Performer: New York Polyphony
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Bis
Size: 1.27 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
01. Veni Emmanuel (Andrew Smith)
02. Adam lay ybounden (Geoffrey Williams)
03. Gabriel Archangelus (Philippe Verdelot)
04. Gabriel’s Message (Trad., arr. Alexander Craig)
05. There is no Rose (Trinity Roll MS)
06. There is no Rose (‘Hereford’) (S.S. Wesley, arr. G. Williams)
07. There is no Rose (John Scott)
08. Nesciens mater (Byttering)
09. O pia virgo (Michael McGlynn)
10. Nowell: Out of your sleep (Selden MS)
11. Nowell: Arise and wake (Andrew Smith)
Five Carols (Richard Rodney Bennett)
12. There is no Rose
13. Out of your Sleep
14. That Younge Child
15. Sweet was the Song
16. Susanni
17. Sleep Now (Alexander Craig)
18. O magnum mysterium (Tomas Luis de Victoria)
19. Quem pastores laudavere (Trad., arr. Susan LaBarr)
20. Quid petis, o fili (Richard Pygott)
21. Un flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle (Trad., arr. Alexander Craig)
22. Bethlehem Down (Peter Warlock)
23. Magi veniunt ab oriente (Jacob Clemens ‘non Papa’)
24. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Lewis Henry Redner, arr. Alexander Craig)
New York Polyphony:
Geoffrey Williams – countertenor
Steven Caldicott Wilson – tenor
Christopher Dylan Herbert – baritone
Craig Phillips – bass
Sarah Brailey – soprano
Elizabeth Baber Weaver – soprano
Recorded at the Chapel at The American Boychoir School, Princetown, NJ in March 2014.
Nowell, Nowel, Noel – on their new release, Sing thee Nowell, New York Polyphony sing of and to the birth of Christ. They do so in a typically sophisticated programme which fuses the ancient with the modern into a seamless whole: seven centuries of Christmas passes before the listener, with new works composed for these performers by Michael McGlynn, Andrew Smith and John Scottalongside traditional medieval and Renaissance carols and motets by Clemens ‘non Papa’,Philippe Verdelot and Tomás Luis de Victoria. The wide-ranging sequence is anchored by Richard Rodney Bennett’s Five Carols, in which the sopranos Sarah Brailey and Elizabeth Baber Weaver join the four members of New York Polyphony in celebrating ‘the joyful birth’ and in praising ‘Mary mild’. The wondrous events related to the Nativity and the joy they bring to mankind naturally dominate, but intimations of Christ’s death on the cross also surface in the course of the disc, as in Peter Warlock’s Bethlehem Down: ‘they will clothe him in grave-sheets, myrrh for embalming, and wood for a crown.’ Formed in 2006, New York Polyphony has rapidly emerged as one of the leading vocal chamber ensembles, applying a distinctly modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. Two previous recordings for BIS have received critical acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for the 2013 release Times go by Turns, interleaving masses by Byrd and Tallis with works from the 21st century.’