DANIEL TAYLOR - The Tree of Life [CD]

Recorded in London, England with esteemed producer Nicholas Parker and bathed in the acoustics of Saint Augustine, The Tree of Life features the Trinity Choir including choristers from across Canada and members of the Tallis Scholars, the Gabrieli Consort and the Monteverdi Choir. These are magnificent interpretations that Daniel Taylor directs with passion and dedication. These compositions span over two thousand years, from a sixth-century chant to the miraculous works of Parsons and Mouton to the remarkable compositions from today by Pärt, Britten and Tavener. Among the pieces we find the "Seven Antiphons" by Arvo Pärt, disarmingly impassioned, otherworldly; the extraordinary "Hymn to the Mother of God" by John Tavener, and Benjamin Britten's transformative "Hymn to the Virgin". In close kinship with these profound offerings, the restrained ecstasy of "Nesciens Mater" by Jean Mouton, the "Ave Maria" of Robert Parsons and the moving "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree" by Elizabeth Poston, bring forth a sense of serene wonder.