Houston Chamber Choir Releases CD Of Durufle: Complete Choral Works Signum Records

Houston Chamber Choir's new recording of Duruflé: Complete Choral Works, produced by Grammy Award winning producer Blanton Alspaugh for Signum Records, will be released Apr. 5. The Choir's Artistic Director Robert Simpson joins renowned organist Ken Cowan of Rice University to help realize a dream of creating an iconic Houston Chamber Choir work of art. Signum Classics is one of the United Kingdom's leading independent classical labels and home to diverse and eclectic repertoire by some of the finest artists and singers from around the world.

The choral works of 20th century French composer Maurice Duruflé, like his organ works, are small in number but beautifully crafted. Frequently written and rewritten, Duruflé was a composer who rethought and reconfigured his music until he had to let go of it. Often described as a man out of step with his times, his pieces look back to Gregorian chant and plainsong when the musical life of his home city of Paris was steeped in radical new compositional ideas - perhaps a testament to Duruflé's enduring love of France's choral heritage.

According to Yale University professor emeritus and King's Singers Founding Member and original Musical Director Simon Carrington, "I have listened to many recordings and performances of Durufle's glorious choral music over the years, but this sumptuous new release captures its unique qualities better than any - with wonderfully radiant and flexible singing from the Houston Chamber Choir under their director Robert Simpson. Ken Cowan's fluid playing, his colourful registrations on the magnificent organ at Rice University, the warm but not overly reverberant acoustic, the fine, vibrant vocal soloists, Norman Fischer's superb cello playing and the refined and elegant singing of the choir combine in a superb recording to be treasured."

The CD is now on sale for pre-order for $15 with autographed copies for $20. Visit https://houstonchamberchoir.org/durufle-complete-choral-works to order now.

A CD release party will be held Apr. 5 at the stylish Poitín Bar and Kitchen, 2313 Edwards St., at 7 p.m. The event will toast all who made the album possible, especially Houston Chamber Choir's generous underwriters, and allow eager guests to mix and mingle while enjoying the company of the choir and musicians featured on the album. To learn more, visit https://houstonchamberchoir.org/durufle-complete-choral-works. Beverage passes will be provided to guests who RSVP to Mariam Khalili at Mariam@houstonchamberchoir.org.

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