Classical Music Discoveries

THE STOLEN CHILD CHORAL WORKS OF SCOTT PERKINS In THE STOLEN CHILD, Scott Perkins builds vast and stunning worlds out of a handful of voices. Vibrant, facile, and confident, Perkins’ choir writing is state-of-the-art and makes a modern musical statement while retaining a clear attachment to choral music’s longstanding tradition. To this end, Perkins’ compositions seem to balance the fluid and direct expression of late Renaissance a cappella masterpieces, while also possessing a decidedly contemporary approach to timbre and texture. Though the classic beauty of Perkins’ music might strike the listener most immediately, the multi-movement works featured on THE STOLEN CHILD come to life thanks to Perkins’ inventive use of vocal color and sound. For example, at the end of “Whereto answering, the sea,” the final movement of A Word Out of The Sea, Perkins builds accompanying material out of the distinct sound of the letter ‘s’, setting it specifically across the ensemble to produce a clearly rhythmic effect. The entire album is peppered with similar devices, all of which prove Perkins’ masterful command of the ensemble’s density and layering. Tracking Perkins’ exquisite choral techniques should not distract from the overall splendor of the three compositions featured on THE STOLEN CHILD. Each work is a world unto itself, activated by Perkins’ neo-modal language and superlative instincts for form. The album’s title track probably covers the most expressive ground, though A Word Out of The Sea and The World Of Dream are also undeniably strong compositions. The Stolen Child, however, excels in painting a diversity of sonic images, using only the human voice. More sullen in tone than the other two works on the disc, The Stolen Child narrates a dark journey made more haunting by the irreproachable beauty of its telling. Also a stellar element in THE STOLEN CHILD is Michigan-based vocal ensemble Audivi’s performance, which is both moving and immaculate. Although Perkins’ compositional style does not fall far from the a cappella tradition of Monteverdi or Gesualdo, Audivi responds to the challenge of these works’ intricate textures, delicate sonorities, and shifting, expressive colors with a resounding, unqualified triumph. Purchase now at: http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p331/The_Stolen_Child.html TRACK INFO Audivi | Noah Horn artistic director Scott Perkins conductor Arianne Abela, Sarah Brailey, Jessica Petrus sopranos Eric S. Brenner, Tim Keeler, Timothy Parsons altos Noah Horn, Tyler Ray, Robert Strebendt tenors Glenn Miller, Dan Moore, Jonathan Woody basses THE STOLEN CHILD Tyler Ray tenor Dan Moore baritone 01 PROLOGUE: THE STOLEN CHILD 02 TO A CHILD DANCING IN THE WIND I 03 TO A CHILD DANCING IN THE WIND II 04 A MEMORY OF YOUTH 05 WHEN YOU ARE OLD 06 EPILOGUE: THE STOLEN CHILD A WORD OUT OF THE SEA Tim Keeler tenor 07 OUT OF THE CRADLE ENDLESSLY ROCKING 08 ONCE PAUMANOK 09 TILL OF A SUDDEN 10 DEMON OR BIRD! 11 WHERETO ANSWERING, THE SEA THE WORLD OF DREAM 12 THE WORLD OF DREAM 13 A TALE 14 THE UNFINISHED DREAM 15 NIGHTFALL 16 LULLABY