BLUE WHEAT
A Harvest of American Folk Songs
- The Seattle Times wrote:
One of the loveliest choral discs to emerge in a long time, . . . the seamless blend and rich sound of what is probably America's best chorus. . .- From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
The songs performed by the 40-voice Dale Warland Singers -- one of the finest choruses in the world not conducted by Robert Shaw -- can be enjoyed simply for their unforgettable melodies.- From the Hartford Courant:
Brilliant arrangements. . . and truly breathtaking recorded sound.- From the The Choral Review:
This recording. . . is an example of outstanding American choral singing and appealing, intelligent disc programming. . . If you're looking for a sound to emulate, new repertoire to program, or just a satisfying hour of listening, you'll find it all here.- And in the American Record Guide:
. . . some of the loveliest choral singing I've heard in a long time.
DECEMBER STILLNESS
- The Scranton Sunday Times wrote:
The chance to hear choral music sung this well is truly a rarity. And, one of the purposes of the DWS is to present as much new music as it can, to the constant delight and surprise of its fans. December Stillness shows why the chorale has acquired this dedicated following. The exquisite detailing in Howells' Long, long ago, for instance, can make an audience catch its breath. And the balances so crucial in Pårt's Magnificat seem almost inherent to these impressive choristers.Most of the literature on these 12 tracks will be new to the record buyer. All the more reason to experience them this way the first time around. From Penderecki's Ixhe xeruvimy to Paulus' Evensong and Heitzeg's little tree, there is a caliber of singing that has few peers. One can have nothing but praise for the chorus and certainly for its director, intrepid as he is in seeking out the absolute best of what has been or is being written in our time.
- From the American Record Guide:
Looking for some truly unusual Christmas music? Here are 12 rarely -- if ever -- recorded selections; all modern or contemporary, much dating from 1987-93!. . . The most adventurous work in the collection is Evensong by Stephen Paulus (1990). An English translation of a 19th-century poem of Matthias Claudius is expressive with its close harmonies made daring with many second intervals in motion.
The Dale Warland Singers rise gloriously to all musical difficulties and have a big sound.
- From the Seattle Times:
The 12 choral works here are mostly, but not exclusively, Christmas pieces. Likely to become some of your seasonal favorites, almost all are a cappella, but a few have a guitar or a harp accompanying the most gorgeous of choruses. . . if you are looking for a nice four-part setting of Silent Night, this one isn't for you -- but it's for everyone else.- From the Orange County Register:
The disc is introspective, contemplative listening that does not sacrifice intelligence or depth.- The choral music critic for BBC Music Magazine wrote:
. . . Dale Warland founded his mellifluous ensemble back in the Seventies, and it has been giving pleasure ever since. . . just a few of the things that make this disc so outstanding are its well-judged repertoire, its fine sense of extended upper line (too legato for some?), its beautiful, immaculate, pure tone and sheer sensitivity to word, phrase, tuning, and balance. In short, it simply refuses to put a foot wrong.Sample their neatly intoned triads, sustained drones and precise intervals in Penderecki's appealing, approachable 'Song of the Cherubim'; or the crystal-clear soprano leads, evocative trios or semi-choruses and ticking lower-voice ostinatos in Pårt, Poulenc, Howells and Stravinsky -- all set in a spectacularly clean, enhancing acoustic (as pure as the singing itself).
. . . It's splendid, melting stuff, beautifully managed, finely recorded and balanced, impeccably tuned and enchantingly sung.
(Five Stars for Performance, Five Stars for Sound, and an Outstanding Rating)
CATHEDRAL CLASSICS
The music critics were unqualified in their praise of Cathedral Classics:
- From the Seattle Times:
This disc is to the best-selling Chant as a full-course gourmet dinner is to a piece of Melba toast. The choral textures are unbelievably rich and lovely, yet Cathedral Classics also speaks to that contemplative and spiritual aspect that has sent so many disc buyers in search of Gregorian chant. . .[Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber] is sung with seamless continuity in a performance of mighty emotional impact. . .
As you listen to those voices climb and intertwine in the Barber, and negotiate the double-chorus intricacies of the Martin, and soar aloft in the Allegri, you may well come to the same conclusion that I did: I've never heard a better chorus.
- From the American Record Guide:
The singing by this 40-voice professional chorus is gorgeous. Dissonances glow, melismas are cuddled with affection and great warmth, and there is a spirituality you can cut with a knife.- From the Portland Oregonian:
This disc will stop you in your tracks. . . Barber's Agnus Dei is the composer's choral transcription of his most famous work, the Adagio for Strings, familiar as the soundtrack to the movie "Platoon". But as searching and tragic as the string version is, voices hit home with more punch because of their humanness.The long build to the climax will raise your neck hairs: Eight minutes of wonder.
The singing by the Dale Warland Singers is peerless. The sopranos shoot straight to the heart of pitches without turning strident. The acoustics linger at the climaxes. This is a disc to treasure.
- From Fanfare Magazine:
Gorgeous.- From CD Review Magazine:
This is one of the very few truly American choirs whose excellent and distinctive sound just could encourage some imitators from across the Atlantic -- instead of the other way around.- From the Courier-Post:
. . . an unmatched musical experience. . . a performance of luminous beauty.- From the Musical Times:
. . . a truly magnificent performance [of the Mass by Frank Martin].
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