Thursday 17 August 2017
Release date: 3 November 2017
GOLD celebrates 50 years of one of the world’s most famous and beloved vocal groups, and one of the UK’s musical national treasures, The King’s Singers. From stunning performances of Medieval and Renaissance music to multiple commissions and new arrangements of pop songs, The King’s Singers have always been lauded for their flexibility and the diversity of their repertoire. This is reflected in the 60 tracks spanning over 500 years, from Josquin des Pres to Bob Chilcott, John Rutter and Toby Hession. In 2018 The King’s Singers will embark on a year-long world tour, beginning with an intimate concert at St John’s Smith Square on 13 January, featuring repertoire from GOLD.
GOLD’s 60 tracks are divided across three albums themed as Close Harmony, Spiritual and Secular. The ‘Close Harmony’ tracks include arrangements of songs by Lennon and McCartney, Billy Joel, John Legend, Paul Simon and U2. The album also features a number of well-known traditional songs, many arranged by former and current members of the group. Repertoire in the ‘Spiritual’ section spans over 500 years, from Palestrina, Orlande de Lassus and Alonso Lobo in the 16th century, through to 21st-century works by living composers such as Eric Whitacre and Bob Chilcott, whose Thou, My Love, Art Fair, was written especially for the group in 2008. Well-known composers feature prominently throughout the ‘Secular’ section, including Johannes Brahms, William Byrd, Gabriel Fauré, Josquin des Prez, John Rutter, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Toru Takemitsu. GOLD features three new commissions and world premiere recordings by Bob Chilcott (We Are), Toby Hession (Master of Music) and John Rutter (Be not afeard) as well as six new arrangements.
Alongside the GOLD album, a new official book celebrates five decades of music-making, including a year-by-year guide to the events, music and people who have shaped The King’s Singers’ unique history. The book contains interviews with 24 members of the group past and present, complete with details of their recordings and commissions and a wealth of photos.
For collectors, The King’s Singers are pleased to offer a Special Edition box set including the GOLD recordings and The King’s Singers GOLD book. This Special Edition collectors’ box also includes a bespoke GOLD USB drive containing high definition versions of all the GOLD tracks – as well as exclusive interviews and archive material. The set also includes a facsimile of an original handwritten score of one of the earliest and most treasured folksongs to enter their library, the late Gordon Langford’s Bobby Shaftoe, and a hand-signed letter from the current Singers.
The artwork for the GOLD standard and Special Edition sleeves and the anniversary book was created especially by the group. Each piece of artwork includes contributions from all six current members of The King’s Singers.
The King’s Singers have released a total of 31 albums and DVDs with Signum Classics, including ‘King’s Singers Christmas’ which has sold over 50,000 copies, alongside hundreds of thousands of streamed tracks and tens of thousands of digital downloads.
The King’s Singers said:
“We are totally thrilled to be releasing our GOLD album on Signum Records to celebrate 50 years of The King’s Singers. As well as this GOLD album release, we have a brand new anniversary book that looks back over the group’s remarkable history, and we’ve also created a beautiful Special Edition Box Set, containing the album, the book and more exclusive content. We know that the world has changed a lot since the original King’s Singers formed in 1968. But today we’re still charged by the same lifeblood that energised them – one that inspires us to radiate the joy singing brings us every day, and that keeps us dreaming of our bright musical future.”
For more information please contact George Chambers at Albion Media:
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