Six songs of innocence Œuvres chorales Culo - ROP6120 - Rondeau - Classique - Nos labels

The "Six Songs of Innocence" for boys' choir and string quartet by Gregor Hübner, a violinist and member of the Sirius Quartet New York, are as rhythmically thrilling as they are strongly expressive. The enthusiasm of the young singers of the collegium iuvenum Boys’ Choir Stuttgart immediately captivates the listener. To many it may appear as a miracle to get youngsters interested in classical music – yet alone choir singing. In this respect, the boys of the collegium iuvenum Stuttgart clearly are an exception. And what's more : they're also open to contemporary pieces – especially when they were written as a work commissioned specifically for them. In commemoration of the vocal ensemble's 25th anniversary, Gregor Hübner, the Stuttgart-born violinist of the Sirius Quartet, wrote the "Six Songs of Innocence" for boys' choir and string quartet – an unusual combination: captivating, heavily rhythmical music, sometimes jazzy, sometimes contemplative, with breath-taking improvisations of the string players and demanding choir passages introduces the listener to words of the English poet William Blake (1757– 1827). The latter was an artist, writer, mystic and visionary – a radical thinker, who wrote his verses during an era of social and political change. The young singer's commitment can not only be heard. The piece is framed by other English-language compositions and adaptations by Sherri Porterfield, Billy Joel, Kirby Shaw, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Knut Nystedt and John Rutter. Another première recording on this CD is "The Purcell Project – Fragments from Dido’s Lament & The Gordian Knot Untied“ for string quartet by Gregor Hübner: Henry Purcell's music revisited and revived.