2006
GRAMMY NOMINATION
Best Small Ensemble Performance
|
O
MAGNUM MYSTERIUM
William Byrd, Morten
Lauridsen, Giuseppe Pierluigi da Palestrina,
Francis Poulenc, Alessandro Scarlatti,
Tomas Luis da Victoria & Nicholas
White
The
Tiffany Consort
NICHOLAS
WHITE
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Cathleen Ellis & Jolle
Greenleaf sopranos
Ryland Angel & Robert Isaacs altos
Philip Anderson & Oliver Brewer tenors
Joseph Chappel & Mark Risinger basses
MS1108
~ $14.95
"Your entire CD is spectacular
and your recording of my work is superb. Bravo..."
Morten Lauridsen -
December
2005
"... O Magnum
Mysterium is sweet music for any classical music aficionado,
particularly for those who crave the gorgeous stylings of a well-mannered group
like the Tiffany Consort...
Listening to this album created a blissful out-of-body experience; I spent the
evening very well, floating on the heavenly sound for more than an hour. No
popular carols here--just masterfully crafted choral music of the O Magnum
Mysterium variety. The Tiffany Consort presents eight stellar voices, just
one voice per part, and these eight soloists mix like the most magical alchemy.
Some choral groups are thick with singers, and the overall impact is a bit soggy
and indistinct. That's not the case here. The Tiffany Consort is crisp, clean,
and in command. This album ... has first-rate production values thoughout...Everything
is well-crafted, and I cannot in good conscience recommend one track as superior
to another...The Tiffany Consort will be keeping me company all season long!
www.ChristmasReviews.com,
August
2006
"This is a lovely
collection ... The eight-voice Tiffany Consort sings beautifully and is
wonderfully recorded."
CD HotList, April
2006
"...pure tone [and] textural
transparency...This disc makes for an impressive introduction [to The Tiffany
Consort]. The choral sound is bright, well blended and finely tuned...there's a
sense of rhythmic unity to the singing...the singing is intimate, rapt and
wondefully alive...A promising debut...the recording is flattering."
Gramophone - September
2005
"...a handsome
anthology...[Nicholas White's 'Magnum Mysterium'] is delightful as is the
concluding 'Alleluia' and 'Hodie'...The eight voices [of Tiffany] are youthful,
bright and clear, and the conductor has them modifying vocal color, arching
phrases and milking suspensions with the best of them..."
American Record Guide -
July/August 2005
"The purity of tone, clarity
of diction, and blended ensemble are worthy of established groups that have sung
together much longer. This is more than just a Christmas disc, an impressive
debut"
Fanfare - May/June 2005
"The Tiffany Consort ...give
splendid performances... memorable... accessible...this is a lovely
offering...The members of the Tiffany Consort...exhibit well-supported voices,
beautiful breath control, and a well-nigh ideal blend. The recordings have
appropriate spaciousness..."
Atlanta Audio Society, December 2004
This is a collection of sublime
choral works by Byrd, Lauridsen, Palestrina, Poulenc, Victoria and others
performed with luminous beauty by the eight unaccompanied virtuoso singers of
The Tiffany Consort. Featured are no fewer than seven settings of the "O
Magnum Mysterium" text, including Victoria’s complete mass and a world
premiere setting by Tiffany Consort Founder and Director, Nicholas White.
*
* *
The Tiffany Consort
was founded in 2003 to bring together several of New York’s finest singers
with the intention of presenting virtuosic choral music from all periods, one
voice to a part, under the direction of Nicholas White. While the core of the
ensemble is 8 soloists, the number of singers varies according to the specific
repertoire to be performed. The group made its much-praised début in two
concerts, which featured the complete motets of Johann Sebastian Bach, in March
of 2003 sung one voice to a part without accompaniment. The success of these
performances led to a full season of works to be presented on St. Michael’s
Music and Arts’ 2003-2004 concert season, at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
in Manhattan. The ensemble performed three programs highlighting composers from
England, Italy and Germany - Byrd & Britten, Palestrina & Scarlatti,
Schütz & Brahms. In addition to the trademark performing style of one voice
to a part, the group’s main interest lies in juxtaposing works of Medieval and
Renaissance composers with those of 20th Century or Modern day
composers. Tiffany actively pursues the commissioning of new works which pair
well with ancient masterpieces, all fitting the performing resources of our
ensemble. This is the first commercial recording of the Tiffany Consort.
Nicholas
White is the founding
director of The Tiffany Consort. He has been Organist and Choirmaster of St.
Michael’s Church, NY, and Artistic Director of St. Michael’s Music and Arts
since 1998. White was born in England, was organ scholar of Clare College,
Cambridge from 1986-1989, and subsequently moved to the US. From 1994-1998, he
was Assistant Organist and Choirmaster of Washington National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C., playing and conducting for more than 250 services a year, and
touring, recording and broadcasting with the various choral groups. White was
Keyboard Artist for the Cathedral Choral Society, and he held the position of
Music Director and Conductor of the Woodley Ensemble, one of Washington’s
premiere chamber choirs, from 1997-2000. In addition to his activities as a
conductor, keyboard player and singer, White is a critically acclaimed composer,
with choral music published by several different companies. Commissions have
come from all across the country with performances taking place in such venues
as Washington National Cathedral, The Kennedy Center, and Grace Cathedral San
Francisco.
