Gaudeamus - Sacred Feast (2020) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

This superb group of singers once again brings forth their signature sound under the direction of Paul Halley-music filled with spirit, nuance, and freshness of expression. Recorded by Tom Jung for his widely respected label, DMP Records, the album beautifully combines the clarity of sound for which Jung is known with the rich acoustic of this collegiate gothic structure. The realism and immediacy of the performance is documented in a way which truly brings these classic choral pieces to life.

To many listeners who remember Tom Jung's dmp label from the 1980s, when he and groups such as Flim & the BBs made pioneering and exemplary digital jazz recordings, this very classical, very (sacred) choral program may come as a surprise. But it will be a pleasant one, nonetheless. Choral enthusiasts will immediately recognize many of the selections, which represent some of choral music's most beloved masterpieces–Stanford's "Beati quorum via" and "Justorum animae" motets, Duruflé's incomparable "Ubi caritas," Bruckner's "Ave Maria," and Messiaen's "O sacrum convivium." They also will be happy to discover that the 30-voice Gaudeamus ensemble, a Connecticut-based group founded by director Paul Halley in 1992, performs to an exceptionally high standard, characterized by well-balanced sound, solid vocal technique, and generally rock-solid intonation. Only the Messiaen, and Tallis's own setting of "O sacrum convivium," reveal some shaky tuning, but the choir makes up for these lapses with sublime singing in the Stanford, Duruflé, and Bruckner–and really revels in the rich dissonances of Lotti's "Crucifixus" and in the soaring lines of Charles Woods's "Hail gladdening light." This is an admirable and highly recommendable venture into the very competitive–and often snooty–choral music arena for Jung and dmp. And those who know the label's uncompromising sonic standards will be reassured with this typically superb engineering effort that perfectly captures the choral sound and acoustics in Hartford's Trinity College Chapel–a structure reminiscent of a mini-King's College Cambridge. Unfortunately, dmp includes virtually nothing about the music in the liner notes. –David Vernier

TRACKLIST

1. Gaudeamus - Beati Quorum Via
2. Gaudeamus - O Vos Omnes
3. Gaudeamus - Ubi Caritas
4. Gaudeamus - Justorum Animae
5. Gaudeamus - Coelos Ascendit Hodie
6. Gaudeamus - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
7. Gaudeamus - O Sacrum Covivium
8. Gaudeamus - Ave Verum Corpus
9. Gaudeamus - Hail Gladdening Light
10. Gaudeamus - Ave Maria
11. Gaudeamus - Pater Noster
12. Gaudeamus - Crucifixus
13. Gaudeamus - O Sacrum Convivium



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