Ola Gjeilo – Ola Gjeilo: Voices, Piano, Strings (2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Ola Gjeilo – Ola Gjeilo: Voices, Piano, Strings (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 47:31 minutes | 869 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.

The young Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo (say YAY-lo) studied at the Juilliard School and has lived in New York and Italy. It’s not clear how much contemporary Christian music he might have absorbed while in the U.S. (New York is probably not a top market for the genre), but the sacred pieces here contain passages that evoke the so-called praise & worship music within that genre, with light choral polyphony over a backdrop of piano and/or strings. Other pieces lean more toward Philip Glass, and yet others toward a cappella music in John Rutter’s more artless vein. How you feel about these models may determine your reaction to Gjeilo, but there’s no doubt that he welds these semi-popular styles together skillfully: a piece may begin with a pop piano introduction (played by Gjeilo himself) and then recede to choral melodic material in a chantlike vein. Gjeilo’s music is economical and not pompous in the least. Perhaps the most effective piece here, and a place to start sampling, is Tundra (track nine), a setting of a text by Charles Anthony Silvestri depicting a slice of Norwegian landscape. The utter simplicity of Gjeilo’s music here matches the words, but there is nothing derivative about either of them. The performances by the top-notch choirs Tenebrae and Voces8 are superb. Those interested in choral music in crossover styles will find a distinctive take on that new tradition here. ~~ AllMusic Review by James Manheim

Tracklist:
01. Voces8, Ola Gjeilo – Ubi Caritas (05:22)
02. Tenebrae, The Chamber Orchestra Of London – The Spheres (04:17)
03. Tenebrae, Ola Gjeilo, The Chamber Orchestra Of London – The Ground (03:38)
04. Tenebrae – Sanctus: London (04:47)
05. Ola Gjeilo, Thomas Gould, Ciaran McCabe, Jon Thorne, Matthew Sharp – The Crossing (03:37)
06. Voces8 – Northern Lights (04:08)
07. Tenebrae, Ola Gjeilo, Kristian Kvalvaag, Thomas Gould, Ciaran McCabe, Jon Thorne, Matthew Sharp – The Lake Isle (06:18)
08. Tenebrae, Matthew Sharp, Kristian Kvalvaag – Serenity (O magnum mysterium) (05:08)
09. Tenebrae, Ola Gjeilo, Thomas Gould, Ciaran McCabe, Jon Thorne, Matthew Sharp – Tundra (03:35)
10. Ola Gjeilo, Thomas Gould, Ciaran McCabe, Jon Thorne, Matthew Sharp – Reflections (01:53)
11. Voces8, Ben Hancox, Hannah Dawson, Simone Van Der Giessen, Matthew Sharp – Sacred Heart (Ubi caritas III) (04:41)

Personnel:
Ola Gjeilo, Klavier
Voces8
Tenebrae
Nigel Short, Direktor
Chamber Orchestra of London
Thomas Gould, Leitung
String Quartet:
Thomas Gould, Violine
Ciaran McCabe, Violine
Jon Thorne, Viola
Matthew Sharp, Cello

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