The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's latest album,
"Heavensong," has topped multiple charts this month.
__IMAGE__According to Deseret Book, the album reached No. 1 last week
on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart and currently sits at No. 3 on the
Billboard Classical Albums chart, two spots above "If on a Winter's
Night," by Sting — a longtime fan of the choir.
Captioned "music of contemplation and light," the
new CD is intended to be an "oasis of repose from the hectic strains of
today's world," according to materials from the album's producer, Deseret
Book.
The album features 15 tracks, including "The
Prayer," by David Foster and Carol Bayer Sager, which won a Golden Globe
for Best Original Song from the film "Quest for Camelot." Foster is a
guest artist on the album and accompanies the choir on the piano. The
110-member Orchestra at Temple Square provides accompaniment throughout the CD.
"Heavensong" also includes a solo violin
performance ("Meditation" from Thais) by Igor Gruppman, conductor of
the orchestra and concertmaster of the Rotterdam Symphony.
Foster and the choir have worked together on other projects,
namely Josh Groban's 2007 album "Noel" and Andrea Bocelli's album
"My Christmas."
The choir performs a stirring rendition of "Jesu, Joy
of Man's Desiring," with music by Bach, and a glorious rendition of
"Alleluia," by Ralph Manuel. Two new compositions by choir director
Mack Wilberg, titled "The Shepherd" and "Benediction," make
their debut on the album.
The CD is 68 minutes long and is available at LDS bookstores.
E-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com