Recordings
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Spotless Rose Phoenix Chorale (CDs are $20 each) |
Reviews for “Spotless Rose”
| "The more I hear of the American Phoenix Chorale, the more I admire their work. Their English-leaning choral style, impinging on the territory of Polyphony or the Sixteen, feels absolutely right for this repertoire. Their peerlessly blended style makes for persuasive readings." |
– William Whitehead for BBC Music Magazine Read the entire review here. |
"Choral singing just doesn't get much better than this. When it comes to purity of tone, daunting precision and superfine blend, Charles Bruffy's remarkable Phoenix Chorale have it all - and then some!" |
| “The Phoenix Chorale (formerly the Phoenix Bach Choir) and its director Charles Bruffy have made some fine recordings for Chandos, and here is another...Don't miss this. ” |
“They have that highly polished perfection of sound that many American groups seem to make a speciality. It’s a norm with this group I feel. But they also have a great communication and humanity in their music, which isn’t always such a common commodity amongst their colleagues, I feel anyway...I think these three little songs to Mary really shine in the hands of this group and their conductor Charles Bruffy. So, here are Three Latin motets by Cecelia McDowall getting the performance they really deserve by the Phoenix Chorale.” |
| "This is a triumph of engineering, of choral singing, and of conducting on the part of Charles Bruffy, a protégé of fabled American choral conductor Robert Shaw, who, like his mentor, has achieved impressive, sensuously irresistible results in a city without a deeply ingrained tradition of classical singing." |
– James Manheim for www.allmusic.com Read the entire review here. |
"The Phoenix Chorale and its conductor/Artistic Director Charles Bruffy are one of the brightest jewels in the Chandos crown. Bruffy has a great talent for programming, displayed superbly on this new disc of sacred pieces in honour of the Virgin Mary. " |
– John Miller for www.sa-cd.net |
| "Five Stars." |
– Classic FM Magazine |
"Given the transcendent nature of the music and the performances, spiritual satisfaction is guaranteed, whatever your religious proclivities.” |
– Robert Levett for International Record Review Read the entire review here. |
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Josef Rheinberger:
(CDs are $20 each) |
| 1. Oster-Hymne, Op.134 | Listen |
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| 2. Anima Nostra. Andantino Amabile - Adagio | Listen |
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| 3. Meditabor. Non Troppo Adagio | Listen |
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| 4. Laudate Dominium. Maestoso E Marcato | Listen |
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| 5. Angelus Domini. Maestoso | Listen |
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| 6. Kyrie. Moderato | Listen |
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| 7. Gloria. Moderato | Listen |
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| 8. Credo. Piu Mosso | Listen |
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| 9. Sanctus. Lento | Listen |
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| 10. Benedictus. Andantino | Listen |
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| 11. Agnus Dei. Lento - Poco Piu Mosso | Listen |
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| 12. Morgenlied 'Die Sterne Sind Erblichen'. Con Moto | Listen |
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| 13. Hymne 'Dein Sind Die Himmel'. Adagio Non Troppo | Listen |
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| 14. Abenlied 'Bleib Bei Uns'. Andante Molto | Listen |
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Reviews for “Josef Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works”
| "Rheinberger, chapel master to King Ludwig II, composed romantically sumptuous yet classically refined church music, qualities cherished by these excellent choristers." |
- Classic FM |
| "This is all very lovely, and, no, that is not a euphemism for boring. The composer lives up to his ideal of music as well crafted, beautiful sound, and the performances conform. No jagged edge or incompatible vibration obtrudes upon the perfect blend of choral tone. The style is careful over the shading and shaping of phrases, the effect beneficent and reverential. The programme is similarly comforting in sound and manner, at its centre the Mass, Rheinberger’s acknowledged choral masterpiece, in the comforting key of E flat." |
- Gramophone |
| "This is a disc that should convince doubters that there is far more to Rheinberger than usually meets the ear." |
- International Record Review |
