MacMillan: So Deep

These collaborations between noted 'Edinburghians' Alexander McCall Smith and Tom Cunningham appear on disc here for the first time, in a programme of Scottish poetry settings by some of today's leading composers. From the ethereal tenderness of Cunningham's Lullaby to the muscular angularity of Ronald Stevenson's Medieval Scottish Triptych, Laudibus responds with affection and athleticism to the expert direction of UK choral doyen, Mike Brewer.

Producer’s note: “It was not so sunny when we recorded Scotland at Night…On 3-5 January whilst Laudibus was in Colinton Parish Church in Edinburgh to record this collection, the boiler gave out! Anyway, I offered as much support to the ever-spirited Mike & his crew as I could from the Minister's office (things are quite plush in Colinton, and thankfully the heating system in the Minister's suite runs off a newer-fangled & more efficient boiler!). You would never know that these lush sounds were recorded in a sub-freezing environment!” Paul Baxter

Music by the composer of the motet Ubi Caritas – as heard at the wedding of Kate and William.

In this CD Con Anima pairs cycles by Paul Mealor (Now sleeps the crimson petal) and Morten Lauridsen (Madrigali: Six ‘Fire Songs’ on Italian Renaissance poems).

Paul Mealor’s short choral cycle, Now sleeps the crimson petal (2010), consists of four linked madrigals on texts connected by their reference to roses, either directly or as a metaphor for love. Paul Mealor’s music has rapidly entered the repertoire of choirs and singers around the world. His sacred motets, songs and cycles have been performed, broadcast and recorded by artists in the UK, the USA and much further afield. Paul was catapulted to international attention when 2.5 billion people (the largest audience in broadcasting history) heard his motet, Ubi caritas, performed by the choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal and conducted by James O’Donnell, at the wedding ceremony of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011.

Since its foundation in 2001, Aberdeen’s Con Anima Chamber Choir has built up an impressive reputation in the north-east of Scotland and further afield. It gives an average of five performances a year in and around Aberdeen, and has performed in several other places in Scotland including Glasgow, Paisley and Fochabers.

Con Anima performs sacred and secular music from the 16th century to the present day, ranging from Renaissance polyphony (Byrd, Gibbons, Carver) and well-loved classics such as Mozart’s Requiem to world premières of new British works. Under the baton of its principal conductor, Dr Paul Mealor, the choir is becoming known for its skilled and sensitive interpretation of contemporary European and American choral music. As well as regularly performing Paul Mealor’s music, including several world premières, it has developed a particularly fruitful link with the renowned American composer Morten Lauridsen and has featured his music in several concerts since 2007. Further information can be viewed at www.conanima.org.uk