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RECORDINGS |
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| 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 |
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PRIVATE RELEASE
NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.
CHECK AVAILABILITY ON
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| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER RELEASES |
NONE
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NONE |
NONE |
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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
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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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