The Lamb's Journey. A Choral Narrative from Gibbons to Barber Ensemble Altera & Christopher Lowrey

• Joanna Marsh (b. 1970): Worthy is the Lamb:
• 1Marsh: Worthy is the Lamb04:43
• Herbert Howells (1892 - 1983): Requiem:
• 2Howells: Requiem: Salvator Mundi03:00
• Zuzanna Koziej: The Lamb:
• 3Koziej: The Lamb03:40
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Mass in G Major, FP 89:
• 4Poulenc: Mass in G Major, FP 89: V. Agnus Dei05:37
• Paweł Łukaszewski (b. 1968): Responsoria Tenebrae:
• 5Łukaszewski: Responsoria Tenebrae: IV. O vos omnes04:52
• Kenneth Leighton (1929 - 1988): Drop, Drop, Slow Tears:
• 6Leighton: Drop, Drop, Slow Tears03:30
• Antonio Lotti (1667 - 1740): Crucifixus a 8 voci:
• 7Lotti: Crucifixus a 8 voci03:52
• Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896): Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27:
• 8Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27: VI. Agnus Dei06:10
• Anonymous: Were You There?:
• 9Anonymous: Were You There? (Arr. for Choir by Michael Garrepy)06:23
• Samuel Scheidt (1587 - 1654): Cantiones sacrae:
• 10Scheidt: Cantiones sacrae: Surrexit Christus hodie, SSWV 1801:26
• Orlando Gibbons (1583 - 1625): O Clap Your Hands:
• 11Gibbons: O Clap Your Hands05:07
• Francis Grier (b. 1955): Panis Angelicus:
• 12Grier: Panis Angelicus03:29
• Olivier Messiaen (1908 - 1992): O sacrum convivium!:
• 13Messiaen: O sacrum convivium!05:34
• Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977): O salutaris hostia:
• 14Ešenvalds: O salutaris hostia03:43
• Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981): Agnus Dei (From Adagio for Strings):
• 15Barber: Agnus Dei (From Adagio for Strings)09:11
• Total Runtime01:10:17

Info for The Lamb's Journey. A Choral Narrative from Gibbons to Barber

The American countertenor Christopher Lowrey founded the vocal ensemble Altera ‘to form the beating heart of professional choral music in the United States’. Now regarded as one of the finest and most enterprising choirs on the North American continent, Altera has devised this musical tour through sacred territories which focuses on epic narratives from various periods, from Renaissance music to the present day. The programme includes timeless works by Gibbons, Lotti, Scheidt and Bruckner, as well as twentieth-century compositions by Poulenc, Messiaen and others. Barber’s celebrated Adagio sits alongside the moving Salvator Mundi , taken from Herbert Howells’s Requiem . Not forgetting three world premiere recordings of works written or arranged for Altera by composers Joanna Marsh, Zuzanna Koziej, and Michael Garrepy, who has arranged Were you there?

Ensemble Altera
Christopher Lowrey, conductor

Ensemble Altera
A chamber choir of "seamless ensemble perfection" (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), ENSEMBLE ALTERA was founded to be the beating heart of professional choral music in the United States. Led by internationally celebrated countertenor Christopher Lowrey, the group has quickly become known for thoughtful programming, passionate performances, and tireless advocacy for the importance of ensemble singing in the broader music culture.

Recent programs include A Christmas Present, a sumptuous collection of seasonal music written in the new millennium, Dazzling Light, an exploration of illumination in the physical and metaphysical worlds, Sure on this Shining Night, featuring American choral music of the last century, and a boldly reimagined chamber version of Handel's Messiah, co-presented with Newport Classical.

Throughout its short history, Altera has received universally rave reviews, creating "some of the best choral singing by an American choir". Upcoming projects include A New Song: Psalms for the Soul, charting a survey of the Psalms of the Hebrew Bible, in all their dizzying variety, and Feminine Voices, featuring works by female composers for treble voices arrayed around Britten's Ceremony of Carols. Additionally, in 2024 Altera undertakes their first tour, to Texas, makes their debut at Carnegie Hall in Brahms' Requiem, with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and releases its first commercial album, The Lamb's Journey, on Alpha Classics. ​

Deeply committed to championing new works and lifting up new voices, over the past few seasons Altera has premiered works by Motshwane Pege, Toby Young, Joanna Marsh, Daniel Gledhill, Zuzanna Koziej, and Michael Garrepy. In addition to performing, Ensemble Altera undertakes an extensive education and outreach program. Such activities include clinics and interactive presentations with school students in a variety of settings, with a particular focus on opening musical horizons to those from underserved backgrounds. Additionally, Altera has a profound faith in the healing power of music both in and out of the concert hall, and is proud to offer its complete recorded music library free of charge in collaboration with select partners in music therapy.

Christopher Lowrey
Director Christopher Lowrey was born and raised in Johnston, RI, and trained at Brown University, the University of Cambridge, where he sang under Stephen Layton with Trinity College Choir, and the Royal College of Music. In addition to conducting, he enjoys a dynamic international solo career as a countertenor, working at some of the world’s leading opera houses and concert platforms, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, the Philharmonie de Paris, The London Symphony Orchestra, and this season he will be making his debuts with Theater an der Wien, The National Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia, and The Grange Festival in the UK.

Booklet for The Lamb's Journey. A Choral Narrative from Gibbons to Barber