Ešenvalds: Northern Lights, Stars & Other Choral Works The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge & Stephen Layton

• Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977): O salutaris hostia:
• 1 Ešenvalds: O salutaris hostia 03:30
• The New Moon:
• 2 Ešenvalds: The New Moon 04:14
• Psalm 67:
• 3 Ešenvalds: Psalm 67 05:28
• Trinity Te Deum:
• 4 Ešenvalds: Trinity Te Deum 06:41
• Northern Lights:
• 5 Ešenvalds: Northern Lights 05:56
• The Heavens' Flock:
• 6 Ešenvalds: The Heavens' Flock 03:28
• The Earthly Rose:
• 7 Ešenvalds: The Earthly Rose 03:25
• Merton College Service (2013):
• 8 Ešenvalds: Merton College Service (2013): I. Magnificat 03:39
• 9 Ešenvalds: Merton College Service (2013): II. Nunc dimittis 02:45
• Rivers of Light:
• 10 Ešenvalds: Rivers of Light 05:35
• Ubi caritas:
• 11 Ešenvalds: Ubi caritas 02:46
• Amazing Grace:
• 12 Ešenvalds: Amazing Grace 04:47
• O Emmanuel:
• 13 Ešenvalds: O Emmanuel 02:44
• Who Can Sail Without the Wind?:
• 14 Ešenvalds: Who Can Sail Without the Wind? 03:05
• Stars:
• 15 Ešenvalds: Stars 04:27
• Only in Sleep:
• 16 Ešenvalds: Only in Sleep 05:17
• Total Runtime 01:07:47

Info for Ešenvalds: Northern Lights, Stars & Other Choral Works

The intensely practical choral music of the young Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds is steadily gaining appreciation across the world. The works on this new album owe their genesis to commissions from the United States, England and northern Europe and encompass ethereal expressions of uniquely arctic phenomena (listen for wine glasses turned—and tuned—to wondrously simple but devastating effect within the choral texture), American ballads and several works in the ‘Anglican tradition’, the fruits of the composer’s recent residency at Trinity College Cambridge.

Trinity College Choir Cambridge here returns the compliment, as it were, with superlative performances of these varied and engaging works, all recorded under the watchful eye of the composer and conductor Stephen Layton.

"One of the chief pleasures of this album is right at the beginning - the silvery duetting of Rachel Ambrose Evans and Hannah Partridge...Their fluid delivery of the little grace notes is delectable, and Stephen Layton secures a perfect balance with the choir in the background. Ešenvalds's music, is not quite easy listening, is certainly audience-friendly...what a force the Trinity choir has become." (BBC)

"Trinity College's choir sounds as though its members relish the experience of recording his music. The sonority is secure from top to bottom...I find Ešenvalds at his most convincing when dwelling on natural phenomena of his homeland...lovers of this corner of the choral repertoire will find here much to enjoy." (Gramophone)

"Ēriks Ešenvalds once again confirms that his worldwide success is no accident – building further on his reputation of being a versatile composer, particularly in the field of choir music, Northern Lights reaffirms his place among other distinguished contemporary composers. Ešenvalds’ music continues to enthrall both performers and audiences alike, and there is no reason why his reputation should not grow and expand with the release of Northern Lights, which will hopefully deservedly make his music known to even more listeners worldwide. Conductor Stephen Layton, along with the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, should be commended not just for this excellent performance, but also for raising the profile of the composer, whose ability to write music that deeply affects listeners not just in Latvia, all over the world is a rare talent." (Egils Kaljo, Latvians Online)

Choir of Trinity College Cambridge
Stephen Layton, conductor

Stephen Layton
Awarded with an MBE for services to classical music in October 2020, Stephen Layton is one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation, whose ground-breaking approach has had a profound influence on choral music over the last 30 years. Often described as the finest exponent of choral music in the world today, Layton is regularly invited to work with the world’s leading choirs, orchestras and composers. His interpretations have been heard from Sydney Opera House to the Concertgebouw, from Tallinn to São Paolo, and his recordings have won or been nominated for every major international recording award. He has two Gramophone Awards and a further ten nominations, five Grammy nominations, the Diapason d’Or de l’Année in France, the Echo Klassik award in Germany, the Spanish CD compact award, and Australia’s Limelight Recording of the Year.

