Christmas a cappella
Chicago a cappella
Cedille Records CDR 90000 107
"More fun than human beings should be allowed" is how contemporary music web site Sequenza21.com described Chicago
a cappella's 2005 debut on Cedille Records.
The American Organist calls the nine-member mixed vocal ensemble
"a jewel in the crown of Chicago's musical life." The
Chicago Sun-Times says,
"This ensemble embraces a musical challenge as if it were a box of Godiva chocolates."
Chicago
a cappella returns to disc with
Christmas a cappella: Songs From Around the World, a sparkling selection of seasonal songs by contemporary composers and arrangers, including seven world premieres.
Works include two lively African settings (in African languages) of the biblical passage "For unto us a child is born," delightful treatments of traditional French and French-Canadian carols, a unique Danish take on the Christmas story, distinctive works by leading American composers including Stephen Paulus (
Splendid Jewel) and Gwyneth Walker (
The Christ-child's Lullaby), and James Clemens' brilliant, jazz-inflected arrangement,
Jingle a cappella, centered around a wild fugue in 7/8 time! The disc also presents two pieces based on Hebrew texts:
Aleih Neiri, a Hanukkah song by Yemen-born Jewish composer Chaim Parchi, and multiple award-winning young composer Stacy Garrop's poignant prayer for peace,
Lo Yisa Goy.
In a season brimming with holiday music, Chicago
a cappella's new CD stands apart as a jewel of imaginative programming and passionate performances that please the ear and penetrate the heart.
Click here to download the CD booklet.
