Category: Recordings

As Water Ascends to a Cloud features a plethora of compositional styles and genres by composers of the Pacific Northwest United States and Canada, masterfully recorded by Loren Pontén and the Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble…The ensemble exhibits considerable flexibility and understanding in accommodating the diverse styles and textures encountered. Opus 7 utilizes nuanced contrast in tone between genres, from the pinpoint intonation of the centerpiece work As Water Ascends to a Cloud to the playful, tongue-in-cheek Eat Your Vegetables! and the esoteric sonorities of Ubi caritas… Opus 7 brings the highest level of artistry to an eclectic mix of contemporary compositions in this recording.

The Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble — from Seattle’s St James Cathedral — are quite a discovery… They manage everything from earthy choral roars to icy, transparent purity. Needlepoint intonation and unearthly ensemble top the high heap of the choral strengths. Soloists and instrumentalists alike perform flawlessly. We get excellent sound from the heavenly acoustics of St James, plus lucid notes and full texts. Go ahead — treat your ears and souls to some new and refreshing choral magic. Much of it will rivet your attention like the sudden vision of Mt Rainier floating over Seattle’s urban seascapes on a rare clear day.

Dear all-involved-with-CD3, I want to thank you all and I don’t know where to start or finish.  To begin with, I am daily overwhelmed, as I listen to CD3, at the beauty and excellence of the performances.  Thank you.

I have just received from you the CD “From Captivity to the Holy City.” Opus 7’s program is musically exciting, interestingly riveting and totally satisfying. Thank you!

The title refers to music for the progression from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost, though many of the selections have wider possible use. For example, the marvelous (albeit challenging) Chichester Mass of William Albright that opens the disc could be used …

From Captivity to the Holy City Read more »

…Very adventurous… A strong recommendation… Courageous choice of music… Wide and varied program you would welcome in concert performances… Reverberant acoustic of the St. James Cathedral in Seattle… With a nice tonal quality, the male and female voices are ideally weighted to produce a precise balance. At the appropriate points they can bring a nice cutting edge to their singing, and entries have razor-sharp precision… One is impressed by the ease with which they take every musical hurdle.

… Only a few loyal attendants do what they can to make the organ’s voice heard throughout the land, and one of those devotees is Roger Sherman, proprietor of Loft Recordings.

[Opus 7] makes a difference by concentrating on a cappella choral music of the last two centuries in its professional concert programs. The disc runs the gamut from Kodály’s Veni, veni Emmanuel and Britten’s Boy was Born (only the opening section) to a …

O Rising Dawn Read more »