ANTONÍN DVORÁK
Zdenek Macal, conductor
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Disc One (55:25)

Stabat Mater, Op. 58 (80:40)
I. Stabat Mater dolorosa (18:12)
II. Quis est homo (9:39)
III. Eia, Mater, fons amoris (6:57)
IV. Fac, ut ardeat cor meum (8:56)
V. Tui Nati vulnerati (4:59)
VI. Fac me vere tecum flere (6:18)

Westminster Symphonic Choir
Joseph Flummerfelt, choral conductor
Kaaren Erickson, soprano
Claudine Carlson, mezzo-soprano
John Aler, tenor
John Cheek, bass

Disc Two (51:12)

Stabat Mater, continued
VII. Virgo, virginum praeclara (6:14)
VIII. Fac, ut portem Christi mortem (4:32)
IX. Inflammatus et accensus (6:11)
X. Quando corpus morietur (8:03)

Biblical Songs, Op. 99 (25:48)
I. Darkness and thunderclouds are round about him (2:21)
II. Lord my shield, my refuge (1:53)
III. Hear, oh hear my prayer, Lord (3:20)
IV. Oh, my shepherd is the Lord (2:52)
V. Songs of gladness will I sing Thee (2:46)
VI. Hear, oh Lord, my bitter cry (2:44)
VII. By the shore of the river Babylon (2:58)
VIII. Oh, Lord, have mercy and turn Thou Thy face to me (2:35)
IX. My eyes will I to the hills lift up (1:53)
X. Oh, sing unto the Lord a joyful song (1:38)

Manfred Hemm, bass

Price: $19.98

John Aler, one of the most acclaimed lyric tenors on the international stage, and already the recipient of two Grammys, has put together a sentimental trip down memory lane. These are songs that were very popular in the '20s, '30s, and '40s, and sung in every home where sheet music was to be found. (Remember the book of favorites called "56 Songs You Like to Sing"?) In fact, the distinguished American tenor's suggested subtitle for the album is "Songs from the Piano Bench."

"Songs We Forgot to Remember" features the American tenor John Aler in a program of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century balladry, the kind of repertoire made famous by singers like John McComack, Nelson Eddy and John Charles Thomas. He is accompanied by pianist (and choral director) Grant Gershon.

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Dennis Keene, conductor
Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra
Young Singers of Pennnsylvania
John Aler, tenor
Mark Kruczek, organ

Recorded live at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, with nearly 400 musicians, as the centerpiece of the Centennial Celebration of the American Guild of Organists at their national convention, July 7-9, 1996

At the world premiere of the Berlioz Te Deum on April 30, 1855, Berlioz enjoyed one of the great triumphs of his career. The huge church of St. Eustache in Paris was packed and, according to reports, the audience was overwhelmed. That same night Berlioz wrote to his friend, the composer Franz Liszt:

"...the Te Deum was performed today with the most magnificent precision. It was colossal. My God, if only you had been there. I assure you that it is a tremendous work, the final movement surpasses all the enormities of which I am guilty up to now."

A century-and-a-half later Berlioz's Te Deum stands as one of the ultimate ceremonial pieces of all time, and it is still an event whenever the work is performed today. This shouldn't be surprising; after all, the forces he called for in the score are positively immense: two large adult choruses, a third chorus of children, a tenor soloist, a large symphony orchestra, and an important solo part for a great pipe organ placed at a long distance from the ensemble. From its distance, the organ engages in a dramatic dialogue with the rest of the ensemble. In addition, Berlioz expected that the work be given in a vast space, such as a great cathedral.

For this performance, which was captured live in this recording, the Voices of Ascension were augmented up to a total of 140 of New York's finest professional singers, probably the largest all-professional chorus that has ever sung this work. Another 140 members of The Young Voices of Pennsylvania sang the children's chorus part. There was an orchestra of over 100 players, including a double number of winds and brass, and four pairs of cymbals and military field drums. Tenor John Aler was the vocal soloist, and Mark Kruczek was at the great Aeolian-Skinner organ at St. John the Divine. Berlioz's requirement of a vast performing space was certainly met on this occasion. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City is the largest Gothic space in the world. It is so vast, in fact, that a fortissimo orchestra or organ chord will reverberate in the cathedral for several seconds, even when the cathedral is packed with thousands and thousands of people, as it was the night of the concert.

Bonus track: Dennis Keene discusses the Te Deum

Price: $14.98

Zdenek Macal, conductor
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Westminster Symphonic Choir, Joseph Flummerfelt, choral director
Oksana Krovytska, soprano
Wendy Hoffman, mezzo-soprano
John Aler, tenor
Gustáv Belácek, bass

DISC ONE: Requiem, Op. 89, Part I:
Requiem aeternam
Graduale
Dies irae
Tuba mirum
Quid sum miser
Recordare, Jesu pie
Confutatis maledictis
Lacrimosa
Part II:
Offertorium
Hostias

DISC?TWO: Requiem, Op. 89, Part II:
Sanctus
Pie Jesu
Agnus Dei

Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”
Adagio; Allegro molto
Largo
Scherzo — Molto vivace
Allegro con fuoco

Total Playing Time:
Disc One: 70:51 Disc Two: 64:27

Dvorák's Requiem, which premiered in October, 1891, is a work rich in reference and association: it borrows conventions of text-setting from the Renaissance and the Baroque; it employes sophisticated techniques of form and orchestration developed during the Romantic era of music, and it evokes two millennia of ritual and belief. Based on the ancient Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, the Requiem can be a daunting undertaking, needing the talents of a full orchestra, four soloists, and symphonic chrorus. Zdenek Macal and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra provide a perfect support structure, wending their way masterfully through the many invocations of Dvorák's motto theme.

2-for-1 priced two disc set

Price: $14.98

Dramatic Cantata for Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Orchestra & Chorus, Op. 69

Zdenek Macal, conductor
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Westminster Symphonic Choir
Joseph Flummerfelt, director

Oksana Krovytska, soprano (The Maiden)
John Aler, tenor (The Spectre)
Ivan Kusnjer, bass-baritone (The Story-teller)

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Price: $14.98