DCD34060-CD

Scotland at Night: choral settings of Scottish poetry from Burns to McCall Smith

The virtuosic young singers of the chamber choir Laudibus take on an inventive programme of settings of Scottish poetry by some of today’s leading composers. The texts range from John Barbour and Henry the Minstrel to Alexander McCall Smith, and the latter’s two choral song cycles written together with composer Tom Cunningham are at the heart of the disc. From the ethereal tenderness of Cunningham’s ‘Lullaby’ to the muscular angularity of Ronald Stevenson’s A Medieval Scottish Triptych, Laudibus responds with affection, athleticism and an extraordinary expressive range. Mezzo-soprano Beth Mackay contributes solo Burns settings by Arvo Pärt and Howard Skempton.

"Laudibus and Mike Brewer are particularly good at creating vocal effects, meaning this programme is tailor-made for them. Their rich lower body of voices and silvery sopranos combine beautifully in So Deep, the rippling of Trout Loch is perfectly done, and they've had a good crack at the breathless excitement of Ceilidh"

 

"What a joy! Bravo Delphian! This is a superbly sung and recorded disc of ravishing music, ranging from the granitic mediaeval triptych of Ronald Stevenson to the honeyed close harmonies of Tom Cunningham’s two cycles - ‘Scotland at Night’ and ‘The Painter’s Eye’. It’s an entertainment that succeeds in presenting something of Scotland without a trace of the ubiquitous tartan."

Release date: 27 July 2009
Catalogue No: DCD34060
Total running time: 1:04:18
 
Recorded on 3-5 January 2009 in Colinton Parish Church, Edinburgh; 30 March 2009 at St Cuthbert's Parish Church, Edinburgh; 21 May 2009 at Prestonkirk, East Linton
 
Producer & Engineer: Paul Baxter
24-bit digital editing: Paul Baxter
24-bit digital mastering: Paul Baxter
 
Design: Drew Padrutt
Booklet editor: John Fallas
Cover image: Sir Henry Raeburn, Revd Dr Robert Walker (1755-1808) Skating on Duddingston Loch, National Gallery of Scotland
Photography: Dr Raymond Parks
 

Album Booklet

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