December 2008

They sing with a sound at once round and warm and then slender and silvery. Craig Hella Johnson, the founder and director of Conspirare, has put together a group of performers who unapologetically explore the entire range of choral music. From traditional works, which they perform with enlightened reverence, to arrangements of sacred contemporary and pop, which they sing with respect and a deep understanding of style, this is a choral group for the 21st century. Because a listener is never quite sure what to expect, a Conspirare concert can be like standing on one foot. It takes a while to find one's balance, but the sense of play is delicious.

Listen to the program

Playlist

Wayfarin Stranger: Traditional Spiritual
Arvoles Lloran Por Luvia: arr. Ramon Tasat
Prayer for the Captive: arr. Kevin Siegfried
Are There No Armies: Kevin Oldham
A Change is Gonna Come: Sam Cooke
A Spotless Rose: Ola Gjeilo
Jolly Old St. Nicholas: Traditional
God's Gonna Set the World on Fire: arr. Moses Hogan
I Am Willing: Holly Near
Welcome to Our World (excerpt): Chris Rice
Ubi Caritas: Plainsong Chant
O Sapienta: Springfield Antiphonal
Lost: Annie Lennox
Wie Soll Lich Sich Empfangen/Turning: Traditional/Craig Hella Johnson
Super Flumina Babylonis: Palestrina
Not One Sparrow: arr. William Hawley
Home: Steve Wood
Dance Me to the End of Love: Leonard Cohen
I Could Have Danced All Night: Frederick Loewe, arr. CHJ