| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
SPECTRUM
SINGERS / MEADOW MEDIA |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
N/A |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
N/A |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
59:53,
39:37 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2001 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
2002 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
BRUCE
HANGEN |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
INDIAN HILL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
THE
SPECTRUM SINGERS |
| SOPRANO: |
JANE
SCHIVICK |
| ALTO: |
SUSAN
RODGERS |
| TENOR: |
RAY
BAUWENS |
| BASS: |
BRYAN
MCNEIL |
|
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
NONE
|
NONE |
NONE |
|
DISC ONE
Part
One
1. Sinfonia (Overture)
2. Comfort ye my people
3. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
4. And the glory of the Lord
5. Thus saith the Lord
6. But who may abide the day of his
coming?
7. And he shall purify
8. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
9. O thou that tellest good tidings to
Zion
10. For behold, darkness shall cover the
earth
11. The people that walked in darkness
12. For unto us a child is born
13. Pifa ('Pastoral Symphony')
14. There were shepherds abiding in the
field
15. Glory To God
16. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
17. Then shall the eyes of the blind
18. He shall feed his flock
19. His yoke is easy, and his burthen is
light
|
DISC TWO
Part
Two
1. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
2. Unto which of the angels
3. Let all the angels of God worship him
4. Their sound is gone out
5. How beautiful are the feet
6. Hallelujah
Part
Three
7. I know that my redeemer liveth
8. The trumpet shall sound
9. Then shall be brought to pass
10. But thanks be to God
11. If God be for us
12. Worthy is the lamb that was slain /
Amen
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SITE RATING: 4/10
SITE
REVIEW:
This
double-disc set, privately released (I'm
guessing) to members of The
Spectrum Singers and The Indian Hill Symphony
Orchestra who
participated in this concert, is a decent
document of this live
performance from 2001, but has several glaring
faults, mostly in the
soloists and direction. The Spectrum Singers,
an audition choir that is based in Boston
under the baton of John W.
Ehrlich, acquit themselves on the whole very
well, with smooth, unified
singing and a pleasing tone. For a live
recording, they're a
credit to their community. The troubles
on this performance come
from two sources, the soloists, who are some
of the most inept I've
experienced, and the direction by conductor
Bruce Hangen, which is, on
the whole, tepid and safe. I can't quite
figure out how these soloists
merited a place on this concert - tenor Ray
Bauwens quite simply has
little to no ability in managing the melismas
- his voice wobbles, and
even breaks in a couple of places; he sounds
intimidated, and it's a
very uncomfortable listen. Soprano Jane
Shivick has a quick,
fluttering vibrato that grated, and has the
odd habit of landing
slighty below the note, and then 'sliding' up
to it. Bass Bryan
McNeil fares best, with a pleasant, resonant
tone that carries
him through most moments, only going
painfully sharp on "The
Trumpet Shall Sound", and alto Susan
Rodgers simply sounds
unsteady and out of her depth with a wide,
wobbly vibrato and timid
delivery. She often struggles with the
tempos set by the
conductor, occasionally having to gasp for
breaths every other measure
during her melismas. Hangen's tempos are
mostly safe, but have a
tendency towards racing. The Indian Hill
Symphony Orchestra is a
good match for the chorus, with a similar
blend and tone; all in all, a
safe performance undercut mainly by the
painful soloists and
regional limitations.
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