Yale

Two significant choral premieres separated by the Atlantic Ocean and a gap of 100 years. ‘In the Land of Uz’ by Judith Weir is the first commercial recording of a major new work for choir, solo tenor and instruments premiered by conductor David Hill at the 2017 Proms. ‘Canticle of the Sun’ by US composer Amy Beach took inspiration from nature: in just a few days, the composer claimed she 'merely took down the music as if from dictation’ across this large-scale work. With her luminous choral harmonies, Beach is now finally recognized as a cornerstone 20th century American classical voice. Heard here under the baton of British conductor David Hill, the Yale Schola Cantorum has a US-wide reputation as a mixed choir of exceptional calibre.

When he died, Nicolaus Bruhns was just 31 years old, and only twelve of his vocal works and five organ compositions have survived. On the strength of these, he is nevertheless considered one of the most prominent North German composers of the generation between Buxtehude and Bach. Buxtehude was in fact Bruhns teacher, and thought so highly of him that recommended him for a position in Copenhagen. There he worked as a violin virtuoso and composer until 1689, when he returned to Northern Germany to become organist in the main church of Husum. It was here that most if not all of the extant works were performed.

Two significant choral premieres separated by the Atlantic Ocean and a gap of 100 years. ‘In the Land of Uz’ by Judith Weir is the first commercial recording of a major new work for choir, solo tenor and instruments premiered by conductor David Hill at the 2017 Proms.