| "The performances by the Phoenix Bach Choir [Phoenix Chorale] and Kansas City Chorale (separate organizations, but often combined as they are here for double-choir music) are superb... Conductor Charles Bruffy performed with Robert Shaw and has inherited his tendencies toward seamless blends and a warm, rounded tone. A superb choral release..." |
- All Music Guide |
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Grechaninov's
(CDs are $20 each) Purchase MP3s here |
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Four Grammy nominations including:
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| Passion Week, Op. 58 |
| Sung in Church Slavonic |
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1 | Behold, the Bridegroom | 5:49 |
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2 | I see Thy bridal chamber | 2:35 |
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3 | In Thy Kingdom | 7:38 |
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4 | Gladsome Light | 3:19 |
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5 | Let my prayer be set forth | 7:09 |
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6 | Now the powers of heaven | 7:16 |
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7 | At Thy mystical supper | 5:40 |
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8 | The wise thief | 3:29 |
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9 | Thou who clothest Thyself | 5:33 |
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10 | The Lord is God… The Noble Joseph | 4:49 |
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11 | Weep not for me, O Mother | 5:20 |
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12 | As many of you; Arise, O God | 4:55 |
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13 | Let all mortal flesh | 9:38 |
Reviews for “Passion Week”
| “Rapt and utterly unrushed under Maestro Bruffy’s guidance, it unfolds out of silence as an extended prayer that never loses its devotional energy. The singing is simply gorgeous, with the Super Audio format flattering the artistic intentions of everyone involved. Bravo to Chandos for its willingness to compete against itself with this new offering. My guess is that Passion Week sung in Church Slavonic by these two gifted choirs will become one of the most celebrated releases of 2007, and deservedly so. It’s a stunner in all respects.” |
– American Record Guide |
| “The massed forces of the Phoenix Bach Choir [Phoenix Chorale] and the Kansas City Chorale (both are professional groups) make a formidable choral machine, one which seems to produce an unending wave of smoothly blended sound. If Grechaninov’s music is sentimental in the best sense, this performance has an integrity and honesty to it which I find profoundly moving.” |
– BBC Music Magazine's Vocal/Choral CD of the Month, May 2007 |
Performance  Sound |
| “If I had heard this album knowing nothing about its performers, I would smile, nod sagely and say, “They’re Russian, of course”. Phoenix, Arizona and Kansas City would not have registered for a second on my choral radar, but their respective Bach Choir [Phoenix Chorale] and Chorale will do from now on. Their combined professional forces do full justice to Gretchaninov’s 13 eloquently simple Passion Week pieces, matching the basso profondo richness of the best Russian choirs with refined tuning and impeccably unanimous ensemble. Vocal weight here brings a welcome luster to the sound without any loss of focus, a quality upheld by Chandos in its excellent surround-sound recording.” |
– Classic FM (UK) |
| “A milestone in Russian choral music delivered in thrilling style here.” |
–Gramophone |
| “Luxuriant textures, sumptuous harmonies, mouth-watering melodies, all beautifully conveyed with ravishing choral tone; this is a simply gorgeous disc.” |
– International Record Review |
| “...ravishingly sung by two American choirs, both specialists in unaccompanied choral music. A glorious disc, and highly recommended.” |
– Guardian Unlimited (UK) |
| “This will be one of my discs of the year, without question. Rarely have I heard a cappella singing of such quality and refinement or a recording that so perfectly complements it.” |
– Musicweb International |
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Eternal Rest
(CDs are $20 each)
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1. Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae - Jaakko Mäntyjärvi |
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2. There Will Be Rest - Frank Ticheli |
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3. Mass for Double Choir - Frank Martin: |
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| 4. In Pace - Rene Clausen | |
Reviews for “Eternal Rest”
"..this is one of the finest a cappella choral recordings I've ever heard. By any reckoning, this CD features astonishing singing. Pitch, intonation and ensemble are exactly where they need to be. Although there are miles and miles of soft singing on this disc, not once do the singers lose their tonal focus, and the intensity of the sound actually seems to increase as the dynamic level decreases." |
