Kaplan - Psalm 23 (not HSC, but I like it and
not many people are familiar with this)
Handel - Messiah - Rejoice (The 9-8 version,
very seldom heard. I like it a lot).
Bach/Stokowski -
Prelude in B Minor and Siciliano
Parker - Come, Ye Disconsolate (from Melodious Accord -- I'm the baritone, performed at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church
Schütz - Bass Duet - (Elliot Levine and me,
2008 Western Wind workshop) I love the words. Very freely translated:
I was young, and now I am old. Yet shall the virtuous be rewarded
and their descendents will never go hungry. Hallelujah!
Early American - Fiducia (Debby and me at Western Wind workshop, beautiful singing from Debby)
Josquin - Petite Camusette (Debby,
Richard Slade and me at Western Wind Workshop)
Sea Chanty - High Barbary (manly men of the Western Wind workshop)
Tchaikowski - Blazheni - 2009 Western Wind
workshop, our group had a lot of men and we channeled the Russian spirit.
Schütz - Wenn Unsre Augen - Debby and me
at the 2009 workshop. Perhaps because of the text the continuo players
encouraged us
to do this very slowly, which was a
considerable challenge. "When our eyes fall asleep/ Still let the
heart be beating strong;
Hold above us Your right
hand/ So that we don't fall into sin and shame."
Schütz -
Fili Mi Absolom - This is Elliot Levine,
who is something of a "hero baritone" to me. You can hear me singing a
duet with him
several rows up titled "Bass Duet".
He is singing here the piece for baritone and sackbutt chorus.
Sackbutts are an old, baroque version
of the
trombone that does not have the penetration and intensity to play with
instruments in a modern orchestra, but which in my view
were created to combine with the human voice to glorify God. They have a
softness that is .. well, listen to the cut. I'm not sure if I would
give my right arm to sing this aria with a sackbutt chorus -- but I'd consider
it. I'm pretty sure I'll never get a chance ... but just listen
to Elliot do it. This is one heck of an aria. About
David and Absolom. You know the story.
These are recordings taken on the spur of the moment in rehearsals. None of them are performance quality and some are pretty rough (sometimes you can hear us learning it on the repeats) -- but there are some good moments, too. See the Photo Gallery for more explanation and pictures.