Chanson des Fleurs

CDcoverChanson.jpg
CDcoverChanson.jpg

Chanson des Fleurs

$3.95

As I was photographing flowers at a garden in Fort Collins, Colorado, I became strongly aware of a vibration coming from the flowers.  If there's a vibration, I reasoned, there must be a sound; so I sat down to listen.  This piece is my effort to transcribe the amazing vibrating harmonies that I heard.   

Composed by Emilyn Inglis

Performed by the Ars Nova Singers in Boulder, CO

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The Ars Nova Singers of Boulder, Colorado premiered "Chanson des Fleurs" in May 2013.  This is the recording from their performance, which garnered this review:

The Ars Nova Singers, under the direction of Maestro Thomas Morgan, presented their final concert of the season at Our Father Lutheran Church, in Centennial, Saturday, June 1. This concert carried the title, Music Beyond Words. Its main thrust, as one might suspect coming from this a cappella vocal ensemble, was that music can be exceptional without text, as well as without accompaniment. Maestro Morgan wished to explore, in this performance, the sounds of the human voice and its expressiveness relying solely on the sounds of “people singing together” without those sounds being interrupted by text. As he pointed out before the concert, when music is sung with a text, we can certainly hear the music, but often, comprehending the text in our heads while we hear that music, can be a distraction that keeps us from concentrating fully on just the sound of the human voice...

Following the Debussy was a piece written by Emilyn Inglis , entitled Chanson des Fleurs. This was a World Premiere, which was inspired by flowers in a garden. Ms. Inglis said that, “as I was photographing flowers at a garden in Fort Collins, Colorado, I became strongly aware of vibration coming from the flowers. If there is a vibration, I reasoned, there must be a sound; so I sat down to listen. This piece is my effort to transcribe the amazing vibrating harmonies that I heard.” How many of you remember that the late John Cage attached contact microphones to the many plants that he had in his apartment in Champaign-Urbana? He recorded those sounds as the plants grew, and then used the sounds in compositions. This was a very attractive piece of music that allowed the audience to become lost in the intricate sounds that the Ars Nova Singers produce.  

...When I write reviews of performances such as this one, it always seems as if I am exaggerating when I call them “world-class.” But there are perhaps six or eight organizations in the state of Colorado that are consistently world-class. I assure you that I base my comments on seventy years of experience being a performing musician, and not just on a whim to popularize a group that I happen to like this particular week. The Ars Nova Singers and Maestro Thomas Edward Morgan are consistent in their excellence, which means they are consistent in their love for music, and in their work ethic. This was a remarkable performance, and I promise you that it was truly world-class.

Robin McNeil - Opus Colorado (Jun 2, 2013)