Paradiso

Fernando Araujo (baritone), Arwen Myers (soprano), Jamie Caporizo (mezzo-soprano), Matt Kelly (tenor), Emorja Roberson (baritone), Joshua Boggs (counter-tenor), Jessica Roberts (soprano), Notre Dame Vocale, Carmen-Helena Téllez

Catalog #: TROY1754
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Format: Digital
Choral

Paradiso, an oratorio composed by Robert Kyr on Robin Kirkpatrick's poetic libretto based on Dante's Commedia was commissioned by the Notre Dame Vocale and Carmen-Helena Téllez. As a musical work, Paradiso is an oratorio in 17 scenes, whose text is a lyrical meditation and profound reflection on Dante's version of heaven. While Dante is the source of the libretto, Kyr's musical setting arises from a variety of sources that are interwoven throughout the work. Composer Robert Kyr has been a member of the music faculty at the University of Oregon since 1990 and is director of the renowned Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium. He has been engaged for a long time with the themes of spiritual renewal, peace and environmentalism, through a style that partakes of both early and contemporary techniques. Librettist Robin Kirkpatrick is a poet and internationally renowned Dante scholar and is a fellow of Robinson College at Cambridge. Called a "quiet force behind contemporary music in America today," conductor Carmen-Helena Téllez is music director of the Notre Dame Vocale, Kosmologia Interdisciplinary Project, Aquava New Music Studio, and Indiana University's Contemporary Vocal Ensemble and has commissioned, premiered, and recorded many landmark works.

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Track Listing

Title Composer Performer
Paradiso: Transformation and Transfiguration Robert Kyr Fernando Araujo (baritone); Arwen Myers (soprano); Jamie Caporizo (mezzo soprano); Matthew Kelly (tenor); Emorja Roberson (baritone); Joshua Boggs (countertenor); Jessica Roberts (soprano); Notre Dame Vocale; Notre Dame Vocale Instrumental Ensemble; Carmen-Helena Téllez (conductor)

Reviews

  • "Another choral album - this one an oratorio after Dante's Divine Comedy, written by Robert Kyr. The final two movements are transcendent, led by baritone Fernando Araujo. The full ensemble plays with the choir, complete with the gentle patter of gongs and percussion. It is worth getting the album for this magical moment. If you are a fan of baroque and classical oratorios, chances are you will like this. This is a must-buy if you are interested in the Divine Comedy - included in the liner notes is an extensive philosophical essay by the librettist. And texts are included, thank goodness!

    – American Record Guide

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