Paulus/ True Concord Voices & Orchestra/ Holtan - Far in the Heavens

The late Stephen Paulus (a bright, fluent inventor with a ready lyric gift - New Yorker) was prolific composer of over 500 works. He wrote for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles, solo voice, keyboard and opera. His as uniquely American music, represented on over fifty recordings, was characterized as irresistible in kinetic energy and haunting in lyrical design by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, while The New York Times praised him for melodic patterns that are fresh and familiar at the same time and scoring that is invariably expert and exceptionally imaginative in textures and use of instruments. Far In The Heavens comprises recently composed and previously unrecorded works by Stephen Paulus, including two works commissioned and premiered by True Concord Voices & Orchestra: The Incomprehensible for their fifth anniversary season in 2009, and in 2011 Prayers and Remembrances for the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. Mr. Paulus supervised the recording in Tucson, AZ just weeks before suffering a major stroke from which he never recovered, passing away in October 2014 after being in a coma for more than a year at age 65.