I heard them singing this for the first time in Luxembourg at least 20 years ago. After the interval, I'd moved into the front row, just a few feet away. I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven. Joseph Jennings was singing with them. Must have been in the 90s.
As a Lutheran marrying a Catholic in a Lutheran church, I wanted to honor the faith history of my bride and her family. I asked seven male friends (six of mine and one of hers) to sing this during the ceremony. Not quite Chanticleer, but listening to it that day was magical, and this song will always be special place for me.
An appropriate choice. Luther himself said, of Mary:"[She is the] highest woman and the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ . . . She is nobility, wisdom, and holiness personified. We can never honor her enough. Still honor and praise must be given to her in such a way as to injure neither Christ nor the Scriptures." (Sermon, Christmas, 1531)
This is so beautifully done... Biebl's "Ave Maria" is once of those pieces that I never get tired of hearing (Morton Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium" is another).
We sang this in my colleges chamber choir this year, we went on a tour to Italy and got to sing this song in some AMAZING spaces over there, and it was so hard for me to get through the entire song without choking up or just flat out crying, especially since I'm Catholic. This rendition of the Ave Maria is so special, how we love our blessed mother.
First heard a previous incarnation of Chanticleer singing this on NPR in my car a few years back during a very stressful, anxious time in my life. The beauty of it touched me so deeply -- moved me to tears.
@@rickdeckard1075 these days, yeah, the news offerings are basically uselessly biased. It’s basically as partisan as commercial right wing radio, for the (social) left. But…there’s still funding that goes into classical stations that they sponsor in markets that would otherwise be bereft of said music. Which all *should* agree is a worthwhile use of public funds.
@@bobross7005 you mean the classical stations that literally *only* play music conducted by joanne falletta, becuz SHEEZ A GURRHHL announced by lisping turbogay DJs lol... no, no CIA/mockingbird "public radio" for me, bro. this is all going to end badly.
A worthy listning find is a remarkable bar scene. Cantus finds Chanticleer in a bar. Talk leads to song. Song is Ave Maria, the Franz Biebel's rendition. Listen and look at the bar staff and their recognition that this is special.
there are different patterns of beauty... regardless of whether they are Catholic or Muslim... the beauty of sound is one... a man ... (i mean human being)
I think it’s the finest ever written. And it’s amazing that little-known Biebl reached off into the aether - the heavens? - and snatched this jewel for all mankind.
I keep forgetting the fact that half of those singing the Choir I part are singing different ranges than they typically do...and it's still outrageously good!
I heard this just now, on 'Classic FM', in the car.. So, once I got home, I had to come and see as well as hear these wonderful gentlemen.. BRAVO all, that was utterly sublime and very moving to.. Best wishes to all from Wales.
I have seen/heard them live. They did not sing Biebl but it was wonderful; they were amazing in their presentation of all the music sung. Intonation -- impeccable. It was lovely.
Everything that is best in what I am, what I have been and what I aspire to manifest in this life and in the next, lies within each note of this exquisite piece.
I'm actually surprised at how much I enjoyed a little more motion. At the start I wasn't sure it was going to work but I like the quicker pace. To each their own interpretation but I would likely take the same tempo when I direct. It's quite an amazing sound.
the Classical Station always with their monotone introductions and sopoforic announcements after which I gasped in reverence and started sobbing hearing this in the car today
I remember Chanticleer visiting my high school (pdhs) a few years ago and our entire women's ensemble got to hangout with them and watch them perform for us in the church. It was a beautiful experience/memory that I'll never forget.
This is an extraordinary performance in so many ways. It's beautifully balanced, together enough (but not so much as to be unnatural), the upper voices are the best I've ever heard, and it's musical.
Beautiful. A little faster than the original recordingl and a few other changes. I prefer the original recording but either way no one sings this beautiful song like Chanticleet. They are an amazing group. I've seen them perform in person many times. Many but not enough.
