Baltikum concert. Marcus Creed conducts the SWR Vokalensemble. Here is the program:
Veljo Tormis: Kaks laulu Ernst Enno sõnadele
Rytis Mažulis: Canon solus
Pēteris Vasks : Litene
Andris Dzenītis: Four Madrigals by e.e. cummings
Justė Janulytė: Plonge
Arvo Pärt: Dopo la Vittoria
Arvo Pärt: Ja ma kuulsin hääle…
See the back cover art for more details about the pieces sung. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
The correct full name in English for the performers would be “SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble”. SWR stands for Southwest Radio, one of the most important sources in Germany for classical music broadcast and recordings. Under Marcus Creed, this ensemble has an international reputation, especially for a cappella performance of new, rare, or virtuoso choral works. This is the first HDVD published of a cappella singing—unless there is a terrible flaw in the recording, this could be a “must have” recording for fans of choral music or anyone interested in modern compositions or Baltic music.
Here’s a long clip from SWR Classic with, it seems, all of the Pärt music, which is about 1/6+ of the whole 89 minute concert. No videographer is credited, probably because SWR staff employees made the file, probably as they routinely make recordings to show on German TV. PQ is great. The video content is a bit different from anything we’ve seen before: It does seem to feature long clips of the sort we applaud, but with much zooming and panning, albeit very slowly done. The sound is intense, but not all that impressive on my PC. I look forward to seeing how this sounds in my HT through YouTube and, of course, then playing the disc on my nice HT gear:
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