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Ferneyhough - Choral Works

£11.38

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Label: Metier

Cat No: MSV28501

Barcode: 0809730850127

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Vocal/Choral

Release Date: 14th May 2007

Works

Ferneyhough, Brian

Marian Motets (2)
Missa Brevis
Stelae for Failed Time
The Doctrines of Similarity

» Parts 1-5

Artists

BBC Singers
Lontano

Conductor

Odaline de la Martinez

Works

Ferneyhough, Brian

Marian Motets (2)
Missa Brevis
Stelae for Failed Time
The Doctrines of Similarity

» Parts 1-5

Artists

BBC Singers
Lontano

Conductor

Odaline de la Martinez

About

The works on this disc span 40 years of Brian Ferneyhough’s career with two of his earliest published compositions and two of his most recent. The gulf is underlined by the fact that one of the earlier works (the first of the two Marian Motets) was only completed in 2002, at which time Ferneyhough was working on his opera 'Shadowtime' (the Doctrine of Similarity forms the third scene of the opera). Since work on the piece followed on from the completion of the two choral scenes from the opera that figure on this CD, it seems logical that work on them showed him how to connect with his earlier persona and finally complete the motet.

It is noteworthy that in the late 1960s Ferneyhough was working on both a setting of the Latin mass but also on two Latin motets dedicated to the Virgin Mary. With the completion of Vatican II in 1965, Latin texts were not used liturgically in the Catholic Church and religious texts were not very common or popular in the avant-garde scene in Europe at the time. These pieces fall outside the generic scenarios into which they would normally expect to be found.

Odaline de la Martinez was born in Cuba and educated in the United States, finally settling in London where she studied at the Royal Academy of Music. She founded Lontano in 1976 and is responsible for the founding of the London Chamber Symphony, the European Women's Orchestra and, in 1992, LORELT (Lontano Records) which concentrates on areas neglected by many other recording companies. One of the liveliest and most enterprising musical personalities on the contemporary music scene, Martinez became the first woman to conduct an entire programme at a London Promenade Concert in 1984 and she continues to champion the cause of women musicians, Latin-American and contemporary music.

The BBC Singers are renowned for their commitment to contemporary music, commissioning and recording works by many of the most important composers of our time. With a diverse repertoire that spans back to the fifteenth century, they are in constant demand for performances at key festivals throughout the world, in radio and television broadcasts in the UK and abroad, and on many important commercial CD recordings. As ambassadors for the British choral scene, the importance of their work extends out from their work for the BBC to the wider musical community.

Lontano has established itself as one of Britain's most exciting and versatile exponents of new music. Their work includes themed seasons in London, opera and music-theatre productions, workshops and educational projects, concerts and tours throughout the world.