Welcome Joy: A Celebration of Women's Voices - Crowley

Chandos CHSA 5350
Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid
Classical - Vocal
Louise Thompson (harp)
Corvus Consort
Freddie Crowley (conductor)
For their second album on Chandos, Freddie Crowley and his Corvus Consort – joined by the harpist Louise Thomson – turn their attention to a rich vein of choral music written for women’s voices and harp. Gustav Holst was a champion of women’s voices and taught in several girls’ schools, most famously at St Paul’s Girls’ School, Hammersmith, where he worked for almost thirty years. His contribution to this genre is represented by three works: Two Eastern Pictures, Dirge and Hymeneal, and more substantially his Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda. These works provide a frame for the bulk of the programme – mostly written by British women. Works by Imogen Holst and Elizabeth Poston lead us towards the more recent generations – Judith Weir, Gemma McGregor, and on to Olivia Sparkhall, and Hilary Campbell. The Indian composer Shruthi Rajasekar was invited to compose for this programme in response to the Third Group of Gustav Holst’s Choral Hymns. Both Ushas – Goddess of Dawn and Priestess not only add exciting new repertoire for these unusual forces, but explore directly Holst’s engagement with ancient Hindu texts.
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- Hilary Campbell: Our Endless Day
- Gustav Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda - Third Group, H 99
- Gustav Holst: Dirge and Hymeneal, H 124
- Gustav Holst: Eastern Pictures (2), H 112
- Imogen Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
- Gemma McGregor: Love was his meaning
- Elizabeth Poston: An English Day-Book
- Shruthi Rajasekar: Priestess
- Shruthi Rajasekar: Ushas - Goddess of Dawn
- Olivia M. Sparkhall: Lux Aeterna
- Judith Weir: We sekyn here rest
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