MP3 Paul Halley - Triptych

As beautifully crafted as the instruments on which they are performed, his multi-layered arrangements present an astonishing new repertoire for a rarely heard ensemble of piano, pipe organ, and harpsichord.

12 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Impressionism, CLASSICAL: New Age



Details:
Performing his own compositions, Paul Halley introduces a new sound for a trio of traditional keyboard instruments. Recorded at the acoustically splendid Spivey Hall, Halley plays a Steinway concert grand, Rufatti pipe organ, and Carl Dudash harpsichord, among the finest examples of their kind in the world. As beautifully crafted as the instruments on which they are performed, Halley's multi-layered and multi-faceted arrangements present an astonishing new repertoire for a rarely heard ensemble. With melodies that evoke images from island shores to the steppes of Russia, with rhythms that derive from Renaissance dance to contemporary jazz, Halley delivers music with an enormous range of expression. This album is imaginatively conceived, finely wrought, and beautifully performed. It is pure joy.

About Paul Halley:
PAUL HALLEY, M. A. Cantab, FRCO, ARCT, was born in Romford, England in 1952 and received his early musical training in Ottawa, Canada, where he studied piano, organ and singing. At the age of sixteen, he was made an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. Having been awarded the organ scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge under Dr. Richard Marlow, he received his M.A. with prizes in composition and performance, and was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, winning first prize in the College examinations. Via a circuitous route involving two years teaching in Jamaica, W.I., and the study of Development Economics at the University of Victoria, BC, Halley became Organist and Choirmaster at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City where he served for thirteen years, 1977 to 1990, transforming the Cathedralâs music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music. Concurrent with his tenure at the Cathedral, Halley became a principal member of The Paul Winter Consort and earned four Grammy Awards for his contributions as featured writer and performer on many Consort recordings.

Following his departure from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1990, Halley settled in rural northwestern Connecticut and founded Joyful Noise, Inc., the non-profit organization which administers the childrenâs choir, Chorus Angelicus and the adult ensemble, Gaudeamus. These choirs continue to bring their celebrated sound to audiences throughout North America and Europe through an annual concert series of classical masterworks and contemporary repertoire, tours and recordings. In 1999, Halley became Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church, Torrington, CT and established the Joyful Noise choirs there as Artists-In-Residence. At Trinity, Halley conducts a 30-voice, semi-professional choir, mentors an Organ Scholar from Yale Universityâs Institute of Sacred Music, and creates fresh hymn descants and new settings of liturgical music. Halley has expanded the churchâs music ministry to include monthly Vespers services, and the Trinity Arts Series, a forum for the work of professional musicians and artists in a sacred space.

Halleyâs compositions have been commissioned, performed and licensed by many notable artists and organizations including Sony Entertainment, Windham Hill/BMG Music, Hal Leonard, the New Jersey Symphony, John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Louisville Symphony, Canadian Brass, Margie Gillis, and Jennifer Muller and The Works. Halley receives annual Composer Awards from ASCAP, and his recordings and performances are frequently broadcast on National Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Recently commissioned works include a song cycle for singers Louise Winter and Gerald Finley, and the new choral/orchestral work âIn Sideribus Domi: At Home In The Starsâ for the Clay Center of Science and Art, Charleston, WV through the auspices of the American Composers Forum.

Halleyâs compositions and recordings are produced and distributed by Pelagos Incorporated for which Halley acts as Creative Director. Among Pelagosâ celebrated recordings are: Nightwatch, a reissue of Halleyâs landmark 1982 improvisation album, recorded on the Great Organ of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; Sound Over All Waters, a compilation of Halleyâs choral works and arrangements for gospel singer Theresa Thomason and the professional choral ensemble, Keramion; Triptych, Halleyâs keyboard works for the unique trio of piano, pipe organ, and harpsichord, recorded at Spivey Hall in Atlanta; and Untraveled Worlds, a glorious compilation of world music repertoire presented by Chorus Angelicus.

Halley lives with his wife and business partner Margaret Race on a mountaintop farm in Norfolk, Connecticut. With their six children, they make an annual pilgrimage to the islands off the south shore of Nova Scotia to spend summer days messing around in an endearing catboat which rejoices in the name, âMagnificatâ. A fondness for the province is the tenable excuse for an imminent job change and relocation. Beginning July 2007, Halley will assume the Music Directorship of three venerable Halifax institutions: St. Georgeâs Anglican Church, the Atlantic School of Theology, and King's College Chapel, where Halley hopes to establish an Organ and Choral Scholars Program, and a School of Sacred Music.