Recordings

The Madrigal Singers draw from music from all periods and styles for their repertoire. Our recordings offer a wide range of examples of the music we study and perform, with a focus on music of the last two centuries.

Included are several premiere recordings of works by Gavin Bryars and Jonathan Dove, as well as Canadian composers Allan Bevan, Eleanor Daley, Leonard Enns, Malcolm Forsyth, Ruth Watson Henderson and James Rolfe.

For ordering information and prices of any of our CD recordings, please contact us 

Hesperides
2009
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Featuring Canadian composer and U of A professor emeritus Malcolm Forsyth’s choral cycle Hesperides with duo harpists Nora Bumanis and Julia Shaw.
The Passing
of the Year

2004
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Offers the premiere recording of British composer Jonathan Dove's cycle for double chorus and piano, The Passing of the Year, featuring pianist Roger Admiral. Also heard on this recording are works for chorus and organ with Dr. Marnie Giesbrecht, professor of organ at The University of Alberta. The CD was recorded at Edmonton's Winspear Centre for Music, using the Davis Concert Organ. The Passing of the Year was awarded the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors (ACCC) National Choral Award in the Recordings category in 2006.
My Soul,
There is a Country

2001
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Features the premiere recording of British composer Gavin Bryars' On Photography, as well as choral music by John Tavener and several Canadian composers including Allan Bevan's Three Motets on Poetry by Henry Vaughn and James Rolfe's haunting setting of Walt Whitman's Come, Lovely and Soothing Death.
Balulalow: Anthems, Carols and Lullabies for Christmas 
1999
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This recording features American composer Conrad Susa's Christmas suite for chorus, guitar, harp and marimba, Christmas in the Southwest: Carols and Lullabies, and seasonal music by Bevan, Gawthrop, Kverno, Mendelssohn and Sirett. It was awarded the ACCC National Choral Award in the recording category in 2000.
Musicians
Wrestle Everywhere 

1997
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The initial release of the Madrigal Singers includes a range of choral music from the 19th and 20th centuries, and features the premiere recording of Canadian composer Leonard Enns' award-winning motet Most Glorious Lord of Lyfe and American composer Morten Lauridsen's Six Fire Songs on Italian Renaissance Poems.


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Hesperides
Hesperides 

UAMS 200905
2009 
Gabriel Fauré
(1845-1924)
  1. Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11
    Nora Bumanis  Harp
Otto Olsson
(1879-1964)
  1. Rex Gloriose Martyrum
Arvo Pärt
(b. 1935)
  1. Which Was the Son of ...
Gustav Holst
(1874-1934)
Two Eastern Pictures

  1.  Spring
  2. Summer
    Women’s Chorus
    Nora Bumanis  Harp
Robert Pearsall
(1795-1856)
  1. Lay a Garland
  2. My Luv’s Like a Red, Red Rose
    Nora Bumanis, Julia Shaw  Harps
Malcolm Forsyth
(1936-2011)
Hesperides:
A Song Cycle for Mixed Choir and Two Harps

  1. I: The Argument of his Book..
  2. II: (To his Booke) Another
    Rob Curtis – Bass
  3. III: To the Virgins, to make Much of Time
  4. IV: How Roses came red
  5. V: The Kisse.  A Dialogue
  6. VI: The shooe tying
  7. VII: On Julia’s breath – Cherrie Ripe – To Anthea 
    Dawn Bailey  Soprano
    Christine Browne-Munz  Mezzo
    Kirstel Harder  Alto
  8. VIII: How Violets came blue
  9. IX: Upon Julia’s breasts
  10. X: To his Mistresses
  11. XI: To Silvia to wed
  12. XII: On himselfe 
    Nora Bumanis, Julia Shaw  Harps
George Shearing
(b. 1919)
  1. Who is Silvia? 
    (from Songs and Sonnets of Shakespeare)
    Roger Admiral  Piano
Bruce Sled 
(b. 1975)
  1. Simba-Samba
arr. Moses Hogan
(1957-2003)
  1. Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?
Funding for this recording received from: 
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
President’s Fund for the Creative and Performing Arts, University of AlbertaRecordings:
Wednesdays at Winspear series
CBC Edmonton
April 2003 (live)Winspear Centre for Music
April 2006Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
Sherwood Park, Alberta
April 2007


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The Passing of the Year
ARKTOS 200477
2004 Arktos Recordings Ltd.

