Album Notes

Cary Boyce's oratorio Dreams within a Dream, for soprano, chorus, and orchestra, crosses the night with dreams archetypical of the human experience: dreams of love, loss, terror, death, and ultimate revelation. The composer has assembled and set dream texts from various poets into representations of our hopes and fears, in a work of remarkable beauty. Commissioned and premiered by the Bloomington Chamber Singers, this recording is based on the premiere performance in May, 2003.

The Lark Ascending, one of Ralph Vaughan Williams' best-loved works from the first half of the 20th century, is for violin solo and orchestra. A kind of lyric soliloquy for the violin supported by the orchestra, it offers a pastoral view of the English countryside as evinced by the song of the lark as portrayed by the violin, played here with stunning musicality by internationally renowned violinist Corey Cerovsek.

" 'Dreams...' is the kind of subtly compelling music that continues to reward with repeated hearings. Its surfaces only hint at the mesmerizing treasures to be discovered within its depths -- much as the title suggests. Boyce's sensitivity to text, texture, timbre and meaning combine to create music full of drama and transcendence. From the same sound world as Benjamin Britten, Samuel Barber and George Crumb. Don't overlook this gem. Artfully paired with a rapturous performance of Vaughn Williams' 'The Lark Ascending.'" -- Margaret Barela

"Dreams produces a dream of a result...Boyce's new oratorio is an honest, inspired, and deftly crafted work." -- Herald Times