So soft, so gentle, so soothing.  Thank you, all.

Thank you Jonathan, for this beautiful and deeply moving piece,and for taking a moment to remember and honor Nohemi.

The Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Talberg performs Vasken Ohanian's "Song of the Knight", set to poetry by Siamanto, in remembrance of the 100 year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Purchase scores at: www.vaskenohanian.com/store/choral/vo0008

Song of the Knight (ԱՍՊԵՏԻՆ ԵՐՔԸ)- Siamanto
Verses 32-36 (English Translation)

O raise your brow, lift up your eyes, so that I may cover them with my hands,
Halt not! It is the Crimson, it is the Crimson, the Crimson of frightful blood.
I have pulled my quivering cloak over my head...
Halt not! What good would it do for our useless sighs of grief?

My lyre cried with the blood of the times, accompanying my pains,
From this moment on, I loath weeping;  Only you are my spirit.
You are glorious and bellicose, I am your prince and slave.
It was "your" figure that was worshipped by glorious Greece...

The song of the wind is a horn that calls from afar,
The forest stood ready like legions of war.
Under your furious hooves, old hopes like giants awake...
The old laws are shattered, the old tears fall, the old sounds die...

In your brilliant flight from atop high plateau
We will see new revolutionaries, new giants, new heroes,
The sons of suffereing, who inimically in this age
Were born in blood, were wroth with blood, and wish to die in blood.

And when we see the hurricane of stormy legions,
It is with them that we will march on the path to the Cause...
And of glory will I sing and the crowning of warriors,
For my trumpet will sound, and my torches will be ablaze.

Song Of The Knight

Midway through November, as a responsible collegiate chamber choir, we should have been rehearsing Holiday Music today, but it just didn't feel right.  After singing for a vigil of CSULB student Nohemi Gonzales (who was killed in the Paris attacks of November 2015) I decided to take an afternoon and simply learn a new piece...one that might counteract some of the darkness I felt after watching the memorial and knowing how hard it would be for Nohemi's family to go on.  This piece was in my head as I fell asleep last night; I knew we had to record it today.    I hope it brings you comfort.   

A Prayer
by Alfred Noyes
Angels, where you soar
     Up to God’s own light,
Take my own lost bird
     On your hearts tonight;
And as grief once more
     Mounts to heaven and sings,
Let my love be heard
     Whispering in your wings. 

Let My Love Be Heard by Jake Runestad

Rosal Patrick Lawrence's Album

Be Honest (cover) by Jason Mraz

Tracklist available at www.CHANCESWITHWOLVES.com

CHANCES WITH WOLVES

EPISODE #353 (PROTEST MOVEMENT MUSIC SPECIAL)

"Ave Verum." Music by Jake Runestad, text by Todd Boss. Performed by the Choral Arts Society of Washington D.C. Scott Tucker, conductor. More info and purchase scores: http://jakerunestad.com/store/ave-verum

TEXT:

Mozart Closes His Eyes and Begins Hearing "Ave Verum Corpus"
by Todd Boss

Fill a bath now,
lay the body in.
Gently now, softly now.
Mind him. Tend
him. Red
runs the water
around him, and yet
o warmth, o softness,
with my music let
me kiss him, bless
him, ease him away
at last, at last …
ave, ave …

ABOUT:

The exaltation of composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart often places them in the realm of gods or saints, and at times we forget their humanness. When artistic director Scott Tucker and I discussed the theme for this commissioned work, his desire was to pair the work with Mozart’s "Ave Verum Corpus." Attempting to create a work to be presented alongside one of Mozart's is an intimidating endeavor. However, I began to consider Mozart’s humanness and wonder what he might have been thinking and feeling as he wrote "Ave Verum Corpus" (as well as his "Requiem") — how did his own experiences and complexities participate in his inner monologue for this iconic music? After considering various traditional Latin texts, I asked my good friend and frequent collaborator, Todd Boss, to create a text that explores this question.

Mozart’s serene music seems a disjunct pairing with the crucifixion image of the Ave Verum text, and Todd’s poem so beautifully captures a possible reason for Mozart’s intent. To deepen the connection to Mozart, my work is built on musical fragments from two works written in the final year of his life: "Ave Verum Corpus" and "Requiem." I hope that this new work might contextualize Mozart’s humanness and illuminate the personal meaning behind one of his most beloved works.   - Jake Runestad, composer.

Ave Verum (SATB & string orchestra)

Blossom (花开): an orchestral suite of Chinese Flower Songs
arranged and orchestrated by Saunder Choi

Saunder Choi: Blossom (花开)- an orchestral suite of Chinese Flower Songs

Silence And Music - Ralph Vaughan Williams

https://lyonhazzard.com/music/when-we-are-gone/

"When We Are Gone." Music by Matthew Lyon Hazzard. Text by Jonathan Talberg. Commissioned by E. Daniel Shingleton in honor of James Franklin and the East Carolina University Chamber Singers.

Performed by the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir. Conducted by Jonathan Talberg.

When We Are Gone (CSULB Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir)

World premiere of "The Lamb." Music by Matthew Lyon Hazzard. Text by William Blake. Commissioned by Marcus Klotz and the Zoe Choir.

Choral Recordings

The Lamb (Zoe Choir)

https://lyonhazzard.com/music/st-paul-and-gibran-by-the-sea/

"St. Paul and Gibran by the Sea." Music by Matthew Lyon Hazzard. Text by Jonathan Talberg. Commissioned by Kyle Nielsen and the Southern Virginia University Chamber Singers.

Performed by the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir. Conducted by Jonathan Talberg.

Let My Love Be Heard by Jake Runestad

Jonathan Talberg

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