Viva Voce: Enduring Harmonies with conductor Nathan Zullinger Release a Beautiful and Historical record
- R.A.G.
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
A gorgeous and enticing new release from Viva Voce conductor Nathan Zullinger provides an incredibly warm tonality as the release is almost fully acapella and the way that they put themselves out there is just amazing.
At times, throughout the release, vocals feel angelic, like a choir of angels singing from above. Other times, you have a deeper sound to the tone of the songs as both male and female vocals take place and have such a unique way of complimenting each other throughout the record's course.
There are so many amazing arrangements and changes, progressions and segments throughout this release that at times, you can even hear these in your head as fully orchestrated pieces with woodwinds, horns, string sections, and more.
Don't get me wrong, these performers are amazing at what they do. They do it so well, actually, that it just feels like a full orchestra when you're hearing it sometimes.
Layers of harmonies flow in and out, interwoven with melodies and mood, bringing out such a unique way of putting you in the moment with the song.
The pieces have a beautiful and natural flow to them, memorable and powerful sections, impactfully performed with such precision but also such heart and passion at the same time.
This is a record that really showcases the power of acapella when it's done right.
They can create such a thick laid atmosphere with voices alone, sometimes bringing out such a thriving sort of intense feel, and each with a message, story, or purpose.
The first track is an inaugural anthem with words by William Saroyan, and when you read the lyrics as you're listening to the pieces of music, especially ones like this, you really can feel it in your body. The meaning of the songs has so much more power when you are reading the lyrics while you listen.
This is because now you have a full understanding of exactly where the song is coming from, and because the group can portray that so amazingly with their voices alone, you really feel the sense of emotion that lies in the sentiment of some of these pieces.
"What Are Years" includes words by Marianne Moore, and this piece gets into existentialism, mortality, right, wrong, and struggle.
It's very reflective and vulnerable in terms of the lyrics. The way they are portrayed throughout the music is astounding.
I listened to this entire album twice. The first time, I did it without reading the lyrics. I understood some of it, but because it does have this sort of classical choral approach and aesthetic, it's hard to understand every single word.
Of course, you can take any kind of music and say the same thing.
When you read along with the piece of music, it just intensifies everything, and that is, once again, the strongest way I suggest doing this.
This way, you get a real sense of the impact of the words behind the music. The inaugural anthems are by Thomas Lloyd and conducted for this group by Nathan Zullinger, who conducted the entire record with the vocalists.
A great example of layering and composition comes from Steven Gerber's "Ceremony After A Fire", which is a piece that is beautifully put together and conducted with such a unique approach, with words by Dylan Thomas and is about death and many of the things that come along with it.
Probably one of the most interesting pieces is Dale Trumbore's "Footnotes To A History of Music", which is likely my favorite piece on the record, as not only is it amazingly performed by all singers, but also focuses on Charles Fussell and literally goes through footnotes on arrangement, conducting, composition, chord sequences, and so much more.
There's something strangely personal about that piece. I suppose knowing the story behind it makes that even better.
Which brings me to "Infinite Fraternity", originally composed by Charles Fussell.
This piece features a lot of great woodwind instruments and vocals so bringing those together added a new texture and feel to the piece, which I absolutely adored.
The piece also features a more operatic vocal performance, along with the group's flowing harmonies.
This was probably the most in-depth piece in terms of bringing in new instrumentation and giving the piece its first professional recording.
I love the idea of having something that you can bring back to life, in a sense. This is a perfect example of exactly that. Something that deserved to breathe again. Now it can through this release.
Between the group and Nathan, this whole thing just turned out to be breathtaking.
This was a little outside the box and definitely Innovative in bringing words and music to life and creating lush vocal sounds. Brilliant arrangements and stunning overall tone.
This record is something that you cannot miss.
LABEL LINK (Neuma Records)
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