a tsunami such as the island of La Palma one of the Canary Islands. This island is based on oceaniccrust at a fracture zone and as such is one of nature’s time bombs. The consequences of a natural calamity like a megatsunami are immense. In the case of La Palma the tidal wave will move in the direction of South America where it may reach 50km inland destroying everything on its way. In his composition Wittrock describes an ordinary day which will have an unexpected ending. Right from the beginning there seems to be something in the air the music creating an oppressiveatmosphere of impending disaster. Themes are interrupted broken off suddenly followed by silence suggesting the calm before the storm. Suddenly a short climax (glissandi in the trombone part) indicates the seaquake and the megatsunami isa fact. Hereafter follows a turbulent passage symbolising the huge rolling waves. After nature’s force has spent itself resignation sets in and the composition ends with a majestic ode to nature.

The word ‘tsunami’ is of Japanese origin. When you look it up in a dictionary you will find that it means ‘a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption’. A megatsunami is the superlative of this awesome expressionof power that nature can create and has catastrophic consequences. When Carl Wittrock completed this composition not many such big earth movements had occurred but since then we have become all too familiar with the disastrousconsequences which a tsunami may have. On the 26th of December 2004 a heavy seaquake took place near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tidal waves 10 meters in height ravaged the coastal regions of many countries for miles around. The tsunamitook the lives of thousands of people and destroyed many villages and towns. There are more areas which run the risk of being struck by a tsunami such as the island of La Palma one of the Canary Islands. This island is based on oceaniccrust at a fracture zone and as such is one of nature’s time bombs. The consequences of a natural calamity like a megatsunami are immense. In the case of La Palma the tidal wave will move in the direction of South America where it may reach 50km inland destroying everything on its way. In his composition Wittrock describes an ordinary day which will have an unexpected ending. Right from the beginning there seems to be something in the air the music creating an oppressiveatmosphere of impending disaster. Themes are interrupted broken off suddenly followed by silence suggesting the calm before the storm. Suddenly a short climax (glissandi in the trombone part) indicates the seaquake and the megatsunami isa fact. Hereafter follows a turbulent passage symbolising the huge rolling waves. After nature’s force has spent itself resignation sets in and the composition ends with a majestic ode to nature.

The 1993 western film Tombstone tells the tale of the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral. While the movie itself met with limited success the powerful soundtrack by Bruce Broughton has become a classic. This adaptation forband features the primary themes in a bold and impressive concert setting.

Par HINDEMITH PAUL. The opera is set in a variety of locations between the years 1608 and 1630 and throws a spotlight on individual scenes, sometimes presented simultaneously, from the life of the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630); the opera takes its name from Kepler’s theoretical work ‘Harmonices mundi’. Hindemith utilises substantial historical studies as the basis for his sketches of individuals within Kepler’s circle who each accompany the astronomer’s scientific endeavours with a variety of personal ambitions. The military commander Wallenstein attempts to utilise Kepler’s astrological abilities to realise his own pretensions to power while Kepler’s assistant Ulrich aspires to scientific fame and recognition. Kepler’s mother urges her son to apply his scientific abilities to the services of her black magic and the Lutheran minister Hizler forbids the astronomer to receive communion because Kepler questions the doctrine of Holy Communion in the Lutheran church and expresses sympathy for Calvinist doctrine. The few figures shed in a positive light include Kepler’s wife Susanna who supports her husband’s pursuit of truth and knowledge and the child Susanna who listens to the voices of nature and the moon in her childish naivety, thereby gaining revelatory knowledge. At the end of his life, Kepler takes stock of his situation, succumbs to a state of resignation and considers death as the greatest harmony of all. In his state of agony, music of the spheres can be heard; the constellations appear as allegorical figures in the opera and contradict Kepler’s negative concepts: lying beyond all that can be researched by mankind is a final majestic realm with the powers to ‘permit us to be amalgamated into a gigantic harmony of the spheres.’ / Date parution : 2022-07-20/ Répertoire / Opéra