Lux Aeterna (2022)

£18.00

‘A sequence for the souls of the departed, to be heard by those who remember them’ is Owain Park’s summing up The Gesualdo Six’s sixth album. Tallis and Byrd beautifully capture a sense of powerlessness in their works, asking for forgiveness and protection. The pieces by Tavener and Morales present a series of questions, seeking reassurance for those whose lives are at an end. Settings by Eleanor Daley and Joanna Marsh call on us to enjoy all that life has to offer, with a reminder not to let grief overwhelm us.

Description

We are delighted to present our sixth album, Lux Aeterna (2022).


About the CD Grief touches all of us at some point during our lives, affecting each person in different ways. The music on this album is intended to illustrate some of the possible emotions therein, exploring musical responses to mourning and loss. In broad terms we focus on three perspectives: uncertainty, acknowledgement and hope. Tallis and Byrd beautifully capture a sense of powerlessness in their works, asking for forgiveness and protection. The pieces by Tavener and Morales present a series of questions, seeking reassurance for those whose lives are at an end. Settings by Eleanor Daley and Joanna Marsh call on us to enjoy all that life has to offer, with a reminder not to let grief overwhelm us. When putting this album together, we particularly wanted to explore shades of positivity: there is hope to be found in knowing that the good someone has brought into the world will live on after they have passed. If you like, this is a sequence for the souls of the departed, to be heard by those who remember them. Owain Park © 2022


Reviews

“This exquisite programme… is a thoughtful exploration of grief and remembrance. … From the opening phrase… to the last note… the music is flawlessly performed.” – Choir & Organ Magazine (Clare Stevens)


Tracklist

Keep me as the apple of an eye  Neil Cox (b.1955)

In ieiunio et fletu  Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585)

Lumen  Donna McKevitt (b.1970)

Funeral Ikos  Sir John Tavener (1944-2013) 

And there was war in heaven  Howard Skempton (b.1947) 

Parce mihi, Domine  Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500-1553)

Peccantem me quotidie  William Byrd (1539/40-1623)

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts Z58c  Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Sequence: In Parenthesis  Owain Park (b.1993)

For the fallen  Douglas Guest (1916-1996)

In remembrance  Eleanor Daley (b.1955)

Present yourselves as a living sacrifice  James O’Donnell (b.1961)

I take thee  Joanna Marsh (b.1970)

Communio: Lux aeterna  Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500-1553)

A Good-Night  Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012)