VOCES8: A Boy and a Girl - Eric Whitacre
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2020
- VOCES8 performs Eric Whitacre's setting 'A Boy and a Girl' at the VOCES8 Centre in London. The track is part of VOCES8's 15th anniversary album project 'After Silence' - voces8aftersilence.com
TEXT:
Stretched out on the grass,
a boy and a girl.
Savoring their oranges,
giving their kisses like waves exchanging foam.
Stretched out on the beach,
a boy and a girl.
Savoring their limes,
giving their kisses like clouds exchanging foam.
Stretched out underground,
a boy and a girl.
Saying nothing, never kissing,
giving silence for silence.
Octavio Paz, 1914-1998
English Translation by Muriel Rukeyser, 1913-1980 - เพลง
![[Vowel]물고기는 물에서 살아야 해🐟🤣Fish have to live in the water #funny](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3G9MH063Cx4/mqdefault.jpg)
When the dissonance is tuned this perfectly, you can actually feel it.
Magic 😍
I have no words for that breathless moment...
Ryanodea said it PERFECTLY. 50 years ago, I would have loved being part of that. Eric’s composition & these angelic voices blend seamlessly.
YESSSS!!!
...around your heart.
And then it comes out your eyes
and spills onto
open hands.
Blessings!
With only 1 on a part, I’m hearing some incredible intricacies in the middle voices for the first time that are often lost in recordings of large choirs. Absolutely stunning.
Agree, the stripped down one-on-a-part version makes me understand the piece better!
Yeah, I never thought this was something for a large ensemble. In high school our varsity choir did it with 2 people on each part and I think that was as big as it should get.
A performance like this is a sacrament. This harmony is what humans do best. What a gift to all those lucky to find this video.
I love this. ❤🥲
How about a whole Whitacre album. Take my money in advance if you want
ditto
Same here
I'm in.
Same
Joseph Karl I usually see your name on University Challenge Joseph!🇳🇿
My gorgeous singing teacher in the blue skirt
She’s such a gift x
Here’s the T: I’ve been doing what VOCES8 are doing for something like 50 years. In all of those joyful years of collaboration, a singer knows the monumental amount of work that goes into an achievement such as this. It is a feat of musicianship as a soloist to be able to get to a level of through line with tone, intention, and dynamic. To get there with 8 voices, with the impeccable, breathtaking pauses Maestro Whitacre builds in to his work is simply stunning. Always enjoy these more intimate videos where we can see more of the depth of commitment each of these otherworldly performers brings. This performance makes us sit on the edge of our proverbial seats, waiting for the resolution of the dissonance, allowing us to embrace the experience of the Boy and the Girl without pretense. We are the objects of this 5 minute drama and are privileged to be there. Bravi Tutti!
David Hinton Very well put kind sir. It encapsulates what most of us were thinking but couldn’t quite verbalise.
Easy, tiger.
What he said
In
I imagine this is what heaven will sound like.
My college choir performed this for concert 10 years ago this semester. The summer after, I was getting married and I asked my choir friends to perform this song during my wedding. It was absolutely brilliant, and I just needed to hear it again today. Thank you for this lovely performance, and for a wonderful reminder of that beautiful day almost 10 years ago now. ❤
Voces8 + Eric whiteacre = perfection
Imagine a collaboration album with both of them 😍😍
boy oh boy do i have news for you
@@kadencconrad I was going to say the same thing lol
0.0 1
I miss singing in a group so much😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I’ve always thought Whitacre wrote the paired seconds in this piece as a musical representation of a boy and a girl inseparably together. Almost every chord features a major or minor second. Not sure if he meant it that way but it makes sense.
Wow! I never thought of it this way! Thank you for such an insightful comment!
he did! there’s a video somewhere of him talking about it
Little known fact: Whitacre actually wrote the paired seconds because he is, inescapably, himself.
@@patrickvalentino600 this made me laugh haha. Ngl, I can see him writing 2nds just because he's Whitacre, but I can also see him writing in more 2nds than usual for that poetic purpose. Either way, it's a good story for him to tell and adds to the meaning we get from the music
Patrick Valentino i’ve watched a lot of his interviews and he talks a lot about note choice in chords, and it all reflects the feelings the text/story gives him. most of the time (including here), i believe that. sometimes it seems like of ridiculous (i.e. his star spangled banner)
their ability to maintain those seconds...I am undone.
