Hyperion CDA67929 · July 2015
Various - American Polyphony
Polyphony, Stephen Layton (conductor)
- BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE'S RECORDING OF THE MONTH (AUGUST 2015)
- PRESTO CLASSICAL DISC OF THE WEEK (6TH JULY 2015)
Press
BBC Music Magazine2015Incandescent choral glory - Polyphony is revelatory in American repertoire Performance: 5 stars Recording: 5 stars It's often the familiar, hackneyed pieces which most fully reveal the character of an ensemble or performer, the…Read the review 
MusicWeb International2015Stephen Layton has come up with a most attractive programme of a cappella choral pieces by twentieth century American composers. I think it's fitting that there's a substantial focus on Samuel Barber for he was arguably the best…Read the review 
Presto Classical2015With the USA having just celebrated Independence Day, it seems fitting that this week it should be American composers in the spotlight, specifically, mid-20th-century composers of choral music. Stephen Layton's chamber choir…Read the review 
Sinfini Music2015Centuries of puritanical preaching and religious dogma have worked to supress the eternal human drive to draw enjoyment from matters spiritual. Polyphony and Stephen Layton offer the strongest possible case for approaching the…Read the review 
The Financial Times2015To mark Independence Day here is a disc that makes the mid-20th century in the US seem a pinnacle of choral music. Bernstein's Missa brevis, in a scorching performance, hits heights of rhythmic ecstasy. Barber's Agnus Dei, the…Read the review 
The New Zealand Herald20155 Stars Some Aucklanders have had the pleasure of experiencing the artistry of Stephen Layton in person when he conducted Bach's Bach's Mass in B minor and St John Passion with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in 2012 and2014…Read the review 
The Sunday Times2015The peerless choir offer meticulously blended and shaped performances of 20th-century a cappella American choral works. The recital is topped and tailed by Randall Thompson - the contemplative wartime Alleluia and the poignant De…Read the review - BBC Music Magazine2015Stephen Layton tells Rebecca Franks how he came up with an all-American programme for his choir Polyphony. What inspired this programme? It was the realisation that the latest American choral composers, such as Morten Lauridsen…Read the review
Recorded: Various dates
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: July 2015
Total duration: 74 minutes 5 seconds
Track list
- AlleluiaRandall Thompson (1899-1984)6'12
- Agnus DeiSamuel Barber (1910-1981)9'07
- Reincarnations Op 16: Mary Hynes She is the sky of the sunSamuel Barber (1910-1981)2'23
- Reincarnations Op 16: Anthony O'Daly Since your limbs were laid outSamuel Barber (1910-1981)3'07
- Reincarnations Op 16: The coolin' Come with me, under my coatSamuel Barber (1910-1981)4'06
- Missa brevis: KyrieLeonard Bernstein (1918-1990)1'10
- Missa brevis: GloriaLeonard Bernstein (1918-1990)2'48
- Missa brevis: SanctusLeonard Bernstein (1918-1990)1'22
- Missa brevis: BenedictusLeonard Bernstein (1918-1990)1'21
- Missa brevis: Agnus DeiLeonard Bernstein (1918-1990)2'40
- Missa brevis: Dona nobis pacem Agnus DeiLeonard Bernstein (1918-1990)2'28
- Four Motets: Help us, O LordAaron Copland (1900-1990)2'57
- Four Motets: Thou, O Jehovah, abideth foreverAaron Copland (1900-1990)2'23
- Four Motets: Have mercy on us, O my LordAaron Copland (1900-1990)4'09
- Four Motets: Sing ye praises to our kingAaron Copland (1900-1990)1'59
- Twelfth Night No night could be darker than this night (No 1 of Two Pieces, Op 42)Samuel Barber (1910-1981)4'48
- To be sung on the water Beautiful, my delight (No 2 of Two Pieces, Op 42)Samuel Barber (1910-1981)2'54
- A nun takes the veil 'Heaven-haven' I have desired to go (No 1 of Four Songs, Op 13)Samuel Barber (1910-1981)2'43
- The virgin martyrs Therefore come they, the crowding maidens (No 1 of Two Choruses, Op 8)Samuel Barber (1910-1981)3'34
- Let down the bars, O death (No 2 of Two Choruses, Op 8)Samuel Barber (1910-1981)2'35
- Fare Well When I lie where shades of darknessRandall Thompson (1899-1984)9'19
Recording details from Hyperion Records.