MAGNUM MYSTERIUM II, A SPECIAL 2 1/2 HOUR COLLECTION OF SACRED MUSIC CLASSICS

Description: buy new directly from the label: the project Since 1981 Celestial Harmonies' compilations have been used worldwide for relaxation, meditation and even music therapy. And while the rest of the classical world scurries around looking for the next big hit, Celestial Harmonies has released an updated digital version of an already proven winner: The Adagio series, a total of seven double–CDs. The reason for the series' success is no mystery. As modern life has become increasingly complex and stressful, listeners have turned to music as a source of relief—especially the timeless, contemplative sounds of classical music. It seems that as the pace of our lives gets progressively faster, the music that many listeners are seeking is increasingly slow. The Adagio series, presents over seventeen hours of the world's finest slow music, making it the largest such collection anywhere. the music One thing is clear from the astounding success of The Three Tenors, the Spanish monks, the Bulgarian Women's Choir, and other crossover phenomena: despite the conventional wisdom in the classical radio and recording industries that vocal music is not as popular as instrumental works, it is the vocal albums that listeners repond to more anything else. Magnum Mysterium I and Magnum Mysterium II present a survey of five centuries of the glorious sound of massed human voices. Magnum Mysterium I focuses specifically on the sacred choral music of the fifteenth to seventeeth centuries. The music of Pierre de la Rue and Giovanni Palestrina is as beautiful and resonant today as it was nearly 500 years ago. Respected figures like Thomas Tallis, Carlo Gesualdo, and William Byrd are joined by currently overlooked Iberian masters Manuel Cardoso and Duarte Lobo. The CDs' liner notes add to the musical interest: the exalting sounds of Byrd's Infelix Ego take on new layers of significance when you read that he was a known Catholic in the fiercely Protestant court of Elizabeth I, but that a blind eye was turned towards him and his family because his music was considered so sublime. Magnum Mysterium II also draws on the rich liturgical music heritage of both Catholic and Protestant rites. Four hundred years of sacred contemplative music are represented here, from the spectacular choral polyphony of sixteenth century Englishman Thomas Tallis to the heartfelt Psalm settings of his twentieth century countryman, Herbert Howells. Magnum Mysterium II also includes some brilliant yet reflective organ interludes by Bach, Mozart, Langlais, and others. The sacred music included here reflects the long historic ties between classical music and Western Christianity. Most Italian and Spanish composers set the Latin texts of the Catholic liturgy; this included composers like Vivaldi and Verdi, who are more generally thought of as instrumental or operatic composers, respectively. But Vivaldi's Gloria and Verdi's Stabat Mater, both included here, are glowing choral works that show how strongly these composers felt about their ancient texts. Bach was a figure of great importance to the Lutheran services in his native Germany. In addition to his sacred cantatas, Bach's position in the church allowed him to display his musical genius in his organ contemplations, which were often improvised and only later written down. Two of these fantasies and fugues are included in Magnum Mysterium II. Another great master, Johannes Brahms, drew on Lutheran texts for his A German Requiem, which is also excerpted here. There are some musical surprises as well: a setting of the seventh century text Vexilla Regis by legendary pianist/composer Franz Liszt, for example; or an example of early liturgical music for the young Anglican Church by Thomas Tallis. And there are also some familiar masterworks: the Sanctus from Bach's glorious Mass in B Minor, for example; and the timeless beauty of In Paradisum from the Fauré Requiem. the musicians These compilations were put together by Celestial Harmonies' President, Eckart Rahn, and Sister Marie Therese Levey, RSJ, of Australia. Magnum Mysterium I and Magnum Mysterium II feature the rich, pure sounds of the Oxford Camerata of England, directed by Jeremy Summerly. Two other highly-regarded choirs, the Sine Nomine Singers and the Schola Cantorum of Oxford also perform, and such respected ensembles as the Capella Istropolitana, the English Northern Chamber Orchestra, and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra provide instrumental support. Renowned organists Wolfgang Rübsam, Joseph Payne, and Janus Sebestyen each contribute instrumental interludes in the second volume. tracklist Disk 1: 1 Fantasia and Fuge in G Minor BWV 542 by Johann Sebastian Bach 14'28" 2 Gloria from Mass O Magnum Mysterium by Tomás Luis de Victoria 3'07" 3 Tiento 1 by Antonio de Cabezón 4'20" 4 Sanctus from Mass for Five Voices by William Byrd 4'14" 5 Remember not, O Lord God by Thomas Tallis 2'39" 6 Sancte Deus, Sancte fortis by Thomas Tallis 5'22" 7 Pavan by Orlando Gibbons 2'14" 8 Ego dormio from Cantiones Sacrae Op. 4 by Heinrich Schütz 3'45" 9 Prelude and Fugue in C Minor BWV 546 by Johann Sebastian Bach 14'42" 10 Voluntary and Fuge in A Minor by James Nares 5'02" 11 Et in terra from Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi 5'16" 12 Fantasia in C Minor KV 396 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 7'27" 13 Sanctus from Mass in B Minor BWV 232 by Johann Sebastian Bach 5'19" Total Time: 78'43" Disk 2: 1 Sonata No. 2 from The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour On the Cross H. III: 50-56 by Joseph Haydn 6'49" 2 Voluntary in A Minor by John Stanley 4'35" 3 Vexilla regis from Via crucis, les 14 stations de la Croix by Franz Liszt 4'14" 4 Suite Gothique Op. 25 by Léon Boëllmann 12'33" 5 Wie lieblich from A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms 4'43" 6 Trois Méditations by Jean Langlais 13'02" 7 Stabat Mater from Four Sacred Pieces by Giuseppe Verdi 13'33" 8 Cantilene Pastorale Op. 19 by Félix Alexandre Gulimant 5'05" 9 In Paradisum from Requiem by Gabriel Fauré 3'16" 10 Psalm 23 Op. 32 No. 3 by Herbert Howells 8'03" Total Time: 76'31" the series Adagio I: A Special 2 ½ Hour Collection of Orchestral Classics Adagio II: A Special 2 ½ Hour Collection of Orchestral Classics Andante: A Special 2 ½ Hour Collection of Chamber Music Classics Largo I: A Special 2 ½ Hour Collection of Piano Classics Largo II: A Special 2 ½ Hour Collection of Piano Classics Magnum Mysterium I: A Special 2 ½ Hour Collection of Sacred Music Classics Magnum Mysterium II: A Special 2 ½ Hour Collection of Sacred Music Classics

Price: 25 USD

Location: Tucson, Arizona

End Time: 2024-02-09T23:02:49.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.13 USD