Eric Whitacre wants you to feel at 'Home'
Eric Whitacre and Voces8 \u2014 Home (Decca)
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New Classical Tracks - Eric Whitacre
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\u201cIf I could travel back in time and tell my 20-year-old self, this will be your life; you'll be a classical choral composer. I just never could have imagined it,\u201d Eric Whitacre says.
\u201c\u2018Go Lovely Rose\u2019 is the first piece I wrote. I remember hearing it being sung live in the room. That's the day I knew I would be a composer,\u201d he says, still realizing his dreams 30 years later.
That first composition is featured on his new recording, Home, in collaboration with the British vocal ensemble Voces8.
Why did you call the album Home?
\u201cOn one level, it is referenced in a couple of the pieces on the album, specifically in Sacred Veil. It's the major theme and the final words of the entire piece. \u2018Welcome home, my child. Welcome home.\u2019\u201d
What do you admire most about Voces8?
\u201cIt's their technical acumen. They're spectacular musicians. They sing with such purity and clarity. They sing so selflessly as a group. But there's this deeper thing going on, this kind of emotional intelligence that they have. I knew that from the albums, but I didn't really know until I was in the room with them.\u201d
Can you talk about the liner note, \u2018This is how I always dreamed it would sound\u2019?
\u201cAbout 32 years ago, I wrote something close to it, and a version in my head is always playing. It is \u2018I always imagined it would be like this.\u2019 I remember the first time we sang through the album, and I thought, \u2018Oh, my God, that's it.\u2019 It replaced the version in my head. So now I think about how it should sound. It's just that recording.
\u201cThere's something about the transparency of just eight voices. It\u2019s the strength of their purity. It causes these clouds of overtones that, while making the album, send chills down your spine that are just endless.\u201d
Watch now
To hear the rest of my conversation, click on the extended interview above, or\xa0download the extended podcast on iTunes\xa0or wherever you get your podcasts.
Resources
Eric Whitacre and VOCES8 \u2014 Home (Decca store)
Eric Whitacre and VOCES8 \u2014 Home (Amazon)
Eric Whitacre (Official Site)
VOCES8 (Official Site)