Founder and Director of Polyphony, and Director of Holst Singers, Layton has recently announced he is to step down as Fellow and Director of Music at Trinity College Cambridge in the summer of 2023. His former posts include Chief Conductor of Netherlands Chamber Choir, Chief Guest Conductor of Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of City of London Sinfonia, and Director of Music at the Temple Church, London.

Layton is constantly in demand to premiere new works by the greatest established and emerging composers of our age. A longstanding partnership with Arvo Pärt has resulted in premiere performances and award-winning recordings, including three discs with Polyphony on Hyperion. With the late Sir John Tavener, premieres include Layton’s bold realisation of his epic seven-hour vigil The Veil of the Temple, a new departure in British choral music. Passionate in his exploration of new music, Layton has introduced a vast range of new choral works to the UK and the rest of the world, transforming the music into some of the most widely performed today. His long association with music from the Baltic includes acclaimed recordings of works by Eriks Ešenvalds, Uģis Prauliņš and Veljo Tormis. His captivating discs, with Polyphony, of the American Morten Lauridsen’s Lux aeterna and Eric Whitacre’s Cloudburst were nominated for Grammy Awards, with Cloudburst spending a year in the USA’s Billboard Classical Album Chart. On the Deutsche Grammophon label, Layton and Polyphony recently recorded a disc of Karl Jenkins’ Motets which entered the Classical Artist Albums Chart at No. 1 during the week of its release, and on Decca they recorded Karl Jenkins’ Miserere with the Britten Sinfonia.

Layton’s recordings have consistently broken new ground, creating a new sound world in British choral music that continues to influence and inform conductors and choirs throughout the world. Award-winning discs with Polyphony include Britten’s Sacred and Profane, James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross and Poulenc’s Gloria. In a recent Gramophone critics’ poll of the world’s 20 greatest choirs, not only was Polyphony voted second finest, but The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge also made it into the top five: confounding expectation, Layton had led a student choir into the highest ranks. Now the choir tours at the highest international level and records prolifically, recently receiving a Gramophone award, a Grammy nomination, and Australia’s Limelight Recording of the Year.

Layton guest-conducts widely, working with and inspiring the world’s finest choirs and orchestras: Netherlands Chamber Choir; Danish National Vocal Ensemble; SWR Vokalensemble, MDR Leipzig and NDR Hamburg Radio Choirs in Germany; Latvian State and Radio Choirs, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and Voces Musicales in the Baltic; Polish Radio, NFM, and Wroclaw Philharmonic Choirs; Slovenian Philharmonic Choir; Eric Ericsson Chamber Choir, Stockholm; Die Konzertisten, Hong Kong; and the inaugural concert of Yale Center for Music and Liturgy at Carnegie Hall. With Britten Sinfonia, his eight highly acclaimed recordings include Handel’s Messiah (“Best Messiah recording” – BBC Music Magazine); with City of London Sinfonia (where Layton succeeded Richard Hickox as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor), tours included Latin America and premieres uniting cathedral choristers across Britain; and with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment he has recorded Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, B Minor Mass and St John Passion.

Layton’s interpretations of Bach and Handel have been heard with orchestras ranging from Academy of Ancient Music to the London Philharmonic and Philadelphia orchestras. Performances include Messiah in Sydney Opera House, the first staged St John Passion with English National Opera, and regular BBC broadcasts. He has worked with London Sinfonietta; BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Opera North; Scottish and Australian chamber orchestras; Auckland Philharmonia; Seattle, Queensland, Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian symphony orchestras; and Minnesota, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National and Hallé orchestras. Layton is also Artistic Director of the Annual Christmas Festival at St John’s Smith Square.

Layton continues to innovate, taking bold and original steps, and leading the way in the use of new technologies in choral music. Everything sung by The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge is webcast live and available to listen again online. Layton was the first in the world to webcast every single note sung in this way, laying bare the music-making without any digital editing. This searchable archive of over 4,000 musical tracks recorded live forms an invaluable resource for listeners around the world and forms a major part of his legacy to the Choir.

Booklet for Ešenvalds: Northern Lights, Stars & Other Choral Works