Sing My Soul

CONCORA - Connecticut Choral Artists, was founded in 1974 by Richard M. Coffey. CONCORA'S mission is to "perpetuate and perform with excellence choral music of the highest quality for the broadest possible audience." Since its founding, the all-professional chorus has built an extraordinary reputation for artistic excellence throughout New England. Mr. Coffey writes: "The challenge in preparing a recording of choral works of Ned Rorem is not in the selection of what to include but in the perverse necessity of selecting what to omit. For over a year I pored over Rorem scores, both published and unpublished, corresponded with the composer who had a few modestly proffered suggestions, and sat at the piano for many a happy hour playing and singing a treasury of anthems, canticles, motets, choral hymns, and choral songs. For every work presented here there is another, equally beautiful, awaiting its turn before the microphone. Ned Rorem's love for words is manifest well beyond his popular diaries and prose. He selects great texts and then wraps them in fine melodies, tunes which ennoble and illuminate. After only a few listenings to Love Divine or Come, Pure Hearts one may be tempted (don't resist) to whistle and hum them quite spontaneously. This disc is presented as a tribute to Ned Rorem on the occasion of his 75th birthday (October 23, 1998). The music in this collection is an eclectic grouping of works dating from 1955 through 1988 including pieces for a cappella choir, as well as others accompanied by Organ or piano, with texts (both prose and poetry) from religious, scriptural, and secular sources."