Circle of Love
Craig Madden Morris composer
Composer’s Choir | Daniel Shaw music director
Bronx Symphony Orchestra | Joseph Dellicarri music director
Paul Rogers tenor; Catherine Williams soprano
From the passion of a new romance to the devotion and deep affection of parents for their children, love can take many forms. On his Ravello Records release CIRCLE OF LOVE AND OTHER CHORAL OFFERINGS, composer Craig Madden Morris presents a song cycle for chorus and piano set to traditional texts from The Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, The Book of Ruth, Malachi, and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, as well as original verse by the composer. This CIRCLE OF LOVE portrays the blossoming and growth of love, from the initial passion to the poignancy of later years.
Works such as Arise My Love, The Rubaiyat, and How Sweet My Love are a testament to the intimacy and ardor of falling in love, often comparing the beloved to the beauty of nature. Wherever You Go and The Touch of Memory depict the devotion of beloved companions, their lives and family connected by an unbreakable bond. Two Are Better Than One speaks of the later years of love, when the tenderness and experience of a shared life soften the passage of time and the tribulations of aging.
Morris offers two other works – The Tiger, set to the poem by William Blake, and And Abraham Remained Standing Before the Lord – both of which challenge our understanding of the paradoxes and actions of a just G-d.
Listen
Artist Information
Craig Madden Morris
Craig Morris began his compositional studies at eleven years old. Since then he has added violin, piano and voice to his musical education and studied under Shirley Bloom, Kevin Scott and Joelle Wallach. He has been a violinist with the Bronx Symphony Orchestra for forty years and has worked professionally as a cantor. His music has been performed by the Bronx Symphony Orchestra, the CETA Orchestra of New York, the North Jersey Symphony, Fifth International Music Festival of Buenos Aires, the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, the Chamber Music Society of Formosa, members of the Amasi Trio, the Gregg Smith Singers and the Nyack College Chorale.