I'm familiar with this Ave Maria from live and recorded performances by Canada's vocal ensemble 'musica intima." It's interesting to read of its being made famous by this choir and to compare it as performed by an all male ensemble vs. another highly accomplished choir with strong male and female voices.
This is the fastest tempo I have heard them perform this and also the loudest. Still can't beat the original recording which is so restrained, but this is also interesting.
I think Gregory is correct. The acoustics of the performance space can make an enormous difference. A good performance must take that into account. Too fast in an extremely live space will get muddled. In a "dead" space there may seem to be gaps in sound. This is why dress rehearsals are so important and why there may be last minute changes which a professional group can handle.
@@sidmeyer2011 I agree. Having been part of a touring choir in addition to chamber and symphonic, humidity is an enemy which cannot be controlled. I recall one run through around noon and it was fine. The sound went to the back of the cathedral. By concert time, after a thunderstorm, the humidity just stopped the sound from going past the first 10 rows. Our director changed things as needed regarding temp etc and it was fine. Always watch the conductor!
This is absolutely amazing. Out of all of the arrangements of this song I've heard and played this has to be my absolute favorite :) I'd love to hear if anyone has anything like this that they'd be interested in suggesting!
A magnificent piece sung by a magnificent ensemble. And I'm pleased also that someone had the sense to remove the Sacrament beforehand. Edifying on both counts.
Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae Et concepit de Spiritu sancto. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus, Jesus. Maria dixit: Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus, Jesus. Et Verbum caro factum est Et habitavit in nobis. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. Amen. Amen.
How did these guys not feature in Gramophone's "World Greatest Choirs" list? The choirs in ascending order of votes (20-1) are: 20 I Fagiolini Specialising in Renaissance and contemporary music, I Fagiolini are a British solo-voice ensemble directed by Robert Hollingworth. The group are renowned for their themed performances - “The Full Monteverdi” and “Tallis in Wonderland”, for example - and are also active in commissioning new works. 19 Arnold Schoenberg Choir Founded in 1972, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir have enjoyed a close association with director Nikolas Harnoncourt for the past 25 years and remain one of the most versatile and sought-after vocal ensembles in Austria. 18 Stile Antico Including three sisters among their ranks, Stile Antico rehearse and perform without a conductor and have experienced exponential success since they won the audience prize at the Early Music Network Young Artists’ Competition in 2005. The group have released five discs with Harmonia Mundi since 2007, including one Gramophone Award winner. 17 The Balthasar-Neumann Choir Unusually founded before the orchestra of the same name, the Balthasar-Neumann Choir, so-called after the Baroque architect, perform as a free association of singers under creator and director Thomas Hengelbrock. 16 Westminster Abbey Choir The blend of tradition and versatility of the Westminster Abbey Choir, combined with a unique polish and personality, has resulted in numerous recordings with Hyperion. The choir have continued to flourish under James O’Donnell’s direction during the past decade. 15 Les Arts Florissants The 30-year-old Les Arts Florissants have, under William Christie’s direction, consistently won critical plaudits, drawing praise for their vivid performances and for giving up-and-coming singers opportunities to flourish and develop. 14 Choir of New College, Oxford The sound of the trebles is what many people prize in this very impressive choir - bright, incisive and intense. A daily helping of liturgical music keeps the choir grounded in sacred music, but there’s also a flexibility and elegance there too that brings a wide range of music within the choir’s unique embrace. 13 The Tallis Scholars Founded by Peter Phillips in 1973, The Tallis Scholars’ sound has become, for many, synonymous with early polyphonic repertoire (music of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries). The Tallis Scholars' sound is flexible, full but always full of power - and with their own recording label, Gimell, it’s a sound that has reached the four corners of the planet. 12 Choir of King’s College, Cambridge One of the most famous choirs in the world, with an immediately recognisable sound - thanks in large part to the remarkable acoustic of King’s College Chapel - it remains quintessentially English in timbre. Each new music director has not only put his stamp on the King’s music-making, but has also broadened the Choir’s repertoire. 