Herbert Howells's 'Take him, earth, for cherishing' was written in memory of John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, for a memorial service in Washington in 1964.
Composition History
David Lang's 'protect yourself from infection' was commissioned for an exhibition commemorating a 1918 Spanish Flu parade in Philadelphia that became a major vector for the disease.
Compositional Technique
Bernstein's Chichester Psalms were originally scored for brass, percussion, and strings, but he also created a version for organ, harp, and percussion, which is performed on this album.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bernstein used material from an abandoned musical of 'The Skin of Our Teeth' and a cut chorus from 'West Side Story' in his Chichester Psalms.
Composer Biography
Jennifer Higdon, a celebrated orchestral composer, has won a Pulitzer Prize for her Violin Concerto and three Grammy Awards for her concertos for Percussion, Viola, and Harp.
Composition History
Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms were commissioned by Reverend Walter Hussey for the 1965 Southern Choirs Festival in Chichester, UK.
Recording & Production
The names sung in David Lang's 'protect yourself from infection' were updated for this recording to honor Critical Care staff from Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
