Cappella Romana releases Heaven and Earth Friday, October 14 with concerts following that weekend. Inspired by the Higgs boson discovery, Heaven and Earth is a musical meditation on Psalm 103 by six Orthodox composers, including a double-choir motet by the late Richard Toensing. It is sung in English with the traditional Orthodox refrains, with members of 45th Parallel Universe directed by John Michael Boyer joining for Travener’s Ikon of Light.
The release is available both as a physical CD as well as downloadable in MP3 and other digital formats ($12-25). An accompanying booklet provides an extensive essay on the work, the full texts used in the composition, composer notes, full translations and beautiful photography.
To celebrate the release, performances will take place Saturday, October 15, 8 pm at St. Mary’s Cathedral downtown and Sunday, October 16, 3 pm at The Madeleine Parish in NE. Tickets ($5-53) available at cappellaromana.org/concert/heavenearth.