11 The Dunedin Consort One of the youngest choral contenders, the Scottish Dunedin Consort was founded in 1996 and have, since 2000, been conducted in the larger choral repertoire by John Butt - an association that has produced a string of impressive recordings for Linn Records (including the Gramophone Award-winning set of Handel’s Messiah). 10 Swedish Radio Choir One of mainland Europe’s great vocal ensembles, the Swedish Radio Choir is the one that Claudio Abbado would regularly call on when he performed choral music: and their EMI recording of the Verdi Requiem, made in 2001, is a tribute to their power and personality, one that always stays intensely human. 9 RIAS Kammerchor Well known internationally through their very fine recordings for Harmonia Mundi (mainly under Marcus Creed and his successor Daniel Reuss), the RIAS Kammerchor have a remarkably homogenous sound and terrific power. They sing a wide repertoire and bring a great sense of bite and concentration of sound that makes a deep impression in music as different as Mozart’s Idomeneo and Frank Martin’s Golgotha. 8 Accentus Founded in 1991 by the conductor Laurence Equilbey, Accentus are a virtuoso chamber choir with a huge following thanks to their superb series of recordings of transcriptions for Naïve. Accentus’s repertoire stretches from the romantic masters of the 19th century to music of the 20th century. 7 Collegium Vocale Ghent Founded 40 years ago by Philippe Herreweghe as a 16-voice chamber choir, Collegium Vocale have various different "guises" for different repertoires, though a composer central to the choir’s work remains JS Bach. 6 Wells Cathedral Choir One of the oldest choirs in the UK, Wells Cathedral Choir are made up of lay clerks who live in the famous 14th-century Vicars Close and sing in a choral tradition that has remained unbroken for around 800 years (though now they have girls singing alongside the trebles). 5 Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge It's only a few years since Stephen Layton - who appears further up the list with Polyphony - took over as director of music at Trinity College. In that time, numerous recordings, not least that of music by David Briggs, have revealed what an accomplished, committed choir they are. 4 The Sixteen Under the expert command of founder Harry Christophers, The Sixteen have combined musical excellence with bold, well-thought-out programmes, to become one of today's greatest of all choral ambassadors. 3 The Cardinall’s Musick This year's Gramophone Recording of the Year winners - for the final disc in their exploration of the music of William Byrd - thrive on a musical approach making the most of the virtuosity of their individual voices. 2 Polyphony Stephen Layton's choir have become renowned for both their sound and versatility - whether in early music, or contemporary works such as those of Eric Whitacre, they embody the remarkable tradition of British choral excellence at its finest. 1 The Monteverdi Choir For 40 years, Sir John Eliot Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir have been the voices behind some of the most powerful and perceptive Baroque recordings in the catalogue, not least the hugely ambitious Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of the year 2000, but the choir’s range is also a strength (this past year has found them singing Bizet’s Carmen, Brahms’s A German Requiem and the Monteverdi Vespers among much else, and Weber's Der Freischütz looms large on the horizon).
I mean to be fair, there are a lot of choirs that are legendary not mentioned here. There is a large bias towards choirs who perform Western European works with orchestra here. Choirs that the could have made the list taking into account their ability in the acapella format would be: 1. Robert Shaw Festival Singers - one of the most well-rounded groups in choral history, and one of the few to have a robust bass section outside of russia. They were the first American choir to record Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil in 1990, the basses down to Bb here : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OEHufcT3jmw.html 2. St Petersburg Chamber Choir - This was Russia’s premiere choral group in the 1990’s traveling all over the world presenting music from their culture. They won the Best Choral Performance Grammy in 1994, also for the Vigil. Their most notable recording is “We Praise Thee” by Chesnokov : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pI8qFWQa4YQ.html 3. Tenebrae - this London-based ensemble was the first to record Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, this group is very talented, having the ability to sing acapella and with accompaniment at a very high level. Here is a recording of the 4th mvt of the Path of Miracles : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oSNMhg5vUog.html
My music teacher is making me do this im in 9th grade and have bo intrest in this class i was forced to do it im scared she and i wuote said we should sould like them in a couple months
