Choral music
Format: Dvojni CD
Code: 113406
EAN: 3838898113406
The choir Akademski pevski zbor Tone Tomšič Univerze v Ljubljani (APZ Tone Tomšič) unites students of all faculties of the University of Ljubljana who share a great love of singing and a desire to create art at the highest level. The choir carries on the tradition of the Akademski pevski zbor v Ljubljani, founded in 1926 by France Marolt as a male singing group. After being silenced during the Second World War, the choir became active again in
1946, this time consisting of male and female singers, and changing its name to Akademski pevski zbor Tone Tomšič in 1953. The choir has always been led by renowned conductors, with Sebastjan Vrhovnik taking over in October 2009. Since its formation, APZ Tone Tomšič has been at the forefront of choral singing in Slovenia. Its repertoire is comprised of pieces from all periods in musical history, while paying special attention to modern choral music. The choir puts out competitive
tenders to encourage both up-and-coming as well as established composers to create new pieces and uses their inaugural performances to strengthen the recognition of Slovenian choral creativity at home and abroad.
The choir has displayed its quality countless times with notable performances at festivals and competitions both in Slovenia and abroad. The biggest successes achieved by APZ Tone Tomšič were the victories at the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (the EGP). The choir took part in this competition seven times, winning the Grand Prix twice: in Arezzo (Italy) in 2002, under Stojan Kuret and in Debrecen (Hungary) in 2008, led by Urša Lah. APZ Tone Tomšič has also won
several awards with its current conductor, Sebastjan Vrhovnik. In April 2011, APZ Tone Tomšič competed in the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition in Ireland. The choir took first place in the category of mixed choirs and received a special award, the Heinrich Schutz Perpetual Trophy, for the performance of Die mit Tranen saen by Heinrich Schutz. In July 2012, APZ Tone Tomšič took part in the International Competition for Choirs in Spittal an der Drau, Austria. It won in the category
of mixed choirs, came in second in the category of folk music and won a special award for the performance of Kip, a modern piece by Slovene composer Tadeja Vulc. At the 2012 International Polifonic Competition “Guido d’Arezzo” in Italy, the choir took first place in the categories of Modern and contemporary music (pieces published between 1920 and the present day) and in the category Historical Period. The choir also won the “Citta di Arezzo” Grand Prize, gaining entry into the GPE in
2013. For its accomplishments at the state level, APZ Tone Tomšič received the highest state award, the Zlati častni znak svobode Republike Slovenije (The Golden Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia) in 1996. In 2000, the choir was awarded the Plaketa glavnega mesta Ljubljana award and in 2003, the Zlati znak Javnega sklada RS za kulturne dejavnosti award.
Translated by Aljaž Ravnjak
Sebastjan Vrhovnik was born in 1978 in Ljubljana. After completing his secondary education at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet (theoretical course in 1997 and singing in 2003) he enrolled into the Ljubljana Academy of Music in 2004, studying music pedagogy. He graduated with honours under Marko Vatovec, and he has finished his master’s degree at the University of Music and Performing arts in the Austrian city of Graz, studying choral
conducting with Johannes Prinz. Since 2006 he has been a teaching assistant of choral conducting at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, running different choral workshops home and abroad. Currently, he is the choirmaster of the Mixed Choir of the Academy of Music, the Mixed Choir Obala Koper, and since 2009 the Tone Tomšič Academic Choir. As a guest conductor, he has collaborated with the Chamber Choir of RTV Slovenia, the choir of the Maribor Opera House, and the female vocal group
ČarniCe. Until 2006, Sebastjan Vrhovnik conducted the Cantemus Mixed Choir from Kamnik, with which he achieved great success in national and international competitions (Maribor, Slovenia, in 2001, 2003, and 2006; Spittal, Austria, in 2005; Mernes, Germany, in 2006). In 2005 he was awarded a bronze plate by the community of Kamnik for his achievements in the field of culture, while in 2006 he won the Prešeren prize of the Academy of Music of Ljubljana.
CD1
1. Iacobus Gallus (1550–1591) – VOX CLAMANTIS IN DESERTO 3:00 (listen!)
In adventu Domini nostri Iesu Christi, Opus musicum: 1/4
2. Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672) – DIE MIT TRANEN SAEN 3:53
Opus 11, št. 10 (SWV 378)
3. Johann Ludwig Bach (1677–1731) – UNSERE TRUBSAL 4:49
4. Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) – ICH ABER BIN ELEND 3:10
Drei Motetten, opus 110, št. 1
5. Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) – SALVE REGINA 4:51
FP 110
6. Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998) – OTČE NAŠ 3:11
Tri duhovnih hora, št. 3
7. Edwin Fissinger (1920–1990) – O BE JOYFUL IN THE LORD 2:53
8. Vytautas Barkauskas ml. (1931) – STABAT MATER 4:49
9. Arvo Pärt (1935) – BOGORODITSE DJEVO 1:38
10. Alberto Balzanelli (1941) – AGNUS DEI 3:52
11. Zane Randall Stroope (1953) – THE CONVERSION OF SAUL 3:53
12. Thomas Jennefelt (1954) – SALUT DE LA VEILLE DES O 3:39
Two Anthems, št. 1
13. Giedrius Svilainis (1972) – LAUDATE DOMINUM 4:23
CD2
1. Sven-David Sandström (1942) – TO SEE A WORLD 3:56 (listen!)
2. Frank Ticheli (1958) – EARTH SONG 4:03
3. Peteris Vasks (1946) – M?TE SAULE 5:50
4. Luciano Lunkes (1917) – LASCIATEMI FLY TO DEATH 5:07
5. – 9. Robert Bob Chilcott (1955) – THE MAKING OF THE DRUM
5. The Skin 2:16
6. The Barrel of the Drum 3:37
7. The Two Curved Sticks of the Drummer 2:26
8. Gourds and Rattles 2:09
9. The Gong-Gong 3:47
10. Tadeja Vulc (1978) – VODOMETI 3:10
11. Tadeja Vulc (1978) – KIP 4:56
12. Veljo Tormis (1930) – RAUA NEEDMINE / CURSE UPON IRON
