Choral Arts Society of Washington Chamber Singers - Lift Up Your Voice - Hymns of Charles Wesley - [CD]

his new release is a full album of hymn favorites written by Charles Wesley. Wesley is one of the greatest hymn writers in history, penning over 6,000! Included are titles such as 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Jesus, Lover of My Soul, and O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing. The Choral Arts Society of Washington, founded in 1965, has experienced monumental success, performing with the national Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and many more. The Chamber Singers is a small ensemble of thirty, launched on the Society's fiftieth anniversary. Scott Tucker, artistic director for the chorus, has prepared choruses for Christoph Eschenbach, Vassilly Sinalsky, Marin Alsop, among others. J. Reilly Lewis, a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and The Julliard School, is a world renowned organist and is the Music Director of the Cathedral Choral Society.Review"The danger of monotony could occur when offering many hymn settings in 3/4 or 4/4 in succession. Yet the responses of the composers (some anonymous) are so varied and often so stirring that you can't help but succumb to the radiant blend of music and Wesley's verses. Led by Artistic Director Scott Tucker, the Choral Arts singers imbue the hymns with fervent expressivity and vocal allure. J Reilly Lewis plays the organ parts on an Aeolian-Skinner instrument that produces both heavenly and roaring sonorities." --Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone Sounds of America, March 2016