Description
We are delighted to present our eighth album, Morning Star (2023) which was released on Friday 3 November 2023 and is now available to order.
About the CD Step into an enchanting sequence of festive works for the season of Epiphany. Amidst the cold and frosty nights, composers capture a sense of anticipation at what the new year may bring. This album weaves together beloved seasonal carols spanning across centuries and bringing warmth to the winter’s embrace.
Traditionally in the UK, the days preceding Twelfth Night have an air of post-Christmas lull. It’s a sleepy time, as we look expectantly to the promise of a new year. Days are cold and short, glistening with frost and punctuated by long, dark nights.
But then there is ‘Little Christmas’—Epiphany, which comes from the Greek ‘epiphaneia’, meaning ‘appearance’, and which is one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian Church. The revelation of Jesus Christ to the world, the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana are all celebrated at this time. Following an old tradition, those who forget to take down their Christmas trees on Epiphany eve must leave them untouched until Candlemas: it is this period which forms the musical timeline for much of this album.
There is no shortage of wonderful repertoire to explore at this time of year. Full of hope and joy, much of it alluding to the ‘morning star’, it offers a promise of renewal and rebirth. These works remind us to celebrate the gifts we have received, and to wonder at the mystical alchemy described in the Epiphany story. On this album we weave a tapestry of well-known seasonal carols together with Renaissance gems and highlights from the twenty-first century. We hope that the music contained here reflects the joy we had performing it, as we return to the chapel at Trinity College in Cambridge, where we made our first festive album a few years ago. Owain Park © 2023
Reviews
“The Gesualdo Six are an ensemble that produces reliably at the highest vocal level, and they also succeed here with a fine repertoire for Epiphany. There are many magical moments to be experienced.” – Magazin Klassik (Matthias Lange)
“Morning Star (Hyperion), is utterly compelling; first-class performances of first-class repertoire. Their account of Byrd’s Ecce advenit … is a masterclass in one-per-part singing. Each line is rich in character, yet no part obtrudes. Like Geist’s violins, the voices seem to dance together in the opening section, often in pairs, and the extended imitation at the end of the Gloria Patri (“et in saecula saeculorum”) is captivating. The purity of tone, balance and fine tuning that has earnt the Gesualdo Six such recognition is immediately apparent in “Mirabile mysterium” of Jacob Handl. … Kudos especially to countertenor Guy James, primus inter pares on this track. Alongside Byrd, Handl and others are excellent pieces by living composers, including Arvo Pärt, Joanna Marsh and the group’s founder, Owain Park.” – Catholic Herald (Alex Hodgkinson)
★★★★★ Performance | ★★★★★ Recording
“Their style of singing – perfectly blended vocal harmony, exquisite tuning, inventive phrasing, delicately poised textural clarity – provides a magical accompaniment to the warmth of the Christmas season. … There are many engrossing and lovely musical experiences here.” – BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Month (Anthony Pryer)
“This year’s chart topper is a deep dive that reflects on the true meaning of Christmas. Morning Star, from The Gesualdo Six and conductor Owain Park, combines seasonal Renaissance music with contemporary settings of inspirational poetry. … Park’s curatorial skills have come up with something quietly profound and the singing is heavenly. True food for thought.” – Limelight Editor’s Choice (Clive Paget)
“In terms of gleaming vocal purity, The Gesualdo Six, directed by Owain Park, are hard to beat. Their Morning Star (Hyperion) takes its title from Arvo Pärt but combines chant and early works (by Lassus, Byrd, Clemens non Papa) with new works by Joanna Marsh, Judith Bingham and Adrian Peacock. Park’s own O Send Out Thy Light is lyrical and radiant. Not so new but still beautiful, Herbert Howells’s Here Is the Little Door stands out. The dominant mood is quietude, contemplation.” – The Guardian (Fiona Maddocks)
Tracklist
The Three Kings Peter Cornelius
INTROIT: Ecce advenit dominator Plainchant
Maria wallt zum Heiligtum Johannes Eccard
Ecce advenit Dominator Dominus William Byrd
GRADUAL: Omnes de Saba venient Plainchant
In Winter’s House Joanna Marsh
Mirabile mysterium Jacob Handl
Here is the little door Herbert Howells
ALLELUIA: Vidimus stellam Plainchant
Magi veniunt ab oriente C. non Papa
Morning Star Arvo Pärt
There is no rose Adrian Peacock
OFFERTORY: Reges Tharsis Plainchant
Tribus miraculis Lassus
Oh, send out thy light Owain Park
COMMUNION: Vidimus stellam Plainchant
In Mary’s Love Judith Bingham
Illuminare Jerusalem Manchicourt
Bethlehem of noblest cities Trad. arr. Park