- International Record Review |
| "Hearing both of Bruffy’s word-class choirs at once is a particular treat, especially in the complex Martin piece. Even combined, their numbers are still shy of some larger chamber choirs –but they never lose the crystalline purity of sound or tonal beauty that Bruffy’s ensembles are known for. You won’t hear better balance, more affecting musicality, or such exquisite phrasing from any other American ensemble." |
- American Record Guide |
| "Their vocal blend is the most uniform I have ever heard...the velvety brilliance of the voices extends from cavernous depths to stratospheric scintillation with equal quality...a spectacular helping of meditative, consoling passion music." |
- Finnish Broadcasting Company Radio 1 |
| "This performance has some stiff competition, notably the Hyperion recording made by Westminster Cathedral Choir/James O’Donnell (BBC Music’s choral recording of the year in 1998) but it easily holds its own." |
- BBC Music Magazine |
Performance Sound |
| "The works on the disc are spiced with carefully considered dissonances, which the choir's granite-solid intonation and virtuoso ease do complete justice." |
- Antti Häyrynen Rondo Classica (Finland) |
| "Great singing, great recording and simply divine music. This recording is something pretty special. How can you fail to be bewitched by singing like that?" |
- BBC Radio 3 |
| "...well drilled and beautifully balanced singing prove deeply satisfying. The first of a series of joint ventures by these choirs; future instalments will be well worth hearing." |
- Gramophone |
| "Charles Bruffy's Phoenix Bach Choir [Phoenix Chorale] / Kansas City Chorale recording is superb in every way. Of the half dozen or so recordings of my piece, "There Will Be Rest", this is by far the best of them. I am thrilled and honored to receive such a loving, caring recording of my music. I bought numerous copies myself to give as gifts to my closest friends." |
- Frank Ticheli, composer |
| "Charles Bruffy's recording of my composition "In Pace" is magical. Its combination of refined elements of ensemble together with elegant phrasing and imaginative musicianship make it heartfelt listening, indeed." |
- René Clausen, composer |
| From 'Shakespeare Songs' - Matthew Harris |
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| Songs of Ariel from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' - Frank Martin |
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| When he shall die - Steven Sametz |
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Four Shakespeare Songs - Jaakko Mäntyjärvi |
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| Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? - Nils Lindberg |
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| Sonnet No. LXIV - Dominick Argento |
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| O mistress mine! - Alan Murray |
| Three Shakespeare Songs - Ralph Vaughan Williams |
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Reviews for “Shakespeare in Song ”
| Where has this fabulous choir been all my life? I’ve heard several outstanding efforts from Robert Shaw protégé Charles Bruffy with his Kansas City Chorale, but I’ve never heard him at the helm of this brilliant Arizona group before. No choral strength you can name eludes them. They easily surpass the last Shakespeare collection I reviewed (many of the same pieces). Chandos’ usual lucid and unaffected notes, full texts and resplendent SACD-hybrid sound conspire with irresistible choral wizardry to make this an absolute must.' |
- American Record Guide |
| "...great intelligence and sensitivity with snug part-singing, buoyant rhythms, and a tone that shifts easily from deepest gloom to gleaming light." |
- Fanfare |
| ''This is an entreprising disc from Chandos, which has reached out a long arm to bring in an accomplished American choir. Everything here is likeable both as composition and as performance.'' |
- Gramophone |
MIlagros De Navidad - arr. Ed Henderson |
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Noel Sing We! -Jon Washburn |
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Magnificat Secundi Toni -Hernando Franco |
Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming -Jon Washburn |
The Star: I Wonder As I Wander -Jon Washburn |
Weinachtslieder -J.S. Bach |
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Reviews for “Southwest Christmas”
| "...a superbly produced and packaged yuletide CD. Jon Washburn conducts the ensemble of Frank Koonce, guitar; Mark Sunkett, percussion; and the choir with select soloists...a sonically clean and vibrant recording." |
- The Arizona Republic |