Gerald Finzi
(1901-1956)
  1. God is Gone Up
    Op. 27, No. 2
Ruth Watson Henderson
(b. 1932)
  1. Magnificat
    Lindsay Schneider – Soprano
Charles Wood
(1866-1926)
  1. Hail, Gladdening Light
Johannes Brahms 
(1833-1897)
  1. Geistliches Lied, Op. 30
Max Reger
(1873-1916)
From Acht Geistliche Lieder, Op. 138

  1. Der Mensch lebt und bestehet nur eine kleine Zeit (Op. 138, No. 1)
  2. Nachtlied (Op. 138, No. 3)
Felix Mendelssohn
(1809-1847)
  1. Ave Maria
    Op. 23, No. 2 

    John Brough, C.D. Saint  Tenor
    Erika Vogel, Carmen So  Soprano
    Lindsey Sikora, Erin Henry
      Alto
    Robert Clark, Christian Bérubé
      Bass
    Marnie Giesbrecht
      Organ
Andrew Ager
(b. 1962)
  1. Let Not My Love be Called Idolatry
Jonathan Dove 
(b. 1959)
The Passing of the Year 
(Song cycle for double chorus and piano)
Roger Admiral – Piano
  1. Invocation
  2. The Narrow Bud Opens Her Beauties to the Sun
  3. Answer July
  4. Hot Sun, Cool Fire
  5. Ah, Sun-Flower!
  6. Adieu! Farewell Earth's Bliss!
  7. Ring Out, Wild Bells
Assisting artists: Marnie Giesbrecht, organ and Roger Admiral, pianoThe Passing of the Year was recorded at Winspear Centre (Edmonton, Alberta) and features the Davis Concert Organ. It received 4 stars out of 5 from Rick Phillips, the host of Sound Advice on CBC Radio Two 90.9 FM on Saturday, June 12, 2004. MORE

Diane Wells of the Wholenote Magazine, a Toronto-based monthly magazine, reviewed this CD. MORE


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my soul, there is a country...
my soul, there is a country...
ARKTOS 200149
2004 Arktos Recordings Ltd.

Allan Bevan 
(b. 1951)
Three Motets on Texts of Henry Vaughan
(2001)

  1. The Eclipse
  2. Revival
  3. Peace
John Tavener 
(b. 1944)
  1. Svyati (1995)
    Tanya Prochazka  Cello
Jean Coulthard 
(1908-2001)
  1. Threnody (1935)
James Rolfe 
(b. 1961)
  1. Come, Lovely and Soothing Death
    (2000)
James Rolfe
(b. 1961)
Three Songs From Poems
by E. Pauline Johnson (1998)
Ardelle Ries  Conductor

  1. Shadow River
  2. Overlooked
  3. At Sunset
French-Canadian
Folk Song

(1880-1968)
arr. Healey Willan
  1. Rossignol du vert bocage (1933)
    Haley Simons  Piano
Healey Willan 
(1880-1968)
  1. In Youth is Pleasure
Irish Folk Song 
(1887-1974)
arr. Alfred Whitehead
  1. At the Mid-Hour of Night
Bruce Sled 
(b. 1975)
  1. Jing-ga-lye-ya
Gavin Bryars 
(b. 1943)
On Photography (1983)

  1. I: Expressa solis spiculo
  2. II: Expressa solis…
    Tersa, perfetta imagine
  3. III: Resonare fibris
    Roger Admiral  Piano
    Stillman Matheson  Harmonium (synthesizer)


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Balulalow: Anthems, Carols & Lullabies for Christmas

Balulalow: Anthems, Carols & Lullabies for Christmas
ARKTOS 99037
1999 Arktos Recordings Ltd.

