Hans GÁL: Music for Voices, Volume One

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Catalogue No: TOCC0509
EAN/UPC: 5060113445094
Release Date: 2020-07-03
Composer: Hans Gál
Artists: Borealis, Bridget Budge, Stephen Muir

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Whether in his original home of Vienna, as a conservatoire director in Germany, or as an émigré in Edinburgh, where he became one of the mainstays of musical life, Hans Gál (1890–1987) championed choral singing as a way of directly involving people in making music: he founded and conducted a number of choirs and provided an extensive output of choral compositions. This first volume in a long-term project to record his choral music presents a rich variety of works for a cappella voices, ranging from demanding eight-part choruses to charming folksong settings.

Borealis
Bridget Budge (1 –14, 19–22)
and Stephen Muir (15–18), directors

Listen To This Recording:

    Motette, Op. 19 (1924)

  1. Motette, Op. 19

    2. Four Madrigals to Elizabethan Poems, Op. 51 (1939)

  2. No. 1, Youth and Cupid
  3. No. 2, True Love
  4. No. 3, A Cradle Song
  5. No. 4, Foolish Love

    6. Epigramme: Fünf Madrigale nach Gedichten von Lessing, Op. 27 (1926)

  6. No. 1, Stillleben
  7. No. 2, Hymnus
  8. No. 3,Vita brevis
  9. No. 4, Irrtum
  10. No. 5, Grabschrift

    11. Four Part-Songs (1966)*

  11. No. 1, To Spring
  12. No. 2, Madrigal
  13. No. 3, Hymn to Diana
  14. No. 4, Invocation

    15. Satirikon: Four Aphorisms, Op. 72 (1956)

  15. No. 1, Weisheit des Schöpfers
  16. No. 2, Gute Vorsätze
  17. No. 3, Von der Schicklichkeit
  18. No. 4, Von der Wahrheitsliebe

    19. Four British Folk-Songs (1969)

  19. No. 1, Early one morning
  20. No. 2, An Eriskay Love Lilt
  21. No. 3, O can ye sew cushions?
  22. No. 4, Ye Banks and Braes

ALL EXCEPT * FIRST RECORDINGS

4 reviews for Hans GÁL: Music for Voices, Volume One

  1. :

    ‘Hans Gal believed there was a need to restore the joy in music-making, and the chamber choir Borealis brings that quality to these mostly premiere recordings. […] Borealis handle both German and English with equal aplomb and it’s a delight to hear Gal being performed again.’

    —Brian Morton, Choir & Organ

  2. :

    ‘This new CD from Toccata Classics is a most welcome exploration of Hans Gál’s a cappella choral music. […]

    These Four British Folksongs could be successfully taken up by any well-trained choir. They deserve to be in the repertoire of choral societies. […]

    [Mottete] is a heartachingly beautiful work, that exploits the composer’s skill at part-writing. […] It is hard to understand why this ‘motet’ is not in every choir’s repertoire: it is quite wonderful. […]

    [The Four Madrigals to Elizabethan Poems, op. 51] are delightful settings, that are utterly timeless in their impact. […]

    The liner notes are up to Toccata Classic’s usual high standard and make valuable and learned reading. […] It is masterclass of its kind. There are the usual bios of the choir, Borealis and their musical directors. Finally, the texts of all the settings are given, along with translation where appropriate.

    Borealis, based in the North of England, was formed in 2016. They comprise a single choir of sixteen to twenty singers, directed by Bridget Budge and Stephen Muir. Their sound is an interesting blend of strength and intimacy, power, and reflection. […]

    Let us hope that Toccata Classics keeps these excellent surveys of Hans Gál coming. It is so good to discover an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of singable, enjoyable, approachable, and well-written choral music.’

    —John France, MusicWeb International

  3. :

    ‘[Borealis] The members are in tremendous form here, although it is not always possible to make out all the words, but the sharpness of their singing and discipline are really excellent. For all fans of a cappella singing, this is a fresh and interesting release of a composer whose music is making a comeback.’

    —Fanfare

  4. :

    ‘De exemplarische toelichting (alleen Engels en 40 pagina’s) is bij dochter Eva Fox-Gál in vertrouwde handen, de productie en opnametechniek evenzo bij Simon Fox-Gál, een kleinzoon van de componist. Het in 2016 opgerichte Britse ensemble Borealis (zestien professionele zangers) weet deze juweeltjes ideaal voor het voetlicht te brengen.’

    English translation:

    ‘The exemplary commentary (English only and 40 pages) is in the trusted hands of daughter Eva Fox-Gál, and the production and recording techniques are also in the hands of Simon Fox-Gál, a grandson of the composer. The British ensemble Borealis (sixteen professional singers), founded in 2016, is perfectly positioned to present these gems.’

    —Siebe Riedstra, Opus Klassiek

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