Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Welcome Joy – A Celebration of Women’s Voices (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:22:21 minutes | 1,22 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Chandos
For their second album on Chandos, Freddie Crowley and his Corvus Consort – joined by the harpist Louise Thomson – turn their attention to a rich vein of choral music written for women’s voices and harp. Gustav Holst was a champion of women’s voices and taught in several girls’ schools, most famously at St Paul’s Girls’ School, Hammersmith, where he worked for almost thirty years. His contribution to this genre is represented by three works: Two Eastern Pictures, Dirge and Hymeneal, and more substantially his Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda. These works provide a frame for the bulk of the programme – mostly written by British women. Works by Imogen Holst and Elizabeth Poston lead us towards the more recent generations – Judith Weir, Gemma McGregor, and on to Olivia Sparkhall, and Hilary Campbell. The Indian composer Shruthi Rajasekar was invited to compose for this programme in response to the Third Group of Gustav Holst’s Choral Hymns. Both Ushas – Goddess of Dawn and Priestess not only add exciting new repertoire for these unusual forces, but explore directly Holst’s engagement with ancient Hindu texts.
Tracklist:
01. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: I. Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow (01:40)
02. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: II. Teignmouth (01:46)
03. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: III. Over the Hill and over the Dale (01:01)
04. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: IV. O Sorrow (03:09)
05. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: V. Lullaby (02:39)
06. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: VI. Shed no Tear (01:35)
07. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Two Eastern Pictures, H112: I. Spring (02:03)
08. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Two Eastern Pictures, H 112: II. Summer (03:32)
09. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Weir: We sekyn here rest (04:11)
10. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Campbell: Our Endless Day (03:52)
11. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: I. A Bellman’s Song (01:29)
12. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: II. Te lucis ante terminum (01:49)
13. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: III. A Night Curse (01:21)
14. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: IV. Lemady: Maying Song (04:01)
15. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: V. A Charm against the Bumble Bee (03:06)
16. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: VI. Interlude for Harp (02:10)
17. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: VII. The Noonday Heat (02:16)
18. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: VIII. Running Set: Spring (01:44)
19. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: IX. Evening Song (The Priest’s Chant) (01:38)
20. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: X. Sweet Suffolk Owl (02:14)
21. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Poston: An English Day-Book: XI. A Bellman’s Song (Mvt 1 abridged) (01:00)
22. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Sparkhall: Lux Aeterna (04:33)
23. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – McGregor: Love was his meaning (03:52)
24. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: I. Hymn to the Dawn (03:19)
25. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: II. Hymn to the Waters (02:17)
26. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: III. Hymn to Vena (The Sun Rising through the Mist) (05:22)
27. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: IV. Hymn of the Travellers (02:41)
28. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Rajasekar: Ushās – Goddess of Dawn (03:36)
29. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Rajasekar: Priestess (03:43)
30. Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley – Holst: Dirge and Hymeneal, H 124 (04:29)