We love us some Eric Whitacre. And of course, Voces8 fabulously sings it.
You just saved me the typing of a comment
One of my favorites to sing! Even the silence is perfect!
I cannot get enough of the beautiful voices. The dissonance is felt down to my bones.
I’m a synesthete who often paints what I see in music and... I don’t think I can with this one. I could never do it justice. It’s beauty could never be captured on paper or canvas.
I'm fascinated by the way brains like yours work. I read about synesthesia many years ago and its so interesting.
I think you really should give it a go :)
TheBirdofInferno I’m fairly convinced that you should try....
Is work up anywhere online we could check out?
You can do it!
Most of the time I go on TH-cam to watch people acting a fool. Sometimes its nice to come here and watch people being magnificent.
Music like this is intoxicating. I'd give a lot to be in a group like that.
Been listening to this for 3 months, can't sleep. Whitacre in my mind, please quit. Can't breathe.
Me again. Should have mentioned presicion insane. Want to be you.
Spectacular sounds - and of the highest quality. Beautiful singers and a great composer.
The finest recording overall that I have heard of this Whiteacre gem.
he is truly dad
I cry every time I hear this...the most beautiful piece Ive ever heard.
I must remember to breath when I listen to Voce8 but their sheer beauty literally stops me in my tracks. I listened again with my eyes closed and it’s even more breathtaking if that’s possible.
same here. actually find myself forgetting to breathe.
This song captures emotions of the heart and if you were to listen with head phone in the dark it would amplify it even more
I just listened to this with earphones, in the dark lying on my back. Wow. Made tears.
Penetrates to the core of the soul.
@@user-nv6vh4js2y it’s THE most incredible experience that penetrates the depth of your soul. All troubles fade away when you immerse yourself in this music xx
1:33 is some of the best dissonance that I have ever heard. Wow!
College music nerd approved.
I agree Abby
Goosebumps
The resolution is so complicated. It feels like a resolution, but it still feels like it’s nagging for something else. I can remember watching a choir sing this and feeling pure awe. It’s hard to remember to breathe.
a sort of major add 4 - found in Lauridsen too. Whitacre talks somewhere about how it’s both resolved and unresolved.
Voces8 nails Whitacre every single time.
Eric Whitacre is an amazing composer. His music is so complex and gorgeous.
goes right to the heart
I absolutely love Andrea´s voice!!! So pure, clear, amazing, heavenly...
The exuberance of youthful love. The steadfastness of mature love. The silence of death. Ugh, so many feels.
I can't Stop my Tears
Stretched out
Stretched out on the grass
A boy
And a girl
Savoring their oranges
Giving their kisses
Like waves
Exchanging foam
Stretched out
Stretched out on the beach
A boy
And a girl
Savoring their limes
Giving their kisses
Like clouds
Exchanging foam
Stretched out
Stretched out underground
A boy
And a girl
Saying nothing
Never kissing
Giving silence
For silence
Hmm
Octavio Paz at Pompeii Italy seeing...
My god, these guys are good.
I used to listen to this song all the time when I was still in high school and singing in choir (2007). Back then, this was a beautiful song and I appreciated the chords. I fell in love with the song back then and I remember listening to it daily (together with a few of Eric Whitacre's other works). I have then gone through a phase where I did not listen to this song.
I came across this video the other day again and then listened to this song for the first time in what has been like 10 years... It is extremely hard to explain, but my heart broke and mended at the same time! I now listen to this song and can't help finding myself going through different emotions each and every time. Where I used to appreciate a beautiful song with beautiful chords, I now feel each and every note and emotion at a whole new level!
Thank you Eric for giving us music that make us feel and show emotions that we sometimes struggle to show!
Thank you VOCES8 for giving a performance worthy of perfection!
This song makes me want to cry
Heavenly!
The perfection exist!
It’s so perfect, it doesn’t seem real.
It has a surreality about it...
