Hymns of Heaven and Earth

Hymns of Heaven and Earth, Peter-Anthony Togni’s first Centrediscs recording, showcases three smaller intimate works, woven together sonically by the string quartet. Hymns of Heaven and Earth, Togni’s first string quartet, was written for and premiered by the Penderecki String Quartet in 2001. This lush, deeply moving work reflects Togni’s deeply personal sense of the Divine, his sense of the sacred through nature and the ordinary brought into glory. Solstice Nights features Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Cary Ebli on the English Horn, bringing a slightly darker and yet warmer quality to the string quartet. The disc closes with Three Neruda Odes for soprano and string quartet commissioned and performed by soprano Stacie Dunlop. The Chilean poet-diplomat and politician Pablo Neruda is thought by many to be the greatest poet of the 20th century. His universal appeal was his ability to write about the most ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

Peter-Anthony’s music is spiritually rooted and contemplative, ranging from the ethereally quiet to the explosive outer limits of contemplation. One of Canada’s busiest contemporary composers, JUNO Award nominated Togni has toured internationally and his music is regularly broadcast worldwide. His work Responsio was awarded the 2014 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award, a $25,000 prize, and was released on ATMA classique in 2015. Other recent major works include Lamentatio Jeremiah Prophetae, Warrior Songs, and Isis and Osiris, Gods of Egypt, a new Canadian opera premiering in 2016. Originally from Pembroke, Ontario, he currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he composes and teaches at Acadia and Dalhousie Universities.

1 – 4 Hymns of Remembrance 17:34
Ilana Waniuk, violin
Suhashini Arulaandam, violin
Rory McLeod, viola
Dobrochna Zubek, cello

5 – 6 Solstice Nights 14:54
Cary Ebli, English Horn
Ilana Waniuk, violin
Suhashini Arulaandam, violin
Rory McLeod, viola
Dobrochna Zubek, cello

7 – 9 Three Neruda Odes 24:13
Stacie Dunlop, soprano;
Cary Ebli, English Horn
Ilana Waniuk, violin
Suhashini Arulaandam, violin
Rory McLeod, viola
Dobrochna Zubek, cello

TT 56:41

This recording generously supported by:

This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters. / Ce projet est financé en partie par FACTOR, le gouvernement du Canada et les radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada.