Conspirare
History[edit]
Conspirare, originally New Texas Festival, was formed in 1991 as a week-long series of vocal performances every summer in Austin, Texas.[3][4] They did not begin having a fuller schedule of concerts until 1999.[5] They regularly play music festivals in the area including specials for Christmas[6][7][8][9] and in celebration of the music of Bach.[10] They have also played such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall[11] and Lincoln Center.[4] Their music was featured in the 2006 documentary The Mystery of Love.[12]
Recordings[edit]
through the green fuse[edit]
Their first release was 2004's through the green fuse on Clarion Records. It was recorded in early August 2004 over two days at the Skywalker Ranch. Robert Faires of The Austin Chronicle described the album's qualities as "sensitivity to text, purity of vocal tone, and, of course, those long, lush harmonies, with voices melding seamlessly into sounds that are achingly lovely". Tracks include "Deep River" and "Sleep".[13]
Requiem[edit]
Requiem, their second offering, was also on Clarion in 2006, and was re-released on Harmonia Mundi Records in 2009. It was recorded at the Troy Music Hall, Troy, New York.[14] The album has a "somber theme of death and loss", with Requiem Masses by Herbert Howells and Ildebrando Pizzetti and a memorial for tsunami victims by Eliza Gilkyson.[14] The album received two Grammy nominations for Best Engineered Album, Classical and Best Choral Performance.[15] In 2010, it received an Edison Award, the Dutch equivalent on a Grammy.[16]