THREE
CHOIRS, TWO RELIGIONS,
UNITED BY ONE BIRTH
THE
BIRTH OF CHRIST brings the Nativity Story to Life this Christmas
premiering on Public Television.
Sony
BMG Masterworks released the CD and DVD on November 6.
“Destined
to become a classic. Aside from the transcendent beauty of the
work, this piece has already demonstrated its power to unite people.”
-Liam Neeson
After
decades of sectarian conflict and bloodshed, Protestants and Catholics
recently came together for a special evening in Dublin, Ireland
to celebrate what unites them: The Birth of Christ. Hosted and
narrated by Liam Neeson, Andrew T Miller’s The Birth of
Christ (SONY BMG Masterworks 2007) musically brings the Gospel
of Luke to life, and revivifies the passion, unity, and peace
found in the Nativity story. Miller commented “I hope that
people realize that grace and peace often come in unexpected ways,
to places overlooked and ignored.” This historic world premiere
of The Birth of Christ reunited the very same Protestant Choirs
of the Christ Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals that Handel
used to unveil his “Messiah” in 1742, along with St.
Mary’s Pro Cathedral Choir, a Catholic ensemble.
“The
Catholic and Protestant singers involved in this project put aside
their differences for “One Blessed Night” and raised
their voices in unison around the central mystery of their faith,”
Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List, Gangs of New York, Star Wars:
The Phantom Menace) said. If you listen closely, you will not
only hear their unity, but experience the inspiring peace it generated.
Accompanied
by a full orchestra in Europe’s revered Christ Church Cathedral,
The Birth of Christ is a contemporary classical piece scheduled
to air on Public Television, nation-wide, throughout the 2007
Christmas Season. The CD and DVD will be available from Sony BMG
Masterworks on November 6th.
Composer,
Andrew T. Miller, a Seattle native, said, “I was determined
to premiere this work abroad to underscore the universality of
the Christmas story, and the power of music to overcome strife
and conflict.”
“The
birth of a tiny Child in a Bethlehem manger has fascinated mankind
for centuries. In this dramatic cantata Miller and his accomplished
soloists take us back to the first century,” said Raymond
Arroyo, Executive Producer of The Birth of Christ and host and
creator of EWTN’s international news magazine The World
Over Live. “Each of the characters are faced with a choice,
a personal choice to obey the call of God or to reject it. These
are choices that we all face each day.”
RCA Red Seal,
Sony Classical, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Masterworks Broadway
and Masterworks Jazz are labels of SONY BMG Masterworks. For email
updates and information regarding RCA Red Seal, Sony Classical,
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Masterworks Broadway and Masterworks
Jazz artists, promotions, tours and repertoire, please visit www.sonybmgmasterworks.com
# # #
CONTACT:
Peter Robbio - (703) 683-5004 ext. 116
Jennifer Fedor - (703) 683-5004 ext. 106
Megan Erhardt - (703) 683-5004 ext. 136
Mary Beth Hutchins - (703) 683-5004 ext. 105
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Raymond Arroyo,
Liam Neeson, and Andrew T. Miller.
Order online
from Amazon.com
Buy
the CD
Buy the DVD
For more
information about the composer, visit www.andrewtmiller.org
Photo by Hat
Head Studios LLC. |