Stabat Mater: Choral Works by Arvo Pärt
ARTISTS: Gloriæ Dei Cantores, Richard K, Pugsley (Conductor)
CO-PRODUCERS: Richard K. Pugsley, Paul Tingley
SOUND ENGINEERS: Brad Michel, Dan Pfeiffer
COMPOSER: Arvo Pärt
LABEL: Gloriæ Dei Cantores | 709887006524
This recording offers a unique cross-section of Pärt’s choral works, revealing the heart, soul and mind of a true master of his language in both text and music. “Pärt’s music bypasses the intellect and auditory understanding and reaches the very soul itself. This, I believe is what draws me, our choir and, quite possibly the listener to the intrigue, curiosity and peace of Mr. Pärt’s musical prayers and stories.” (Conductor, Richard K. Pugsley). His sense of stillness and silence in a harried world and his illumination of the text through evolving harmonies touches the heart and soul of the listener.
Composer
Arvo Pärt
Modest about his achievements yet authentically convinced about the role of his music in today’s world, Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) is today’s most performed “classical” composer. For the past forty years, Pärt’s compositions have shown and spoken the influence of multiple layers and global influences – the music of the Orthodox Church, bells, Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, a compositional technique he developed called “tintinnabuli”, and…silence. “Tintinnabuli,” has been called a “theology” expressing the composer’s search for truth, beauty, and purity and a profound and personal sense that life and faith cannot be separated.
The photo of Arvo Pärt in this Stabat Mater recording booklet package is used with special permission from The Arvo Pärt Centre. Reviews and press for Stabat Mater: Choral Works by Arvo Pärt have been placed on file in the Archives at The Arvo Pärt Centre.
For more information, visit arvopart.ee
Conductor
Richard K. Pugsley
— NAXOS of America
Conductor
Richard K. Pugsley
“Richard K. Pugsley conducts with clarity, sensitivity and an instinct for high impact moments.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice
“Conductor Richard K. Pugsley reveals the details of each composition with a rare sensitivity and luminosity.”
— New York Classical Review
Richard K. Pugsley has conducted the internationally recognized Gloriæ Dei Cantores for over 15 years, and performed with the choir in concert halls and churches in 24 countries throughout Europe, Russia, and North America for over 20 years.
Known for his musical sensitivity, artistic elegance, and performance authenticity, Pugsley is passionately committed to enlivening the sacred texts of choral music as relevant and present encounters of sung prayer.
Maestro Pugsley has directed the choir in numerous operatic and choral concert performances at the Church of the Transfiguration including Carissimi’s Jephtha, Handel’s Messiah, Israel in Egypt, and Saul; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors; and J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. He directed the New England, USA premiere of The Pilgrim’s Progress by Vaughan Williams, as well as concerts of Walton’s The Twelve, Poulenc’s Gloria, Duruflé’s Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, and Finzi’s Intimations of Immortality, For St. Cecilia, and Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice.
In addition to being conductor of both choral and orchestra ensembles, Pugsley has been hailed as an extraordinary teacher and coach of vocal technique. His own performance as the lead baritone in the New England premiere of Pilgrim’s Progress won accolades from the Boston Globe.
Pugsley has produced over 30 recordings both choral and instrumental on the Paraclete Recordings record label, and is a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in the Producers and Engineers wing. He most recently produced Gloriæ Dei Cantores’ collaborative recording of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil which was released in January of 2017.
A tenacious advocate for youth music education, Pugsley has also directed workshops with thousands of students throughout the world—using the medium of music to inspire young musicians to reach their greatest potential and experience the joy of excellence in performance.
For more information, please visit: gdcrecordings.com
— San Francisco Classical Voice
“Conductor Richard K. Pugsley reveals the details of each composition with a rare sensitivity and luminosity.”
— New York Classical Review
Richard K. Pugsley has conducted the internationally recognized Gloriæ Dei Cantores for over 15 years, and performed with the choir in concert halls and churches in 24 countries throughout Europe, Russia, and North America for over 20 years.
Known for his musical sensitivity, artistic elegance, and performance authenticity, Pugsley is passionately committed to enlivening the sacred texts of choral music as relevant and present encounters of sung prayer.
Maestro Pugsley has directed the choir in numerous operatic and choral concert performances at the Church of the Transfiguration including Carissimi’s Jephtha, Handel’s Messiah, Israel in Egypt, and Saul; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors; and J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. He directed the New England, USA premiere of The Pilgrim’s Progress by Vaughan Williams, as well as concerts of Walton’s The Twelve, Poulenc’s Gloria, Duruflé’s Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, and Finzi’s Intimations of Immortality, For St. Cecilia, and Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice.
In addition to being conductor of both choral and orchestra ensembles, Pugsley has been hailed as an extraordinary teacher and coach of vocal technique. His own performance as the lead baritone in the New England premiere of Pilgrim’s Progress won accolades from the Boston Globe.
Pugsley has produced over 30 recordings both choral and instrumental on the Paraclete Recordings record label, and is a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in the Producers and Engineers wing. He most recently produced Gloriæ Dei Cantores’ collaborative recording of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil which was released in January of 2017.
