A never before heard Stephen Sondheim song cut from the workshop of Assassins. Orchestrated and debuted for full symphony orchestra at his request on 11/7/16. Sung by Raul Esparza.

The Flag Song by Stephen Sondheim (CUT SONG from Assassins)

"What Do The Stars Do" from Three Songs (2016):

1. Bird Raptures
2. What Do The Stars Do
3. Silent Noon

Text by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Music by Shona Mackay

Performed by Alexandra Dinwiddie (mezzo-soprano) and Esther Knight (piano).
Recorded by Bob Whitney at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

2. What Do The Stars Do (from Three Songs - 2016)

"Bird Raptures" from Three Songs (2016):

1. Bird Raptures
2. What Do The Stars Do
3. Silent Noon

Text by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Music by Shona Mackay

Performed by Alexandra Dinwiddie (mezzo-soprano) and Esther Knight (piano).
Recorded by Bob Whitney at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

1. Bird Raptures (from Three Songs - 2016)

"Silent Noon" from Three Songs (2016):

1. Bird Raptures
2. What Do The Stars Do
3. Silent Noon

Text by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Music by Shona Mackay

Performed by Alexandra Dinwiddie (mezzo-soprano) and Esther Knight (piano).
Recorded by Bob Whitney at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

3. Silent Noon (from Three Songs - 2016)

As one of the most socially conscious young composers in contemporary classical music, Ted Hearne has drawn on a multitude of influences to create Sound from the Bench—his first project for Cantaloupe Music.

Written for the supple, ethereal voices of Philadelphia’s world-renowned chamber choir The Crossing, the four works presented
here tap into themes as varied as racial divides (Privilege), government secrets (Ripple), love and its dark permutations
(Consent), and corporate personhood in the eyes of the US Supreme Court (Sound from the Bench). Taken as a whole, this is some of Hearne’s most wide-ranging and adventurous work—a siren call that resonates with unusual passion in these politically charged times.

Sound from the Bench

Ted Hearne & The Crossing: Consent

The first of two short piano pieces from 1994. Performed by the composer.

Snapshots I

The second of two short piano pieces from 1994. Performed by the composer.

Snapshots II

You can read about this track here: http://jasonrobertbrown.com/2010/11/21/jrb-sings-sondheim/


Music and lyric by Stephen Sondheim

Arrangement for chorus and orchestra by Jason Robert Brown

Recorded March 19, 2005 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre of the Peter Norton Symphony Space, New York, NY

The Juilliard Choral Union, Judith Clurman, conductor

The American Theatre Orchestra, Paul Gemignani, conductor

Violins – Suzanne Ornstein (Concertmaster), Sean Carney, Christophe Franzgrote, Fritz Krakowsky, Kristina Musser, Laura Seaton, Susan Shumway, Alexander Vselensky, Mineko Yajima, Robert Zubrycki; Violas – Shelley Holland-Moritz, Kevin Roy, Sally Shumway; Celli – Deborah Assael, Roger Shell; Bass – John Beal; Woodwinds – Dennis Anderson, John Campo, Leno Gomez, Ken Hitchcock, Diane Lesser, Ralph Olsen, Susan Rotholz; French Horns – Russell Rizner, Ronald Sell; Trumpets – Dominic Derasse, Brad Siroky; Trombones – Bruce Eidem, Brian Mahany, Dean Plank; Percussion – Paul Pizzuti, Thad Wheeler; Piano – Paul Ford; Harp – Elizabeth Robinson

Sunday (Stephen Sondheim) (arr. for choir and orchestra by JRB)

Continuum - Shona Mackay & The Glasgow School Of Art Choir

The Glasgow School of Art Choir commissioned Scottish composer, Jay Capperauld, in 2017, to compose his first ever work for chorus. The resulting piece, 'The Unspoken', takes its lyrics from a poem of the same name by Scotland's first Makar, Edwin Morgan.

The composer writes: "Morgan’s poem reflects upon a number of distinct memories from his life that are characterised by high levels of emotional significance and intimacy, which culminate in the final stanza of the poem which acts as the main conceptual catalyst for this choral work

This piece is essentially a love song for everyone in that, although Morgan’s poem refers to his gay relationships, the text does not hint at any gendered characters, which provides an inclusive and all-encompassing definition of love. 

When asked in an interview with Marshall Walker about the significance of Morgan’s sexuality with regards to how his readers’ should interpret his work, Morgan replied: "I think it’s left to them to read the works as they wish. If they’re interested in the fact itself, then perhaps they could read it in a slightly different way. If they’re not they can go on reading it as they read it before". 

The fact the characters in the poem are genderless exemplifies Morgan’s attempt to highlight the diversity and universality of love. This all-encompassing concept becomes most poignant in the poem’s intimate final stanza, which provides the text and focus of this choral work’s narrative. 

Although some phrases and words from the preceding stanzas are interspersed throughout the piece as the narrative progresses, the final stanza conveys Morgan's attempts to find the right words, as it were. The piece culminates in a wordless expression of joyous emotion which, for me, conveys my interpretation of Morgan's message, which is that the most vital aspects of love are inexpressible through words alone if they are, indeed, expressible at all."

'The Unspoken' - Jay Capperauld and Edwin Morgan

One of Glasgow's largest choirs | Non-auditioned and open to all | Founded in 2012

'The Unspoken' - Jay Capperauld and Edwin Morgan

The GSA Choir

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