April 2009

Millions of public radio listeners have come to know the Dale Warland Singers through their annual holiday program "Echoes of Christmas," and now American Public Media is pleased to present "Reflections: A Lenten Special with the Dale Warland Singers."

The Dale Warland Singers were America's premiere a cappella choir for over three decades, and many of those seasons were graced by a remarkable Lenten concert that became a packed-house event in the Singers' home of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The mood was reflective and uplifting, the music quiet and gorgeously sung.

With host Brian Newhouse, Dale Warland guides listeners through this moving collection—some of the pieces like Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" well-known, others such as Busto's "Ave Maria" a delightful surprise.

Program Highlights:

Dale Warland grew up in the fields of northern Iowa, singing every day in a one-room schoolhouse and every week in the nearby country church. This was the simple beginning to one of the great careers in American music. His virtuoso 40-voice choir, the Dale Warland Singers, became his 'voice.' Whether celebrating Christmas, providing deeply spiritual experiences through Lent, or inspiring audiences with the sheer beauty of their work year-round, the Singers were a vital part of America's musical life. Highlights of this Lenten special are a trio of rich Russian choral masterpieces, and a collection of three uniquely beautiful settings of the text "Ave Maria."

Listen to the program

Program

MUEHLEISEN: Snow (The King's Trumpeter)

LAURIDSEN: O Magnum Mysterium

GOLOVANOV: Otche Nash

SVIRIDOV: Sacred Love

CHESNOKOV: Salvation is Created

MOZART: Ave Verum Corpus

BOYCE: Ave Maria

STRAVINSKY: Ave Maria

BUSTO: Ave Maria

MAHLER: Ich bin der Welt

ARGENTO: To God: In memoriam M.B.