A tenacious advocate for youth music education, Pugsley has also directed workshops with thousands of students throughout the world—using the medium of music to inspire young musicians to reach their greatest potential and experience the joy of excellence in performance.
For more information, please visit: gdcrecordings.com
Artist
Gloriæ Dei Cantores
— All Music
— Gramophone
— BBC
Artist
Gloriæ Dei Cantores
Gloriæ Dei Cantores (Singers to the Glory of God) holds a passionate dedication to illuminate truth and beauty through choral artistry, celebrating a rich tradition of sacred choral music from Gregorian chant to the twenty-first century. gdcchoir.org
Founded in 1988, Gloriæ Dei Cantores from Orleans, MA, under the direction of Richard K. Pugsley, has touched the hearts of audiences in 23 countries in Europe, Russia, and North America, receiving extensive critical acclaim for its artistic elegance, performance authenticity, and compelling spirituality. Distributed in the United States and internationally by Naxos, the choir’s discography of over 50 recordings showcases their extensive repertoire, encompassing both masterworks and rarely performed musical treasures from Gregorian chant to the 21st century.
Highlights of the choir’s career include three invitational tours of Russia, opening the 900th anniversary of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, live radio and television broadcasts with the BBC, film soundtracks, the tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza, and performances in some of the finest concert halls throughout Europe and the United States.
The choir’s collaborative ventures have included ten Holiday Tours with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, a sixteen-city US tour of Mozart’s Requiem with Philippe Entremont and the Munich Symphony Orchestra (Columbia Artists, CAMI, LLC), performances of Mozart’s Requiem with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia, and world premiere concerts and recordings with Grammy-award-winning artist Mark O’Connor. They have also appeared on the concert stage and in recordings with John Williams, Samuel Adler, Stephen Cleobury, Vladimir Minin, and the late George Guest, Mary Berry, and Margaret Hillis, among others.
Gloriæ Dei Cantores makes its home at the Church of the Transfiguration in Orleans, MA, where the choir sings weekly worship services, concerts, and recordings throughout the year. The members’ ongoing life of worship – Sunday Eucharist, Choral Evensong and Liturgy of the Hours in Gregorian chant – is the foundation of the choir’s artistry, enabling their extensive repertoire to become a vibrant form of prayer in any setting. Their music conveys “a kind of utter, rapt, spiritual intensity, that you simply can’t imagine unless you’ve experienced it for yourself.” (American Record Guide)
The church has been called “an acoustical marvel” (American Record Guide) creating a sound of “sheer beauty” (HR Audio.net) and “sonic splendor” (Fanfare).
Hear Gloriæ Dei Cantores in their home at the Church of the Transfiguration. Learn more
Founded in 1988, Gloriæ Dei Cantores from Orleans, MA, under the direction of Richard K. Pugsley, has touched the hearts of audiences in 23 countries in Europe, Russia, and North America, receiving extensive critical acclaim for its artistic elegance, performance authenticity, and compelling spirituality. Distributed in the United States and internationally by Naxos, the choir’s discography of over 50 recordings showcases their extensive repertoire, encompassing both masterworks and rarely performed musical treasures from Gregorian chant to the 21st century.
Highlights of the choir’s career include three invitational tours of Russia, opening the 900th anniversary of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, live radio and television broadcasts with the BBC, film soundtracks, the tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza, and performances in some of the finest concert halls throughout Europe and the United States.
The choir’s collaborative ventures have included ten Holiday Tours with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, a sixteen-city US tour of Mozart’s Requiem with Philippe Entremont and the Munich Symphony Orchestra (Columbia Artists, CAMI, LLC), performances of Mozart’s Requiem with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia, and world premiere concerts and recordings with Grammy-award-winning artist Mark O’Connor. They have also appeared on the concert stage and in recordings with John Williams, Samuel Adler, Stephen Cleobury, Vladimir Minin, and the late George Guest, Mary Berry, and Margaret Hillis, among others.
Gloriæ Dei Cantores makes its home at the Church of the Transfiguration in Orleans, MA, where the choir sings weekly worship services, concerts, and recordings throughout the year. The members’ ongoing life of worship – Sunday Eucharist, Choral Evensong and Liturgy of the Hours in Gregorian chant – is the foundation of the choir’s artistry, enabling their extensive repertoire to become a vibrant form of prayer in any setting. Their music conveys “a kind of utter, rapt, spiritual intensity, that you simply can’t imagine unless you’ve experienced it for yourself.” (American Record Guide)
The church has been called “an acoustical marvel” (American Record Guide) creating a sound of “sheer beauty” (HR Audio.net) and “sonic splendor” (Fanfare).
Hear Gloriæ Dei Cantores in their home at the Church of the Transfiguration. Learn more
Press
“Expert Performances.”
— New York Classical Review
“Virtuosic solo singing and ensemble cohesion.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice
“Profoundly moving music… superbly performed.”
— Fanfare
“Top five (Classical BILLBOARD) in one of the largest music markets of the world.”
— Estonian World