The Seven Heavens: New James Whitbourn Choral Album from Divine Art

British composer James Whitbourn is the subject of a forthcoming album performed by Cor Cantiamo to be released by Divine Art later this year.

Stephen Sutton, CEO of Divine Art Recordings Group, remarks that even though he has worked with some of the most acclaimed choral composers of today such as Morten Lauridsen, he is highly impressed with the works of Whitbourn, and finds them “absolutely stunning in their depth and exquisite construction.”

Cor Cantiamo is the choir-in-residence at Northern Illinois University, and is directed by Eric A. Johnson.  They are one of the finest choirs in the USA;  their previous Divine Art album made in conjunction with SDG Music Foundation was titled ‘Psallite’ and featured  new works based on psalms by many leading composers (Divine Art DDA 25133)

The new album, to be titled ‘The Seven Heavens’ is likely to appear around October (date to be confirmed).

The title work, The Seven Heavens, was commissioned by Cor Cantiamo and is a musical biography of C.S. Lewis in seven movements for choir and seven solo instruments.  Like most of the other works on the album this is its world premiere recording. The composer is providing the program notes for this release.

James Whitbourn is a conductor and educator as well as an inspired composer – “a truly original communicator in modern British choral music” (The Observer).  The most recent disc of his music (Annelies – Naxos) was Grammy-nominated and of this, Choir and Organ wrote: “Whitbourn’s devastatingly beautiful and restrained treatment of the subject matter makes it all the more poignant”. 

Currently, James is Senior Research Fellow at St. Stephen’s House, Oxford and a member of the Faculty of Music in the University of Oxford.

The Seven Heavens (DDA 25192)

Works:

The Seven Heavens
Movements: Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Sun (choir and 7 solo instruments)
Ada (choir, violin & harp)
Video Caelos Apertos (Choir a capella)
The Voices Stilled (Agnus Dei)  (choir, chamber ensemble)
Eternal Rest (choir, chamber ensemble)
Gratias Agimus Tibi (choir a capella)
Canticle of Mary (choir, viola & organ)
Canticle of Simeon (choir, viola & organ)

Performed by Cor Cantiamo, directed by Eric A Johnson
And chamber ensemble

Recorded on May 26-29, 2017 at the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall, Dekalb, Illinois, USA