Saturday, November 08, 2003
Gregorian: The Masters of Chant
IN THE wake of the worldwide phenomenal success of the "Masters Of Chant" albums, Gregorian is chanting its way back with their latest album, "Masters Of Chant Chapter IV."
Producer Frank Peterson's (Enigma, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman) idea might have sounded strange, but it worked. A Gregorian choir sings modern pop songs, arranged in the style of the chants sung by medieval monks. The first three Gregorian albums became international bestsellers, selling one million units each and reaching "Gold" status in a dozen countries including Germany, Belgium, Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Finland, Portugal, Norway, Poland and the Philippines.
They have interpreted songs by artists like Dire Straits, Simon & Garfunkel, Eric Clapton, Metallica, REM, Ultravox, U2, Duran Duran, Roberta Flack, Phil Collins, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Depeche Mode, New Order, Sting, Toto and many more.
Gregorian is comprised of: Philip Conway, Thomas Barnard, Jeremy Birchall, Andrew Busher, Michael Dore, Mark Bradbury, Timothy Holmes, Roger Langford, John Langly, Gregory Moore, David Porter Thomas, Christopher Tickner and Alex Mack.
In England, they are the most sought-after artists of classical traditional church music, and they sing in the greatest cathedrals of the country, including those in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Nottingham, Southampton and Edinburgh.
Every one of the singers has had the benefit of a classical education from the most renowned schools of the country such as the Academy of St. Martin, the Royal College Of Music, King's College Cambridge, the Royal Academy Of Music and the Royal Northern School Of Music, so that alongside the music, the chant arrangements themselves prove to be an enjoyment and extraordinary tonal experience.
"We have ventured onto absolutely new terrain in music with Gregorian; it was a great deal of fun," says Gregory Moore. "It was good to have a look beyond the borders of traditional church music and to unite two styles of music which are fundamentally different. An outstanding idea."
In the new album "Masters Of Chant: Chapter IV," they have selected songs representing the best of each era from Beatles to Coldplay. The album includes their version of classics by Simon & Garfunkel, U2, OMD, Robbie Williams, Enya, Jon & Vangelis, John Lennon, Beatles, Howard Jones, Bee Gees, Belinda Carlisle, Pink Floyd and Coldplay.
(November 8, 2003 issue)
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