By EE115671
26-Mar-2013

Westminster Choir returns with spring beauty  

The best of choral music returns again with a recording made in 2008 and 2009 under the direction of Joe Miller. After a poignant farewell concert CD by the Westminster Choir a few years ago, this collection of pieces from all genres and languages attracts the ear and reminds the listener that the standard of excellence blooms again with this celebrated chorus.

The sensitivity and accuracy of superlative training shine in these pieces, providing standards and examples for groups and eager audiences enthralled by the skill of young musicians exquisitely trained for church musicianship. The track titles are provided in the playlist, a welcome and handy reference reflecting the careful attention to every detail characteristic of the Westminster Choir. Multiple languages attract the ear and move the eye to the text and translations, encouraging audience focus on the presentations.

With a title suggesting the epitome of splendor, the stylized daisy on the cover seems understated for both title and contents. The variety in the program leads the listener from one lovely song to the next. Performing religious, folk, spiritual, and ballad compositions illustrates choir skills and varied styles. Unfortunately it is necessary to keep the volume turned to the maximum to hear most of the recordings; perhaps the microphones were too far away at Girard and St. Stuyvesant’s. It is an a capella program except for the Miserere with cello. Familiar repertoire including Dr. Erb’s arrangement of Shenandoah is ever welcome. Ms. Bixby’s soprano with the choir in Great Day conveys not only marchin’ but foot tappin’ joy.

Let the springtime emerge, and the beautiful flowers bloom, and the Westminster Choir sings on.
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