A Very Renmen Christmas (Live) Eric Christopher Perry & Renaissance Men
Album info
Album-Release:
2020
HRA-Release:
13.11.2020
Album including Album cover
- 1 Some Children See Him (Live) 03:50
- 2 Cantate Domino (Live) 04:00
- 3 Ríu Ríu Chíu (Attrib. M. Flecha) [Arr. The Modern Folk Quartet] [Live] 01:31
- 4 Mary Had a Baby (Arr. D. Wright) [Live] 02:26
- 5 O Magnum Mysterium (Live) 03:32
- 6 The Longest Night (Live) 06:51
- 7 I'll Be Home for Christmas (Arr. R. Flatts) [Live] 03:35
- 8 Jingle Bells (Arr. for A Capella Choir) [Live] 01:38
- 9 Snowfall (Arr. The Four Freshmen) [Live] 03:56
- 10 Frosty the Snowman (Arr. R. Campbell) [Live] 01:54
- 11 I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (Arr. J. Nicholas) [Live] 02:49
- 12 Angels We Have Heard on High (Arr. S. Choi) [Live] 06:56
- 13 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Arr. J. Clancy) [Live] 03:25
Info for A Very Renmen Christmas (Live)
The Renaissance Men are back with their latest release on Navona Records: A VERY RENMEN CHRISTMAS: LIVE! The album, which features lush choral arrangements of traditional hymns and holiday classics, captures the festive spirit of the RenMen’s annual Christmas galas for listeners everywhere.
Following on the heels of their 2019 release, RENMEN LAMENTS, this newest collection offers timeless seasonal chamber music arranged for tenor, baritone, and bass voices. The album opens with soloist Corey Dalton Hart intoning the verse of Some Children See Him; the sparkling clarity of each rounded note is soon multiplied by the rest of the choir, elevating the performance to spiritual heights.
This is followed by Cantate Domino, an invigorating setting of Psalm 96. With its aggressive rhythmic action and sensitive dynamics, the Latin text is presented as an arresting and captivating musical piece. Riu Chiu is a traditional Spanish song, and the RenMen bring it to life with passionate energy against the chattering rhythm of a tambourine. The RenMen treat listeners to favorite classics, as well, but always with that signature sound and attention to detail they are known for. Their rendition of I’ll Be Home for Christmas is a treatment of the song made popular by Rascal Flatts. Blending the choral group’s influences, this number incorporates jazz, country, and popular stylings seamlessly with traditional choral techniques. Later, songs like Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman offer a lighthearted counterpoint to O Magnum Mysterium and Angels We Have Heard on High, making this a joyful and inviting holiday album for the whole family.
Steeped in time-honored western choral music and flavored with yuletide fun, A VERY RENMEN CHRISTMAS: LIVE! brings the merriment of the RenMen’s live performances to your living room. Pour some eggnog, don that favorite Christmas sweater, and enjoy this collection of ancient and modern classics.
Eric Christopher Perry, tenor, conductor & artistic director
Eduardo Antonio Ramos Suárez, tenor
Fausto Miro, tenor
Kilian Mooney, tenor
Corey Dalton Hart, tenor
Will Prapestis, baritone
Peter C Schilling, baritone
Brian Church, baritone
Benjamin Pfeil, bass-baritone
Anthony Burkes Garza, bass
Renaissance Man
The Boston choral scene is a vibrant one, teeming with artistic outlets for those singers passionate about ensemble performance. Therefore, it always struck me as strange that so few groups exist in Boston that are devoted to the wealth of repertoire written throughout the centuries for men’s voices. Although our members sing with numerous professional choruses, chamber ensembles, and opera companies, the rich sonority and chummy camaraderie found in men’s singing groups have always held a special place in our performance careers. Fortunately, we eventually came to find that we were not alone in harboring this specific variety of musical sentimentality. After consistently running into a few familiar faces on the gig scene and forming close friendships with exceptionally ambitious and artistically inspiring fellow singers, we all agreed that the time was ripe for Boston to gain a new professional-level men’s ensemble. In January of 2014, armed with some hastily procured sheet music and full of nervous excitement, the founding members of Renaissance Men (Eric Perry, Alex Nishibun, Peter Schilling, Will Prapestis, and Tony Garza) entered a New England Conservatory practice room ready to make history.
Eight mainstage concert series’, three Holiday Galas, numerous outside gigs (including a musical retrospective of the year 1965 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum), and a few new faces in the mix later, we are thrilled to now play an established part in the national choral music scene, and are especially honored to present our first studio album, RENMEN LAMENTS. Performed live both in Boston in 2016 and at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans under the auspices of the 2018 Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Convention, the combination of challenge and abundant vocal riches found in this repertoire made it a natural choice for our debut recorded offering. We hope it is the first of many, and we thank you, our wonderful RenFriends, for your support along our journey.
This album contains no booklet.