I have to stay current on my blog reading… I missed the “Eric Whitacre Extravaganza” a few weeks ago in Minneapolis. It would have been really cool to hear the new Nox Aurumque performed by St. Olaf, and one of those events my mom and brother would have wanted to see, too. I credit my ex-girlfriend Susannah for introducing me to Whitacre’s work, in that she was part of a group that sang Water Night, Cloudburst, and Lux Aurumque two summers ago. BYU renditions have since been permanent fixtures on my iPhone.
I just spent the last 30 minutes replaying the Conspirare version of What If, over and over and over. I agree with Mr. Whitacre’s description as “a very cool arrangement,” as the percussion is really neat. This is why allowing derivative works of your own work is a great idea. I wasn’t that into the original piece from Paradise Lost, but this arrangement really does something for me. I also like that the singers appear to be having fun.
I need to find the DVD of this concert ASAP, and put them on the list of things to see next time I’m in Austin.
Hey, thanks for the plug (IVE 2009: Friday, 8/7, Luther Memorial, woooo!). Incidentally, we only did “Water Night” that year, but it was the fourth or fifth time I’ve done it — that thing is everywhere.
I ran into this today; there are some more cool links in there you might enjoy.