**NEW!**
Parthenia with Kristin Norderval, soprano, Dashon Burton, bass-baritone, and Valeria Vasilevski, narrator.
Release date: December 20, 2017
New chamber works for renaissance viol consort, all written for and premiered by Parthenia over the past decade, by three outstanding women composers – Kristin Norderval, Tawnie Olson, and Frances White. Featured guest artists are bass-baritone Dashon Burton (Room Full of Teeth), soprano Kristin Norderval (Pomerium, Ensemble Pi), and narrator Valeria Vasilevski (NPR, Android Sisters). These compositions create a rich tapestry of stories, ranging from a song cycle for soprano, viols and electronics exploring Elizabethan political intrigue and paranoia through the words of Queen Elizabeth I, to a poignant fairytale about isolation and unexpected friendship between a girl and a bird; from a powerfully resonant depiction of Christ on the cross, to a meditative electronic-enhanced reflection on a chant by abbess Hildegard von Bingen.
Parthenia with Kristin Norderval, soprano, Dashon Burton, bass-baritone, and Valeria Vasilevski, narrator.
Release date: December 20, 2017
New chamber works for renaissance viol consort, all written for and premiered by Parthenia over the past decade, by three outstanding women composers – Kristin Norderval, Tawnie Olson, and Frances White. Featured guest artists are bass-baritone Dashon Burton (Room Full of Teeth), soprano Kristin Norderval (Pomerium, Ensemble Pi), and narrator Valeria Vasilevski (NPR, Android Sisters). These compositions create a rich tapestry of stories, ranging from a song cycle for soprano, viols and electronics exploring Elizabethan political intrigue and paranoia through the words of Queen Elizabeth I, to a poignant fairytale about isolation and unexpected friendship between a girl and a bird; from a powerfully resonant depiction of Christ on the cross, to a meditative electronic-enhanced reflection on a chant by abbess Hildegard von Bingen.
Release date: April 1, 2005
Randy Sandke's use of a string section comprised of viols, as well as his always trenchant writing and commanding trumpet technique, breathes new life into the "jazz-with-strings" concept. Sandke's influences and interests encompass Beiderbecke, Armstrong, metatonal music and everything in between. This collection of ballads and other atmospheric pieces is certainly easy to listen to but is far from "easy listening."
Randy Sandke's use of a string section comprised of viols, as well as his always trenchant writing and commanding trumpet technique, breathes new life into the "jazz-with-strings" concept. Sandke's influences and interests encompass Beiderbecke, Armstrong, metatonal music and everything in between. This collection of ballads and other atmospheric pieces is certainly easy to listen to but is far from "easy listening."
Parthenia with
Alexandra Montano, mezzo-soprano
Release date: January 30, 2007
American composer Will Ayton's love of folk music, Elizabethan poetry, his Celtic heritage, his devotion to the art of polyphony, his love of old legends, and things philosophical and spiritual all shine through in this mesmerizing CD, featuring the song cycle, A Reliquary for William Blake, composed for Parthenia in 2005. Mezzo-soprano Alexandra Montano’s purity of tone, both as singer and as narrator in the prose passages, makes her an ideal interpreter.
Alexandra Montano, mezzo-soprano
Release date: January 30, 2007
American composer Will Ayton's love of folk music, Elizabethan poetry, his Celtic heritage, his devotion to the art of polyphony, his love of old legends, and things philosophical and spiritual all shine through in this mesmerizing CD, featuring the song cycle, A Reliquary for William Blake, composed for Parthenia in 2005. Mezzo-soprano Alexandra Montano’s purity of tone, both as singer and as narrator in the prose passages, makes her an ideal interpreter.
Parthenia with
Julianne Baird, soprano &
Robert Mealy, violin
Release date: December 8, 2009
French Renaissance songs and dances marked by grace, balance and a wonderful sense of lightness, featuring song settings of the poetry of Pierre de Ronsard by such composers as Claude le Jeune, Guillaume Costeley, Claude Goudimel, Eustache du Caurroy and others. Parthenia is joined by renowned soprano Julianne Baird and Renaissance violinist Robert Mealy.
Read the review in Fanfare Magazine! - http://gemsny.org/lesamoursreview.html
Julianne Baird, soprano &
Robert Mealy, violin
Release date: December 8, 2009
French Renaissance songs and dances marked by grace, balance and a wonderful sense of lightness, featuring song settings of the poetry of Pierre de Ronsard by such composers as Claude le Jeune, Guillaume Costeley, Claude Goudimel, Eustache du Caurroy and others. Parthenia is joined by renowned soprano Julianne Baird and Renaissance violinist Robert Mealy.
Read the review in Fanfare Magazine! - http://gemsny.org/lesamoursreview.html
Release date: December 17, 2002
Defined by the ethereal quality which is at the soul of the viol consort sound, Within the Labyrinth explores an unusual collection of music that reflects the healing and spiritual aspects of the Labyrinth-walking experience, at times taking unexpected musical turns, from the simple canon of Ravenscroft’s Browning Madame to the mesmerizing variations of Hugh Ashton's Masque and Bevin's Browning, and the highly stylized dances of Scheidt and Farina.
Defined by the ethereal quality which is at the soul of the viol consort sound, Within the Labyrinth explores an unusual collection of music that reflects the healing and spiritual aspects of the Labyrinth-walking experience, at times taking unexpected musical turns, from the simple canon of Ravenscroft’s Browning Madame to the mesmerizing variations of Hugh Ashton's Masque and Bevin's Browning, and the highly stylized dances of Scheidt and Farina.
Parthenia with Julianne Baird, soprano
Release date: August 31, 2010
Following a long-treasured tradition of music for Christmas, the viols of Parthenia join famed soprano Julianne Baird to present a sparkling array of songs, dances and carols from Elizabethan England. Along with music by Thomas Morley, Anthony Holborne, Thomas Ravenscroft, Dr. John Bull and Tobias Hume, this disc features a wide variety of music by the celebrated master composer of England's Golden Age, William Byrd.
Release date: August 31, 2010
Following a long-treasured tradition of music for Christmas, the viols of Parthenia join famed soprano Julianne Baird to present a sparkling array of songs, dances and carols from Elizabethan England. Along with music by Thomas Morley, Anthony Holborne, Thomas Ravenscroft, Dr. John Bull and Tobias Hume, this disc features a wide variety of music by the celebrated master composer of England's Golden Age, William Byrd.
Parthenia with
Ryland Angel, tenor and countertenor
Dongsok Shin, virginal
Release date: October 2014
Hauntingly beautiful music of Scotland and England from the 1500s for viol consort and voice performed by Parthenia, Grammy-nominated tenor/countertenor Ryland Angel and early keyboard expert Dongsok Shin. This rarely performed or recorded repertoire is music that Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and their friends, enemies and subjects might have heard. Also featured on the CD is a new song-cycle, SONGS OF LOVE AND BETRAYAL, by composer Richard Einhorn - stunning arrangements of four songs by Scottish poet and lyricist, Robert Burns.
Ryland Angel, tenor and countertenor
Dongsok Shin, virginal
Release date: October 2014
Hauntingly beautiful music of Scotland and England from the 1500s for viol consort and voice performed by Parthenia, Grammy-nominated tenor/countertenor Ryland Angel and early keyboard expert Dongsok Shin. This rarely performed or recorded repertoire is music that Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and their friends, enemies and subjects might have heard. Also featured on the CD is a new song-cycle, SONGS OF LOVE AND BETRAYAL, by composer Richard Einhorn - stunning arrangements of four songs by Scottish poet and lyricist, Robert Burns.