| Label: Stone Records Catalog: ST80048 Format: CD Sophie Bevan, soprano; Mark Stone, baritone; Chorus Angelorum; Bath Philharmonia; Gavin Carr, conductorPaul Carr Requiem Aeternam / Pie Jesu / Chorale - Let Mine Eyes See Thee / Sanctus / Agnus Dei / Song - Do I Love You / Kyrie / Lux Aeterna / i thank You God for most this amazing day / Holding The Stars / Now Comes Beauty World première recording
Stone Records is delighted to announce its first collaboration with English composer Paul Carr. Requiem For An Angel is a piece of luscious warmth and honesty, and was composed by Carr around the time of his mother"s death in 2005. Although firmly in the English lyrical tradition, Carr"s compositional style is more intricate and absorbing than many recent popular classical works, making Requiem For An Angel both accessible at first hearing and continually rewarding thereafter. Carr"s emerging reputation as the new voice of English choral music is further strengthened by the three companion pieces on this disc: an E.E. Cummings setting for choir and orchestra; and two a capella renderings of his own words. The works are performed by the fabulous Bath Philharmonia, under the direction of the composer"s brother, Gavin Carr, together with the conductor"s chamber choir, Chorus Angelorum. The soloists are rising-star soprano Sophie Bevan and baritone Mark Stone. This disc was a labour of love, not just for Paul Carr, but for everyone involved on the project. The sincerity of the work, and of the performances, is clear, and the effect on the listener is disarmingly powerful.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM "Paul Carr"s work is profound music that is quite capable of deeply moving the listener and bringing a genuine tear to the eye. It is "art" music at its best - and serious to boot. The listener experiences the sense of deep loss and perhaps even of tragedy." "Air for String Orchestra", Musicweb International, February 2009 |