One of the most gifted composers of his generation, Herbert Howells (1892-1983) once observed how "all through my life I've had this strange feeling that I somehow belonged to the Tudor period"; you can hear something of this deep-rooted quality in his sublime Christmas anthem of 1940, Long, Long Ago. If the incredibly moving motet Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing (written in 1963 for ...
When he was growing up, Andrea Bocelli recalls finding inspiration in a favourite recording of sacred music performed by tenor legend Franco Corelli. Bocelli--who in the meantime has come to inspire millions of fiercely loyal fans himself--returns to the genre as the guiding theme of Sacred Arias, the release of which coincides with the first major English-language biography of the singer. ...
This is a remarkable release, both for its beauty and its novelty at programming. Für Alina is a two-minute solo piano piece composed by Pärt in l976 that ushered in his "tintinnabuli" style, that is, the bell-like, simple, no-notes-wasted method for which he has become beloved and famous. On this CD, pianist Alexander Malter plays it twice, as the second and fourth tracks; each iteration ...