I have always been on a hunt for the best version of this song, and I have never been this close. Started crying in the second verse, thank you for that preformance!
You can tell the quality of a choir when they have to resolve onto the same note - absolute perfection. Can someone be in love with a group of people they've never met?
Veni, veni Emmanuel; Captivum solve Israel, Qui gemit in exilio, Privatus Dei Filio. Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel, Nascetur pro te, Israel! Veni, veni, O Oriens; Solare nos adveniens, Noctis depelle nebulas, Dirasque noctis tenebras. Veni, Clavis Davidica! Regna reclude caelica; Fac iter tutum superum, Et claude vias inferum. Veni, veni Adonai! Qui populo in Sinai, Legem dedisti vertice, In maiestate gloriae.
I just went through my very first Advent Procession at my local Episcopal Church (Anglican) tonight, and we sang this hymn with the choir. Wow. I cried during the song. I had never heard it before. Now it will be one of my favorite hymns for sure. Blessings to everyone!
The King's Singers are incredible, but I much prefer this interpretation of this piece. What gets it for me is the crescendo beginning at 1:42; it truly evokes the passion in the text. Yes, I know that Gregorian chant is supposed to be relatively passionless, but the Gesualdo Six interpretation here just puts the gusto behind the music that I think it deserves. On top of that is the fact that the performance of this piece here is borderline flawless. Bravo, Gesualdo Six!
We only think of Gregorian chant being passionless because we don't have any performance directions from the time, so often it will be performed without any variation. But given that so much of the music of the time was exegesis then I much prefer a bit of dynamics!
This is quite different to hear in Latin. I had to look up the lyrics, not that I really understand them, but merely to follow the sound. I know enough Spanish and French to recognize root words, but honestly, having that separation of language makes it easier to appreciate the spiritual sentiment of the hymn. These incredible young men do a really spectacular job of bringing that spirit to the listener with their clear voices and harmonies. Bravo, gentlemen!
I like what you said about the separation of language adding to the spiritual sentiment; as beautiful as hymns are in our native language, they're more...ordinary. The Latin calls to mind higher things.
Thank God❤❤❤Praise God forever❤Emmanuel , come to us ❤❤❤Our awesome Salvator , Messiah , Christ , come to us ❤❤❤✝️🙏We trust in our God forever❤❤Alleluia , Alleluia. Manaratha❤❤❤
This is THE Advent Hymn par excellence. The late Jessy Norman has a lovely version of it on her 'Jessy's Christmastide' disc. But this version is gorgeous!
Proof that the best British choral singers all operate in the same tiny world: 1) The top countertenor all the way on the left is now in The King's Singers. 2) The low bass all the way to the right is in Voces8. 3) The conductor is in Tenebrae.
Riveting. A few years ago, I quickly scoured RU-vid for a performance of Veni, Veni Emmanuel to share with our children. After a quick 15 second listen, this was the one I chose. We all sat down and listened to the whole piece together. When the performance was over, my wife and I sat in stunned silence. Finally, I said something like, "Wow. Children, you just heard a masterpiece." We revisit this every year. A couple of observations: * They look so young! * I just barely realized that Jonathan Pacey (Voces8) was in the Gesualdo Six (not very observant, this one).
This is undoubtedly my favourite version of this hymn. What a performance- so precise and so balanced, yet with such exquisite phrasing. The rubato was perfect- not too much, just right. I think my soul exploded the first time I watched it!!
What a SUPERB performance of one of my favorite songs. These guys all have such polished quality. And I LOVE the clarity and purity of the countertenor.
Such beauty. I am so glad that I saw you at the recent Perth International Festival. Your performance with William Barton was wonderful as well. Ancient voices with an ancient culture.
Fantastic! Wonderful arrangement, superbly sung, sounding so natural, yet requiring such control. Highest recommendation. These days young people seem to think making music requires a truck full of equipment, miles of cords, dozens of microphones and a control board with dozens of switches and dials. Yet here are these young men with nothing but their voices in a reverberant room.
Trucks full of equipment are needed for gigs in genres that involve lots of raw energy and noise. There is no way singers could make their sound carry over the sound of 100,000 people cheering them on. For such gigs the equipment enhances the experience both for the performers and the audience. It's only when things like too much processing and autotune get in the way when it sounds horrible. Pieces like these, of a different genre are delivered completely differently because it suits the genre. Different genres suit different types of performances and they all work well in their own ways.
TheRogueDM You are quite right. Different genres of music have different requirements. What I meant to get across is that making music requires talented people, not machines.
Even worse, young people seem to think that making music is the same thing as feeling music, as if all that is required is enthusiasn without discipline, that volume constitutes energy, that fast-and-loud is the only way to express anything.
BBC Choral Evensong on 19th August was sung by The Gesualdo Six. The choral singing was most uplifting and a great inspiration. My exploration of their talents continues. Many thanks to them, Owain Park and all who contributed to the Service.
Absolutely gorgeous! Your voices are so very beautiful and I could listen to you sing all day. Such power and control, yet seemingly effortless. Very well done!
Perhaps the greatest of all hymns. Beautifully sung here down to the finest detail. Thanks for making it so accessible. (We sang this in church a couple of Sundays ago, for Advent 1. In English of course and again of course nowhere near as well.)
One of my all-time favorites. I used this classic piece within the cyclical music of every 5th fragment (Mvmnt) within my 28- fragment composition dissertation oratorio "Elatio: Praises and Prophecies" (1998) -- Well done, guys!
