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New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Joined by the VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra conducted by Barnaby Smith, internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated ensemble VOCES8 is pleased to announce the release of its new album A Choral Christmas on Decca Classics/Universal Music on November 3. Capturing the essence of Christmas, the album is packed full of choral/orchestral world premieres and fresh arrangements of favourite carols, breathing new life into Holiday classics, and lending a luxurious, and contemporary cinematic sparkle to this year’s festive season.
The tracklist features eight world premiere recordings: the album’s substantial five-movement centrepiece, “Magnificat”, by rising American composer Taylor Scott Davis, which will be premiered at Carnegie Hall, New York in May 2024; an intimate and serene new a cappella carol, “The Sleeping Child”, written especially for VOCES8 by British composer Bob Chilcott; six sparkling new carol arrangements for choir and orchestra including “Joy to the World”, “Silent Night“, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – five penned by Taylor Scott Davis and “Gabriel’s Message” by Jim Clements.
The album ends with two fun-filled instrumental encores including Leroy Anderson’s Holiday favourite “Sleigh Ride” and Thomas Hewitt-Jones’ medley “A Christmas Cracker”. The album features a solo from violinist Thomas Gould and solos from renowned British/German violinist Jack Liebeck who also guest leads the VOCES8 Foundation Orchestra.
Conducted by Co-founder, Artistic Director and Countertenor of VOCES8, Barnaby Smith, these ravishing performances were recorded in 2021, originally for the widely acclaimed LIVE from London festival, an online series described as “One of the brightest deeds of the lockdown” by the Financial Times. Barnaby explains: “This music filled my life with the joy I needed in 2021, and I sincerely hope it brings you fun and festive cheer. I’m thrilled it has found a life beyond its original conception and proud to set it free into the world, where I hope it will reach as many households as Santa himself.”
“VOCES8’s gorgeous sound, impeccable ensemble and intense responsiveness to text, harmony and melodic shape is all of the highest quality. Hearing them sing is a joy.” (BBC Music Magazine)
The album releases hot on the heels of VOCES8’s recent appearance at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms 2023 alongside label-mate Ola Gjeilo, a collaborative album ‘Home’ with GRAMMY-winning composer Eric Whitacre and their own a GRAMMY nomination in the Best Choral Performance category for their 2022 Decca Classics/Decca Gold recording of Christopher Tin’s ‘The Lost Birds’ featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Acclaimed around the world for their skill, subtlety, panache and impressive range of musical styles, the ensemble’s recordings have also received accolades such as a Diapason d’Or and two ECHO Klassik Awards. The group’s new season touring includes European venues such as Wigmore Hall and Vienna Konzerthaus, three tours to the US and a return tour to Australia including the Sydney Opera House.
Composer and arranger Taylor Scott Davis, praised for his ability to create “dreamy vocal lines” by the Wall Street Journal and “sonically luxurious” music, recalls the recording of his ‘Magnificat’ and the exhilarating rush to craft the carols for VOCES8’s LIVE From London festival in 2021. He describes the project as “a blend of fun and challenge, culminating in a magical performance by the orchestra and choir that now feels like a dream I won’t soon forget”.
VOCES8’s CEO, Paul Smith, expresses his excitement for the album, stating: “This album brings together many of my favourite Christmas songs and carols in arrangements that showcase the unique VOCES8 sound. Our goal was to create an album full of Christmas cheer and warmth during what can be a stressful time of year for many. We had a great time recording it and hope that joy comes through to listeners.”
Leading up to the album release, VOCES8 has planned several singles, including Taylor Scott Davis’ ‘Deposuit’ from ‘Magnificat’ on September 29, Chilcott’s ‘A Sleeping Child’ on October 13, Scott Davis’ arrangement of ‘Away in a Manger’ featuring Jack Liebeck on October 27, and the album release of ‘A Choral Christmas’ on November 3.
Tracklist:
Joy to the World *
Away in a Manger *
Chilcott: The Sleeping Child *
O Come, All Ye Faithful *
Davis: Magnificat: I. Magnificat anima mea *
Davis: Magnificat: II. Shall I Rejoice *
Davis: Magnificat: III. Et misericordia *
Davis: Magnificat: IV. Deposuit *
Davis: Magnificat: V. Gloria Patri *
O Come, O Come Emmanuel *
Silent Night *
In Dulci Jubilo
Gabriel’s Message *
Hewitt Jones: A Christmas Cracker
Anderson: Sleigh Ride
*World premiere works & arrangements
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 10, 11 arranged by Taylor Scott Davis
Track 13 arranged by Jim Clements
Tracks 2 and 11 featuring Jack Liebeck (violin)
LIVE From London, the brainchild of The VOCES8 Foundation and its festival team, was born as a response to the challenges posed by the pandemic. Since its inception, it has garnered widespread acclaim, with ten digital festivals hosted by VOCES8 and over 100 concerts broadcast to audiences in over 183 territories setting a new standard for online presentations of choral music and expanding the reach of the participating groups. “One of the brightest deeds of the lockdown was the “LIVE from London” online choral concerts masterminded by the VOCES8 Foundation.” (The Financial Times)
The VOCES8 Foundation Choir is a group of professional chamber singers with a silky yet punchy sound, sublime blend and the precision and agility of its namesake, VOCES8. Its members are connected to the Foundation through VOCES8, Apollo5, its Scholars or LIVE From London and regularly sing together in either chamber or consort form.
Under Artistic Director and conductor Barnaby Smith’s guidance, the ensemble has performed both a cappella and orchestral repertoire by Bach, Byrd, Handel, Weelkes, Haydn, Mozart, Harris, Walton (The Twelve) and Vaughan Williams, and recorded and filmed new commission premieres by Mårten Jansson, Christopher Tin, Paul Smith and Taylor Scott Davis. It has worked with the Philharmonia, the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Foundation’s own VOCES8 Foundation Orchestra and it has collaborated with conductor Nicholas Kraemer and soloists such as Jack Liebeck, Anna Dennis, Carolyn Sampson and Iesytn Davis.
Upcoming premiere commissions for the choir include a new concerto for violin, choir and orchestra, ‘To Sing of Love: a Triptych” – written for Jack Liebeck and the Foundation Choir by Taylor Scott Davis, and new choral orchestrations of works by composers such as Rebecca Dale, Faure and Whitacre. Further premieres are in planning for 2024.
The VOCES8 Foundation Orchestra is made up of London’s finest orchestral players and a staggering line-up of chamber musicians and soloists who gather together to support the charitable and educational ethos of the Foundation. Most recently led by soloist Jack Liebeck, you can often find Gareth McLearnon, Julian Bliss, and members of the Carducci Quartet in the cheerful team. Under Barnaby Smith’s direction the orchestra’s sound is both mesmerically precise and lushly expansive. The VOCES8 Foundation Orchestra appears in Decca’s 2023 Christmas album ‘A Choral Christmas’ which will be released this autumn.
VOCES8 Biography and touring: www.VOCES8.com & https://voces8.foundation/
Taylor Scott Davis: www.taylorscottdavis.com/
Barnaby Smith: www.barnabysmith.net
Jack Liebeck: www.jackliebeck.com/
LIVE From London: www.livefromlondon.org
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