Absolute Joy
Lives and Times of Angels: An Oratorio
(2) Chorus: On the First Day God Created Angels (St. Augustine) (4:22)
(3) Aria: The Hymn (John Milton) (4:56)
(4) Chorus: Radiant and Glorious (4:24)
(5) Solo & Chorus: The Angel Appeared to Moses
(Old Testament, Exodus & Trope) (9:19)
(6) Aria: How Sweet The Moonlight (Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice) (3:24)
(7) Chorus: Little Cherubs (Trope derived from Angel Dictionary) (5:52)
(8) Chorus: Holy Is God (Isaiah, Chapter 6) (3:46)
(9) Solo Aria: Rage! (Book of Enoch) (3:33)
(10) Chorus: Agnus Dei (5:23)
Part III - The Christmas Celebration
(11) Angel Hymn: Thou Fair Haired Angel of the Night
(William Blake - Old English - Gerald Manley Hopkins) (4:56)
(12) Chorus: Sanctus (3:16)
(13) Solo: Ave Maria (2:47)
(14) Chorus: Hail, So Highly Favored (New Testament, Matthew, Chapter 1) (5:08)
(15) Solo Aria: Blow Your Trumpets Angels (John Donne) (2:57)
(16) Chorus: Worthy Is The Lamb (New Testament, Revelation) (5:29)
Total Playing Time: 72:10
Recorded at the Presbyterian Church, Mount Kisco, New York, in April 1998, thanks to Candelight Concerts, Cynthia Coutsouros, chairperson.
The Musica Antiqua, New York, Orchestra & Chorus
Parthenia XII: Treble choir
Mary Jane Newman: conductor
Calvin Wiersma: concertmaster
Joan Krause, Alessandra Visconti: soprano
The Chancel Choir of the Presbyterian Church, Mount Kisco, New York
Wayne Du Maine, Tom Hoyt, Terry Szor: trumpets
Seth McConnell: percussion
Heartfelt thanks to Kaethe Bierbach, Christine Newman Garvey: recording sponsors
Mary Jane Newman: producer
Stephen J. Epstein, Stamford Digital: engineer & editing
Jon Russell, Presence Studios, Westport, CT: digital mastering
Joachim Becker: executive producer
T.D. Ellis, Riverside, Connecticut: publisher (Tel: 203.698.0444)
Absolute Joy was written over a period of 10 months in 1996/97, using texts of the Jewish Bible, the New Testament, and the Book of Enoch. Conceived in three parts, the dramatic structure comprises angelic accounts in the Torah, texts dealing with the fallen angels, and messengers of the Most High in the Christian Bible. It also includes quotations from the English poets John Milton, William Shakespeare, and William Blake.
The work was premiered at the Presbyterian Church, Mount Kisco, New York, as part of Mary Jane Newman's Candlelight
Concert Series, on April 26, 1998-with the same forces as on this recording.
I have felt the presence of the Divine at crucial times in my life, in human form and in more undefinable phenomena, what some might term "angelic." I wanted to honor these great beings of light and power with Absolute Joy. I am also humbly dedicating this work to the memory of an angel of compassion, Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Lives and Times of Angels - An Oratorio
II. Chorus: On the first day God created angels to serve and glorify His majesty. And also angels rule glorious music. Every visible and invisible thing is put under the protection of an angel.
At last surrounds their sight
A globe of circular light
That with long beams the shame faced night arrayed
The helmed cherubim and sworded seraphim
Are seen in glittering ranks with wings displayed
Harping in loud and solemn quire
With unexpressive notes to Heaven's new born Heir.
Ring out ye crystal spheres
Once bless our human ears, if he have power to touch our senses so.
And let your silver chime move in melodious time
And let the bass of heaven's deep organ blow.
And with your nine fold harmony
Make up full consort to the angelic symphony.
IV. Chorus: Radiant and glorious is the throne of God.
All angels sing and glorify Him. Praise to God for ever and ever.
