Recorded live at The Carillon, Austin, TX
December 9 & 10, 2008
CD $20 each
(+ shipping)
Orders are now being taken by phone (512) 476-5775, mail, or by fax (512) 481-1676. ORDER FORM to fax or mail. Personal checks and all major credit cards are accepted.
JUST RELEASED!
Recorded live at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.
CDs $20 each
DVDs $24 each
(+ shipping)
Orders are now being taken by phone (512) 476-5775, mail, or by fax (512) 481-1676. ORDER FORM to fax or mail. Personal checks and all major credit cards are accepted.
CD signing and release party for Craig Hella Johnson’s first solo album, Thorns on the Rose, Thurs., March 12th, 5:00-6:30PM, at Waterloo Records, 6th and Lamar. Refreshments provided by Shiner.
Conspirare’s gifted Artistic Director and Conductor Craig Hella Johnson shares another side to his musical personality in his first ever solo CD as singer/pianist/songwriter and arranger, Thorns on the Rose. Conspirare fans around the country who know Johnson’s extraordinary gifts as conductor and creator of innovative and moving programs will be delighted by this additional aspect of his artistry. One noted collaborator recently said of Johnson: “When he sings, everything in the room just stops and time stands still. His singing speaks directly to the heart.” Thorns on the Rose is an exquisite and fascinating mix of songs– covers of Bob Dylan, Billy Jo Shaver and Eliza Gilkyson as well as four of Johnson’s originals, set to original lyrics and poems of Emily Dickinson and Tagore. The final track, a hauntingly beautiful rendition of “Killing Me Softly,” is a memorable culmination to this extraordinary debut album. In all Thorns on the Rose is a fascinating hybrid of pop, folk ballads and art songs. The arrangements are fresh and unique, the singing is magnificent and heartfelt. Thorns on the Rose is destined to become a cherished classic.
Visit Craig’s website to see more about this release.
By David Vernier (ClassicsToday.com)
Artistic Quality: 10
Sound Quality: 10
Thirty-year-old British composer Tarik O’Regan has been very favorably represented on recordings so far–his Scattered Rhymes (type Q11590 in Search Reviews) was issued to very positive reviews earlier this year, sharing a program (as well as musical and structural ideas) with Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame. If you heard that work and liked it, you’ll find much more to enjoy here; if you found the going through the three sections of Scattered Rhymes a bit difficult, you absolutely should not hesitate to give this program a listen. The seven works on offer here, all recorded for the first time (several commissioned for this CD), are not only significant and eminently worthy entries into the modern choral repertoire, but they also are accessible in the best sense of the word–that is, the music immediately reveals itself and rewards careful, serious listening. There’s nothing to “figure out”, no detailed explanations to read before listening (although the composer’s brief notes on each work are useful and informative)–rather, O’Regan’s intentions and realization of the texts speak for themselves through artful, consistently engaging choral writing. Continue reading >
