Winter Voces8

• 1 For Now I Am Winter 04:46
• 2 Es ist ein Ros entsprungen 03:47
• 3 Winter 05:03
• 4 Balulalow 02:54
• 5 Nunc Dimittis 05:45
• 6 Plainscape I 05:28
• 7 Plainscape II 03:39
• 8 Plainscape III 07:30
• 9 Come Wander With Me 04:06
• 10 In The Bleak Midwinter 05:12
• 11 The Fruits Of Silence 05:33
• 12 Nyne otpushchayeshi 03:27
• 13 The Darkness Is No Darkness 04:29
• 14 The Snow It Melts The Soonest 03:35
• Total Runtime 01:05:14

Info for Winter

Breaking stereotypical expectations of a seasonal album, Voces8s new release Winter paints a portrait of the season through a sparse and powerful aural landscape, invoking a meditative, inspiring feeling of solitude and union.

A contemporary reflection on the serene restfulness of winter. Eight exceptional voices are joined by sibling duo Mari & Hakon Samuelsen (violin & cello) and other guests, taking inspiration from composers from Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Iceland and elsewhere.

Includes four world premiere recordings, notably a brand new work Winter, written exclusively for the album by award-winning composer Rebecca Dale.

Featuring significant new arrangements of For Now I Am Winter (Olafur Arnalds), Come Wander With Me (Jeff Alexander), and the folk tune The Snow It Melts The Soonest (previously covered by Sting), plus re-imaginings of established melodies such as Praetorius - Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (arr. Jan Sandström) and Holsts In The Bleak Midwinter (arr. Ola Gjeilo).

Voces8

VOCES8
is one of the most exciting and versatile vocal groups in the world. The multi award-winning ensemble fulfils an international annual touring schedule across Europe, the USA, Asia and Africa. Performance venues include the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Tokyo Opera City, Tel Aviv Opera House, National Concert Hall Taipei, Cite de la Musique in Paris, Dijon Opera House, National Centre for the Performing Arts Beijing and Shanghai Concert Hall. Highlights of the 2013/2014 season include an extensive European concert schedule in addition to tours to the USA, Indonesia, Korea, Dubai, Moscow, and for “La Folle Journee” in Nantes and Tokyo.

With a specialism in classical choral music, the group performs repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique Jazz and Pop arrangements. The ensemble regularly commissions and collaborates with world-renowned contemporary composers including Ola Gjeilo, Roxanna Panufnik, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Alexander Levine and Ben Parry. VOCES8 is delighted to be in partnership with the acclaimed arranger, Jim Clements as Arranger in Residence.

With an ongoing programme of recordings and live broadcast, VOCES8 is heard regularly on international television and radio, including Deutschlandradio Kultur, ARTE TV, Radio France Musique, BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. VOCES8 has recorded a series of award-winning discs for Signum Classics, including ‘Choral Tapestry’, ‘Bach Motets’, ‘Aces High’ and ‘Christmas’. The group has major recording plans for future disc releases to be announced in the coming season. VOCES8 is also an Ambassador for Edition Peters with whom it publishes arrangements and educational material, including the ‘VOCES8 Songbook’ and the ‘VOCES8 Method’.

Outreach and Education are at the core of VOCES8’s work and the group is delighted to be the flagship performance and education ensemble of the charitable music foundation, Voces Cantabiles Music (VCM). The ensemble leads an innovative series of music education workshops reaching 20,000 people annually around the world with the aim of inspiring creativity and excellence through music. The innovative education work of VCM has received praise from UNESCO. In 2013 VCM established the Gresham Centre in partnership with the Diocese of London, a vocal Centre for Excellence at Sir Christopher Wren’s beautiful St Anne & St Agnes Church, in the City of London. VOCES8 is also resident ensemble at Bedford School, Ardingly College, The Grey Coat Hospital and Milton Abbey.

Artistic collaborations with orchestras have included the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra and period ensemble Les Inventions. VOCES8 has received support from Arts Council England, the Musicians Benevolent Fund and the Worshipful Company of Musicians. The group is also grateful for the support of official sponsor, T.M.Lewin.

This album contains no booklet.