V. Solo and Chorus: The angel appeared to Moses in the shape of a flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush. The bush was burning, but not consumed. Moses said: "I must look at this strange sight, and see why the bush is not consumed with the fire." God called him: "Moses, Moses." "Here I am," he replied. "Come no nearer, take your shoes off, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers, Abraham, Jacob and Isaac. God said: "I AM WHO AM." - Exodus I.
Come celebrate this joyful day, his glad return, his coming back. Praise and honor this glorious day, this blissful day, this holy day. Oh let us bear witness; rejoice for him and proclaim this his day. See, his face shines, its glorious, awesome. Moses, what's in the fates for us? Will God be kind to us and bless our troubled people? And will God lead us to the promised land as He said. Come celebrate this joyful day. Amen.
VI. Aria: How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here we will sit and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.
There's not the smallest orb which thou beholds
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young eyed cherubims.
VII. Chorus: Little cherubs made today by God's command. Master of the universe, He created them to work his will, to sing and dance and play. They practice to open and flutter their wings. Taught by a seraph they learn to sing. First thing they learn is amen. They must toil for wicked man. They must follow God's command. To Him alone be praise and glory forever. - Trope derived from Angel Dictionary.
VIII. Chorus: Holy is God. His mercy is everlasting; His grace is ever present. And we give thanks and praise for our great joy. His glory fills the whole earth. - Isaiah, chapter 6.
IX. Solo aria: Rage: Rage! I will ascend above the heights of clouds. I will be like the Most High, God Himself. All might be to me.
The Voice of God: Though thou mount on clouds as high as eagles, I will bring thee down. Though thy home be set above the stars, I will bring thee down from hence. I loved you as Myself. But I can destroy you, angel of light. I will bring you down to earth in ruins. - Book of Enoch
X. Chorus: Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: dona eum gloriam.
Part III (The Christmas celebration)
XI. Angel Hymn: Thou fair haired angel of the night, now while the sun sets on its light, thou bright torch of our radiant crown lights up and smiles upon our bed. Smile on our loves, scatter they silver dew on every flower that shuts its eyes. The wolf wide glares, the lion roars, the gentle lambs are covered with thy sacred dew. Protect them with thy heavenly love.
From heaven's King to a maiden sweet, brot her good news of prophecy. Hail be thou full of grace aright for Gottes sohn in thee shall live. But how should I bear a child without a man? The angel said: "Nay, dread thee not. The Holy Ghost shall work in thee, the hope of all." When the maiden heard and understood, forthwith her will was one with His.
Now grand, how bright that wonder night when angels to Bethlehem did come. They burst forth fires and shot they lyres and mingled sounds within the flames. The shepherds cowered, the pretty lambs gazed on the darkness turned into the light. No voice was heard from beast or bird, the hills awoke and moon and stars stopped their fiery tasks and listened while angel Gabriel spoke.
XII. Chorus: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus. Dominus Deus Sabbaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. He was. He is. He will be.
XIII. Solo: Ave Maria, gratias plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
XIV. Chorus: "Hail so highly favored, the Lord is with thee, thou art destined to conceive and bear a son. He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. He will rule the house of Jacob and his reign will have no end." The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said to him: "Flee to Egypt. Herod searches for the child and wants to kill Him, a little child." But later the angel said to him: "Go back to Israel. He who wished the child dead is himself dead."
XV. Solo Aria: Blow your trumpets angels
Arise, blow your trumpets angels at the round earth's imagined corners. You whose eyes shall behold God shall never taste death's woe.
XVI. Chorus: There were thousands upon thousands of them shouting: The Lamb is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. - Revelation
Thus spake the seraphs and forthwith appeared a shining throne of heavenly hosts, with thanks to God to whom they say: All glory be to Thee on high. Amen.
