"He who has an ear, let him hear..." (Revelation chapters
2 & 3)
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An intrepid release from "Britain's brightest record label"
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HYPERION CDA67507 *Seven Letters*
"Antony Pitts is a distinctive new voice whose music has
been
premiered at Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in
Amsterdam, and the Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal in Berlin.
Pitts's choral music combines a jazz-infused idiom within a
tight
structure of traditional musical form and a response to the
sacred texts which is both fervent and captivatingly
heart-on-sleeve.
"At the centre of this new recording is 'Seven Letters'
- thought
to be the only choral setting of St John's damning indictment
of
the first-century church in Asia Minor from the Book of
Revelation, each 'letter' is declaimed by one of seven virtuosic
members of Tonus Peregrinus over a cyclical choral backdrop
which
insistently increases in intensity as the work moves through
the
seven 'letters' of the musical scale, A to G.
"Such multifaceted intricacy is typical of Pitts's approach
in
the other pieces presented here. In each case a 'pop'-style
'hook' provides the listener with an immediate entry point (an
accessibility aided by the English-language texts used), while
repeated listening allows the full scope of the musical vision
gradually to unfold.
"Formed by Antony Pitts in 1990, Tonus Peregrinus has
steadily
gained an international reputation for musical excellence, the
ensemble's recording of Arvo Pärt's 'Passio' on the Naxos
label
winning a Cannes Classical Award in 2004..."
More info on 'Seven Letters' (Hyperion CDA67507):
http://shop.thewelcomestranger.org/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=11
To buy online in UK:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/composer.php?browse=composer&name=Pitts
http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/product.php?pId=2092384&pType=classical
http://www.mvc.co.uk/common/product.jhtml?pid=50414286
http://www1.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=283;3;-1;-1&sku=382989
http://uk.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=3249950
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009JDYR8/qid%3D1115812478/sr%3D8-5/ref%3Dsr%5F8%5Fxs%5Fap%5Fi5%5Fxgl/202-9983118-4898222
To buy online in France:
http://www.abeillemusique.com/produit.php?cle=12908
To buy over the counter in Europe:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dealers/europe.asp
To buy over the counter in North America:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dealers/north-america.asp
To buy over the counter in Asia, Africa, Australasia, and South
America:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dealers/world.asp
This is an extremely apposite time to support Hyperion Records,
whose recent court case has widespread implications for the
future of classical music. For more information:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/
As 'Seven Letters' is a new release it is not yet listed in
every
database; if this is the case, simply order using the catalogue
number 'CDA67507' (Hyperion). It is also possible to buy the
CD
direct from me; if you wish to do this, please send a cheque
for
£15 per CD (including postage & packing) to the address
below.
ADVANCE BOOKING FOR *The True Story...*
a mediaeval love story with songs by Guillaume de Machaut
Wednesday 6 July in the Baron's Hall, Penshurst Place, Kent,
UK
Picnic & parking possible in Church Park from 6.30pm
Drinks available in the Inner Courtyard from 7.30pm
Performance takes place in the Baron's Hall at 8pm and will
last
approximately an hour and a quarter (no interval).
More info:
http://www.tonusperegrinus.co.uk/TPmpc.html
To purchase advance tickets, please send a cheque payable
to
"TONUS PEREGRINUS" to:
The Welcome Stranger
High Street
Flimwell
East Sussex
TN5 7PB
Tickets are £15 or £12 (concessions).
Your tickets can either be kept on the door in your name and
will
be available for collection from 7.30pm on the night of the
performance; or they can be posted to you (in which case please
indicate this when sending the cheque).
Any queries or for more details, please email guillaume@cd.tp
or
ring 07771 692024.
Next month: TONUS PEREGRINUS at the York Early Music Festival,
and some news from the BBC...
Thank you for listening,
Antony Pitts
www.tonusperegrinus.co.uk
