Album Notes

Silent Noon, the Capital City Men's Chorus' first commercial release, commemorates the ensemble's tenth concert season. Silent Noon is an exploration of various kinds of love as seen by composers throughout time. Lost love is mourned in Monteverdi's "Amor," spiritual love is celebrated with the "Ave Maria" of Arcadelt, and the love of a father for his child is sung in the traditional "Irish Lullabye."

Remember the shyness of your first encounter with Randall Thomspon's touching "The Pasture," polish up your best pick up lines to the tune of Da Nola's lusty madrigal "Chi la gagliarda," and reflect on the final good-bye with "Song of Parting." This recording has been hailed as "a work of art" and is certain to be a fine addition to your choral music collection!

Review: I've been a long time fan and supporter of Capital City, but nothing in my experience with them before could have prepared me for this experience. This is one of the most relaxing 40 minute collections I've heard in a long time. In fact, with the single exception of the third cut, "Chi la gagliarda," the whole recording is a lush paen to beauty and peace.

It starts with a gorgeous presentation of a canzonette by Monteverdi for soprano, men's chorus, and guitar. I cannot tell you how much I love to sing and listen to Monteverdi (Purcell occupies a similar place in my palate). This interpretation is absolutely melting; it actually made me stop what I was doing on first hearing and revel in this tiny work by one of the top five masters of all Western music.

Jumping ahead a century or so, the men of Capital City sing an a cappella highRenaissance Ave Maria which proves the perfect foil to the Monteverdi, the solo and secular affections of the former sublimating into the choral and sacred of the latter.

Lest the listener get the impression that we're going too off the serious music end of the spectrum, the third cut, translated, "Whoever would learn to dance the gaillard" takes him into the pre-Victorian shameless delight with sexual double meanings. This text of this dance-song suggests that one best learns to screw from a dominating master - all in terms of learning to do courtly dances from the ubiquitous dancing masters of the age, of course.

After a bow to Randall Thompson's setting of Robert Frost's "The Pasture," and with the single exception of the choral arrangement of Vaughan Williams gorgeous setting of Rosetti's poem entitled, Silent Noon, we enter the realm of contemporary composers who have written or arranged works for the GALA movement in general and Capital City in particular.

I am especially fond of the Michelangelo settings, since I have been a fan of his poetry long before I knew he was homosexual. But the real jewel of this group, if not of the entire recording, is the "Irish Lullabye" set by the conductor himself for his niece.

Everything that makes a group work well - the training of the director and accompanist, the passion and compassion of the singers, as well as all those unverbalized points of understanding and communication that are the product of a long rehearsal and performance relationship - conspire to make this the find of the CD.

Oh, hell. Why don't I just say it? I wish *I* wrote it. I have only to add, at this point, that I have always admired Karl Logue's accompaniment. As a firm believer that it is the responsibility of the conductor and accompanist to create an environment in which the singers can feel free to do their best in performance, I cannot over-recommend Karl's technique and his sensitivity in realizing his part of this dual role with Jeffrey.

The results are there for all to hear on the recording. And I have, the many times I've played the CD since Jeffrey sent it to me a week or so ago.