Denes Agay
Old Irish blessing

Ni Bhraonain/Ryan/Brymer (arr.)
"May it be", extrait de la musique du film "Le Seigneur des Anneaux"

Lloyd Larson
Prayer

George L.O. Strid (arr.)
Olde Irish aire

S. Green (arr.)
Skye boat song

Dominick DiOrio
"You do not walk alone"

Wolfgang Gütlinger
"So bleibe bei uns"

Philip Stopford
Irish blessing

Air traditionels irlandais
"Inis Oirr"/Aran boat song (arr. Cater & Norman)
"Mary, young and fair"

Will Todd
"Lead me lord"

Neil Ginsberg
"The garcan mother's lullabye"

Yvonne Toussaint
Romanze

Joel Raney
"Think of me and remember"

Jonas Myrin/Matt Redman
"10.000 Reasons (bless the lord)" (arr. Lloyd Larson)

James E. Moore
Irish blessing

Bradley Nelson
Irish Blessing

Earlene Rentz
"May you always"

Cristi Cary Miller
"A king's irish blessing"

Randolf Stöck, clavier
Duo Arpeggio

Anne Palmer, flûte
Angela Holzschuh, harpe

Schwetzinger Kammerchor Quatro Forte
Alexander Gütinger, direction

The words Irish blessing are sure to make you think of this famous verse. It is found in German translation in the new hymn books of many Lutheran and Protestant churches. What a sweet call for blessing before a long journey! The Schwetzingen chamber choir Quatro Forte, “two dozen voices” that “truly sing as bewitchingly as if the choir had our hearts in their hands” (Schwetzinger Zeitung), was founded in 1991. These days, the Schwetzingen choir has a privileged place in the cultural life of the Rhein-Neckar metropolitan region, having developed a varied repertoire in the course of its twenty-seven-year existence. With works for up to 16 parts from the Renaissance to modern times, both unaccompanied and with orchestral accompaniment, the chamber choir displays great musical versatility, with special emphasis on singing the music so as to express the full meaning of the words while achieving a smoothly balanced, sensitive choral sound. Alexander Gütinger has been musical director of the ensemble since 2008. It is to his energy and vision that the choir owes its homogeneous balance of voices and its consequent audience recognition. The present CD was recorded in the Franz-Danzi-Saal in Schwetzingen with the generous support of the City of Schwetzingen and its Music School. This peace and security is again conveyed by the purely instrumental works on this CD, which owe their special timbre to the traditional Irish instruments, the fl ute and harp. When I put together the programme for this CD I was amazed at the number of different settings of Irish blessings, and we had to limit ourselves to a selection. They are contrasted here with pieces that have different words but express the same idea. The heartfelt warmth of the lyrics and the captivating charm of the compositions moved us deeply at rehearsals and are sure to remain with the choir for many years to come. May this CD move you and accompany you... until we meet again!