Crossing Over Skylark Vocal Ensemble & Matthew Guard

• Daniel Elder (1986)
• 1Elegy04:16
• John Tavener (1944-2013)
• 2No. 1. Butterfly Dreams: A Pleasant Hallucination01:42
• 3No. 2. Haiku: Comes Slightly More Into Focus00:54
• 4No. 3. Haiku: A Butterfly Floating in my Hand00:54
• 5No. 4. Haiku: Dissolves into a Cloud of Chaos01:10
• 6No. 5. Haiku: Something Sinister Gives Way00:41
• 7No. 6. The Butterfly: My Most Horrifying Nightmare02:40
• 8No. 7. Butterfly Song: A Vision from Childhood Comforts Me02:20
• 9No. 8. Butterfly Dreams: A Dream Recurs01:52
• Nikolay Kedrov (1871-1940)
• 10Otche Nach02:03
• Jón Leifs (1899-1968)
• 11Requiem, Op. 33b04:41
• Robert Vuichard
• 12Heliocentric Meditation09:12
• William Schuman (1910-1992)
• 13No. 1. The Last Invocation03:29
• 14No. 2. The Unknown Region03:53
• 15No. 3. To All, To Each02:20
• Anna Þorvaldsdóttir (1977)
• 16Heyr þu oss himnum a04:27
• John Tavener (1944-2013)
• 17Funeral Ikos05:55
• Total Runtime52:29

Info for Crossing Over

In Crossing Over, Skylark shares texts and compositions that depict the dream state at the end of life. Featuring unique voices in choral composition from around the world, and including several world premiere recordings, Crossing Over takes audiences on a musical and emotional journey that taps deeply into the human spirit. Skylark commemorates British Composer Sir John Tavener with the first US commercial recording of Butterfly Dreams, an 8-movement dream-state piece composed in 2003. Notably, the album will feature two young American compositional voices, with the debut recording of Robert Vuichard’s Heliocentric Meditation based on the poetry of John Donne, and a recording of Elegy by Daniel Elder, based on the tune “Taps,” played at United States military funerals. Skylark also shares stunning and seldom-heard music from the Icelandic choral tradition, including the first US recording of Requiem by Jón Leifs and an inspiring ancient psalm-setting by contemporary Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir. Thorvaldsdottir, recently named as the prestigious New York Philharmonic Kravis Emerging Composer, flew from Iceland to work with Skylark during the sessions.

Skylark Vocal Ensemble
Matthew Guard, conductor

The Skylark Vocal Ensemble
is a chamber choir of professional soloists and music educators from across the United States. Formed in 2011 under the direction of Matthew Guard, Skylark has been described as “a gem… soloists who come together to create a dynamic and inspiring whole.” Skylark performs innovative programs that help reinforce the intent of the composers to communicate truths about the human condition. A not-for-profit entity Skylark also performs educational outreach programs with students across the United States during its concert tours.

Matthew Guard
Skylark Artistic Director Matthew Guard is quickly earning a reputation as one of the most innovative and thoughtful programmers in American choral music. Passionate about communicating something unique in each concert and recording, Matthew scours the world of available repertoire for each program, exhaustively researches each piece, and crafts concerts and printed programs that captivate audiences with their hidden connections and seamless artistry. In addition to his day-to-day leadership of Skylark and role as a conductor in concerts, Matthew is also an active arranger and editor of scores, as he rarely finds programming ideas that will truly sing without at least one piece specifically arranged or composed for the program.

Booklet for Crossing Over