Home to Thanksgiving
December 27th, 2009 | 
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Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
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Release Date: 12-NOV-2002Amazon.com
An album celebrating harvest’s end, Home to Thanksgiving is a harvest itself, selected from nearly a dozen Hillier CDs. The only thing that suffered as the result of Paul Hillier’s separation from the Hilliard Ensemble was his albums’ graphic design. By leaving Hilliard, the men’s vocal group he’d helmed, Hillier abandoned the elegant packaging afforded him by ECM Records. On ECM, his penchant for plainchant was matched by stark photography, lending a steady visual horizon while his group darted maverickly between liturgical music and Arvo Pärt’s minimalism.
Somehow at Harmonia Mundi, a new Hillier collection calls for a Currier and Ives painting. So be it. Hillier listeners understand that no marketing feat can fill the gaps that punctuate the 12th-century “O quanta qualia”; only a faith in his distinct musical agenda (or, perhaps, His) can bridge such pauses. There is communal cheer (“The Apple Tree,” dating from the Revolution, has a catchy chorus), but it’s tempered by introversion. Secular Puritan John Cage shows up, having set lyrics by Thoreau. That follows a 16th-century snippet of Thomas Tallis, and is followed itself by a 12th-century piece that attenuates 13 syllables of benediction for over four minutes. Currier and Ives may greet listeners at the cabin door, but Hillier waits inside with a sermon straight out of Jonathan Edwards. –Marc Weidenbaum
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King of the Cage - 2-Event Set: Vols. 5 & 6 (DVD, 2004)
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“Paul Hillier takes a global–or at least Western European/North American–view of Thanksgiving in this eclectic program of primarily vocal music from medieval to modern times. Rather than a compilation of American tunes associated with the Thanksgiving holiday (as you might suspect from the Currier & Ives front cover), Hillier’s program is centered on the long history of giving thanks to God, whether it was 12th century French monks or an 18th century New England church congregation. The selections are taken from more than a dozen previous Harmonia Mundi recordings that, if nothing else, serve as a nice introduction to Hillier’s excellent and unusually varied body of work. Included are performances by Theatre of Voices, His Majestie’s Clerkes, harpist Andrew Lawrence-King, and a number of vocal soloists. Among the highlights are chants by Peter Abelard, motets by Thomas Tallis, several early American hymns, a rousing version of Jeremiah Ingalls’ “The Apple Tree”, and Hillier himself in a gentle, thoughtful rendition of John Cage’s “The Year Begins to Be Ripe” from Litany for the Whale.” –David Vernier,[...]
Rating: 5 / 5
Home to Thanksgiving
This is a wonderful collection of music for thanksgiving – not just for the holiday, but for everyday. From the energetic opening, “Tis By Thy Strength The Mountains Stand”, to the haunting “Evening Hymn” at close, this music is pure joy to listen to. The styles are quite varied and cover everything from plainchant to a somewhat modern take on Thoreau, and it is all very well performed. It is music that sends the soul soaring in thanksgiving to God.
Rating: 5 / 5
Home to Thanksgiving