The Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble Across The Bridge Of Hope Hybrid Multi-Channel & Stereo SACD

The Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble was founded in 1993 and consists of sixteen singers, all of whom are active as soloists, church musicians or music teachers in the north of Sweden. In 1996 the choir participated in the Symposium of Nordic Church Musicians in Gothenburg with Eric Ericson as guest conductor and in the same year released their first CD ‘Musica Sacra’, which is now also available as an SACD from Opus3. The ensemble has embarked on fifteen tours of Europe, Asia and South America and at the international choir competitions of 1996, held in Takarazuka, Japan, won the first prizes for best mixed choir and best choir.
After the surprise success of "Musica Sacra", his first release on Opus 3 Records, Erik Westberg presents a slightly different concept on his new album: instead of a soprano saxophone and an organ, the nyckel harpa, a Swedish fiddle strung with steel strings, is used here. In addition to the choir and vocal soloists, members of Anders Ärstrand's Global Percussion Network also participate. The title song "Across The Bridge Of Hope" was premiered in Advent 2000 in memory of the 12-year-old Shawn McLaughlin by more than 8,000 choir singers in 310 different choirs from 56 nations. Shawn McLaughlin, who had written the poem of the same name "Across The Bridge Of Hope" with some friends after the so-called "Good Friday Agreement" in Northern Ireland in 1998, was killed only a few months later, along with 29 other victims, in a bomb attack in Omagh.

Features:

• Super Audio CD
• SACD Multi-Channel SACD Layer
• SACD Stereo SACD Layer
• This Hybrid SACD contains a 'Red Book' Stereo CD Layer which is playable on most conventional CD Players!
  

Musicians:

• Alexander Lintott, treble solo (track 1)
• Torbjorn Nasbom, key-fiddle (track 2 & 10)
• Anders Astrand, udu drum, log drums, suspended cymbal, marimba (track 4); ceremonial drum (track 7 & 8); vibraphone (track 10 & 13); marimba (track 13)
• Frederik Dermer, octabans, crotales, log drums (track 4)
• Rolf Landburg, concert bass drums, 4 tom-toms, suspended cymbals, crotales (track 4)
• John Best, gongs, steel drums (track 4)
• John Marak, yoik (track 7 & 8)
• Anna-Karin Öquist, soprano
• Christina Fridolfsson, soprano
• Annette Tholén, soprano
• Eva Plumppu, soprano
• Kerstin Eriksson, alto
• Christina Lindberg, alto
• Ewa Grahn-Rosell, alto
• Pia Olofsson, alto
• Bert-Ola Jonsson, tenor
• Anders Eriksson, tenor solo (track 12) baritone solo (track 15)
• Örjan Larsson, tenor
• Urban Tholén, tenor
• Ewerth Richardsson, bass
• Per Brännström, bass
• Anders Pettersson, bass
• Kjell Söderberg, bass

Selections:

Jan Sandstrom (1954-)
1. Across The Bridge Of Hope
Lars Nasbom (1925-)
2. Kyrkpolska
Thomas Jennefelt (1954-)
3. Claviate Brilioso
Anders Astrand (1962-)
4. Touch
Eskil Hemberg (1938-)
5. Thou Who Art Over Us
Oskar Lindberg (1887-1955)
6. Pingst
Johan Marak (1928-)
7. Biegga luohte (Introduction)
Jan Sandstrom (1954-)
8. Biegga Luohte
Jan Fem (1963-)
I Carry Your Heart
9. Solo Cadenza
10. Ensemble
Johannes Johansson (1951-)
11. Cherubim Hymn
Jan Sandstrom (1954-)
12. Surge Aquilo
Anders Astrand
13. Bagatelle
Otto Olsson (1879-1964)
14. Psalmus CXX
15. Canticum Simeonis
16. Rex gloriose Martyrum