Help
Skip to main content

Woefully Arrayed

Sacred & Secular Choral & Polychoral Works of Jonathan David Little

Heinrich Christensen (organ)

Vox Futura, Thomas Tallis Society Choir, The Stanbery Singers, Andrew Shenton, Philip Simms, Paul John Stanbery

Woefully Arrayed
A superb disc, one that simply gets better on each and every listening. There is a radiance to Little’s writing that seems shot through with spiritual light and which speaks on a very deep level...

Woefully Arrayed

Sacred & Secular Choral & Polychoral Works of Jonathan David Little

Heinrich Christensen (organ)

Vox Futura, Thomas Tallis Society Choir, The Stanbery Singers, Andrew Shenton, Philip Simms, Paul John Stanbery

Purchase product

44.1 kHz, 24 bit, FLAC/ALAC/WAV

$17.50

44.1 kHz, 16 bit, FLAC/ALAC/WAV

$13.00

320 kbps, MP3

$10.00

This release includes a digital booklet

Stream now Hi-RES 44.1 kHz, 24 bit
A superb disc, one that simply gets better on each and every listening. There is a radiance to Little’s writing that seems shot through with spiritual light and which speaks on a very deep level...

About

Navona Records showcases sacred and secular choral works by composer Jonathan Little on its latest release, Woefully Arrayed. Jonathan Little's work has been described as ''a music redolent of the past and the future.'' His modern interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque techniques of composition - such as model harmonies and isorhythm - form the basis of his musical voice. The sound is strikingly contemporary, yet also intertwined with choral traditions of the past. Several of these beautiful and moving settings of profound and poignant texts feature intricate ''polychoral'' techniques: multi-part, multi-divisi, solo, echo and spatial effects. Many of Little's choral works are designed to be performed cori spezzati - a technique with which different sections of the choir are arranged above and around the audience, adding another dimension to the listening experience. One of these pieces is his Kyrie for 21 individual voices, performed by the Thomas Tallis Society Choir. The other works featured on the album are all world premieres. Vox Futura of Boston performs a Gloria to accompany the Kyrie. They also perform the extensive, rapturous title track Woefully Arrayed, from text attributed to John Skelton. The Stanbery Singers perform on the secular section of the album, which includes That Time of Year - a madrigal-like setting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 - as well as Wasted and Worn, which is dedicated to the memory of the neglected neo-classical artist John William Godward. Vox Futura returns to round out the album with a reprise of the secular verses of Woefully Arrayed.

Contents and tracklist

Kyrie, Op. 5
Track length4:58
Gloria, Op. 18
Track length10:22

Awards and reviews

September 2017

A superb disc, one that simply gets better on each and every listening. There is a radiance to Little’s writing that seems shot through with spiritual light and which speaks on a very deep level to the listener...Stunningly recorded, the pure sonic joy is visceral.

Audiophile Audition 1st August 2017

Probably the most unusual aspect of Little’s choral work; certainly of the pieces on this album, is his use of creative and sonically innovative voice placement...It seems that Little’s techniques are well grounded in both very careful construction of harmonies and voicing as well as in acoustics and the physics of sound.
View download progress