For three decades, Anthony Newman has been in the public eye as one of the country's leading keyboard players, and as a prodigiously active composer, conductor and recording artist. His more than 140 releases on such labels as CBS Masterworks/SONY Classical, Deutsche Grammophon, and Vox Classics cover the full range of styles from the 17th to the 20th century.
His celebrated musical collaborations with Wynton Marsalis, trumpet, Itzhak Perlman, violin, and Kathleen Battle, soprano, have been recent best sellers with top ranking positions in the Classical Billboard charts for many months.
Mr. Newman frequently tours internationally as a conductor or instrumentalist, and in recent seasons, he has appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the New York Chamber Symphony, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York, among many others. In Europe, he has served as the Dean of the Mozart Academy in Krakow, Poland.
Mr. Newman's compositions of the last 30 years have covered a uniquely broad range, including symphonies, solo concertos for piano, viola, and organ, chamber music, keyboard and guitar pieces, and many vocal and choral works. His compositions are immediately recognizable by their accessible, melodic content, and their profound formal mastery of many medieval, Baroque and Classical forms (chant, hymn, fugue, suite, canon, sonata, etc.). They are also distinctively American
in their occasionally highly controversial subject matter, such as his new opera "Nicole and the Trial of the Century," on the 1995 O.J. Simpson criminal trial in Los Angeles.
Mary Jane Newman's many talents as conductor, harpsichord and organ soloist are widely recognized in the U.S. and Europe. She made her New York debut in 1986 in Lincoln Center's prestigious "Great Performers" series at Alice Tully Hall. Ms. Newman has also been soloist with the Cracow Chamber Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Virginia Symphony, as well as conductor of Musica Antiqua, New York, Voci Angeli, and PARTHENIA XII.
Ms. Newman also appeared as conductor and soloist with the Collegium Antiquum, the Brandenburg Collegium, and the European Mozart Academy Orchestra in Prague and Cracow. She also conducted the Pergolesi "Stabat Mater" at the prestigious Prague Mozart Festival. She has also served as artistic adviser on important revivals of early Mozart operas in Venice and Cracow, and is music director of the "Candlelight Concert Series" in Mount Kisco, New York.
Ms. Newman is a member of the faculty of the European Mozart Academy in Prague, and has become a significant participant in Eastern Europe's artistic renaissance.
She has recorded prodigiously, releasing six CDs in the last 12 months. She and her ensemble were chosen to record the best selling CD "A Tribute to Diana," a commemorative album for the Princess of Wales, on Vox Classics. As a result, she became the only female conductor ever to make the prestigious "Best Selling Classical Artists of the Year" lists in BILLBOARD Magazine, listed at # 6 for the year 1997.
Mary Jane Newman, conductor
(2) Chorus: On the First Day God Created Angels (St. Augustine) (4:22)
(3) Aria: The Hymn (John Milton) (4:56)
(4) Chorus: Radiant and Glorious (4:24)
(5) Solo & Chorus: The Angel Appeared to Moses
(Old Testament, Exodus & Trope) (9:19)
(6) Aria: How Sweet The Moonlight (Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice) (3:24)
(7) Chorus: Little Cherubs (Trope derived from Angel Dictionary) (5:52)
(8) Chorus: Holy Is God (Isaiah, Chapter 6) (3:46)
(9) Solo Aria: Rage! (Book of Enoch) (3:33)
(10) Chorus: Agnus Dei (5:23)
Part III - The Christmas Celebration
(11) Angel Hymn: Thou Fair Haired Angel of the Night
(William Blake - Old English - Gerald Manley Hopkins) (4:56)
(12) Chorus: Sanctus (3:16)
(13) Solo: Ave Maria (2:47)
(14) Chorus: Hail, So Highly Favored (New Testament, Matthew, Chapter 1) (5:08)
(15) Solo Aria: Blow Your Trumpets Angels (John Donne) (2:57)
(16) Chorus: Worthy Is The Lamb (New Testament, Revelation) (5:29)
Total Playing Time: 72:10
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