Eleanor Daley
(b. 1955)
  1. Gabriel's Message
Mark Sirett
(b. 1952)
  1. Thou shalt know Him
Mark Sirett
(b. 1952)
  1. Balulalow
arr. Allan Bevan
(b. 1951)
  1. The Huron Carol
Felix Mendelssohn
(1809-1847)
Sech Sprüche Op. 79

  1. Im Advent
  2. Weihnacheten
  3. Am Neujahrstage
  4. In der Passionzeit 
    Jolaine Kerley – Soprano
    Wendy Grønnestad – Alto 
    Tim Shantz – Tenor
    Chris Giffen – Bass
  5. Am Charfreitage
  6. Am Himmelfahrstage
Hugo Wolf
(1860-1903)
  1. Ergebung
Orlando di Lasso
(1524-1594)
  1. Bone Jesu
arr. Daniel Gawthrop
(b. 1949)
  1. Low, how a rose
Trond Kverno
(b. 1945)
  1. Corpus Christi Carol
    Jolaine Kerley – Soprano
    Gillian Brinston – Alto 
    John Brough, Tim Shantz – Tenor
    Chris Giffen, Laurier Fagnan – Bass
  2. Make we joy
Conrad Susa
(b. 1935)
Caroles and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest
Nora Bumanis – Harp
Trevor Sanders – Guitar 
Jonathan Sharek – Marimba/Vibraphone

  1. ¡Oh, mi Belén (Biscayan)
  2. El Desembre Congelat (Catalonian)
  3. Alegria (Puerto Rican)
    Chris Giffen, John Giffen, Laurier Fagnan – Bass
  4. A la Nanita Nana (Spanish)
  5. Las Posadas (Spanish)
    Dale Zielke – Tenor
    Chris Giffen, John Giffen, Laurier Fagnan – Bass
  6. Campana sobre Campana (Andalucian)
  7. En Belén Tocan a Fuego (Castilian)
    Meghan Schutt, Tracy Fehr – Soprano
    Tim Shantz – Tenor
  8. El Noi de la Mare (Catalonaian)
    Jolaine Kerley – Soprano
    Benila Ninan – Alto 
    John Brough – Tenor 
    Chris Giffen – Bass
  9. Chiquirriquitin (Andalucian)
  10. El Rorro (Mexican)


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Musicians Wrestle Everywhere
Musicians Wrestle Everywhere
ARKTOS 97016
1997 Arktos Recordings Ltd.

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) All-Night Vigil, Op. 37

  1. I. Priidite, poklonimsya
  2. VI. Bogoroditse Devo, raduisya
Sir Edward Elgar 
(1857-1934)
  1. There is Sweet Music
Elliott Carter 
(b. 1908)
  1. Musicians Wrestle Everywhere
Felix Mendelssohn 
(1809-1847)
  1. Mitten wir in Leben sind
    Op. 23, No. 3
Leonard Enns 
(b. 1948)
  1. Most Glorious Lord of Lyfe
Max Reger 
(1873-1916)
  1. O Tod wie bitter bist Du
    Op. 110, No. 3
Morten Lauridsen 
(b. 1943)
  1. I. Ov'e, Lass, Il Bel Viso?
  2. II. Quando Son Più Lontan
  3. III. Amor, lo Sento L'alma
  4. IV. Io Piano
  5. V. Luci Serene e. Chiare
  6. VI. Se Per Havervi, Oime
Spiritual
arr. Diane Kolander Loomer
  1. Soon ah will be done wi' de troubles of dis worl
    Soloists – Tom Macleay, Catherine Kubash
Herbert Howells 
(1892-1983)
  1. Antiphon