Which I can't explain
so much beauty makes me cry
Wow. Just wow.
1:33
I have never heard such beautiful dissonance. It is so so lovely
2:55 😍😍😍
I've never been an elitist, but this IS one of those pieces of music that can't be sped up, slowed down, chopped, reverbed, extended, or anything else.
This is the height..
.
3:02 is the chord. There are other chords, but that's *the* chord.
It shimmers
You too
When the universe was created, that was the sound you heard at that moment.
yeeeessss!!!!!
Yes. Extremely dreamy. D major chord with the ladies singing C-D-E above it, I think.
too transcendental..... too astral,.... too beautiful for mere words. Thank you VOCES8
It the lyrics were so sweet and then went so dark so quick it ripped my soul out 💔😭
Heavenly❤
One can only assume they bonded over a mutual fondness for citrus fruit.
Perfect.
Brilliance. Bravo voces8
J'adore !
The paradise in the genesis
If you got the chance to sing in this ensemble, you would be in the middle of heaven. You should just try not to disturb it too much.
This is the beauty of Whitacre
Let's also give enormous credit to the masterful poet Octavio Paz.
Absolutely, my college chamber choir performed Cloudburst and it was one of our favorites@@12B4Christ
Walk me down the aisle, daddy. This is a perfect wedding piece. Claimed, stamped, and declared I. #octaviopaz
Made me tear up. Amazing.
One of the most beautiful things I have ever heard in my life ❤️☯️🙏
Wahnsinn ausgezeichnet !!!
The only good thing about having to get up at 5am today: A new, perfectly executed, gooseflesh-inducing masterpiece from VOCES8. Thank you for making my day. 🧡
If only to be able to sing like that just once!
This is my favorite piece by Whitacre, and I think this is the best I've heard it sung. I have been waiting for this for so long and I was not disappointed. Tears are running down my face. Beautiful job guys
Totally agree. This is by far the best recording of this piece!
Voces8 must be from Heaven!
Perhaps the longest 4:50 piece I've heard. Like a whole lifetime.
It's that dynamic
Such peace - such gentleness - such unity!
how in the FRICK can someone DISLIKE THIS?????
Justin T purists to who think Eric Whitacre is too trendy. 😭
I know a couple music professors who think his music is akin to New Age banality. I have secretly wondered if it's more just jealousy. Pieces of theirs have never moved me like a few of Whitacres have. This one at the top of my favorites along with Sleep.
They just don’t understand the finer things I guess.
This really is just incredible. Just. Yes.
A great thing about Whitacre pieces is the amount of word painting he puts in his songs. And A Boy and a Girl is a true testament of that with its words and the chords that he chooses for them. But Voces8 brings out the clarity and color for these chords distinctly yet brilliantly choosing which notes to bring out!
Bravo!
Just.....perfect!! Thanks...
I read the words for the first time. That last verse is not where I thought this love song was going.
It's rare for a performance to reach down and touch the depth of soul. One can never be the same.
So relaxing
Stunning!
The girl in the red dress sets the mood. She is so beautiful
I’m singing with Voces8 in about two weeks with my chamber choir and I have absolutely no words!
Trinity Symone That must be THE opportunity
Jealous is a word
From a professional vocalist.
Just know that they aren't there to see you fail.
They love the craft as much as you do
If you have really good noise cancelling headphones or earbuds, try listening to this with those 😍😍😍
I did that once when I was studying this song...
... I cried a man's cry that day....
B&O Beoplay H8 headphones, I agree but as phenomenal as the musicians are, unfortunately I’m hearing a whirring noise (like an Air-conditioning machine?) on the mix all the way through... anyone else hearing this please ? I still adore this piece of music BTW.
You all are perfect.
Oh that was wonderful.
I haven't cared much for most of Whitacre's work. Perhaps, that is because these artists were not singing the pieces. I think only Voces8 can elevate his music beyond gimmickry. This performance was real art. These *particular* eight singers are the very best ensemble to go by the moniker "VOCES8". For example, I have never before heard sopranos that don't screech at the apex of their range. The blending of each and every of eight throats into one voice is a remarkable achievement; it is talent (and hard work) beyond comprehension. I would request to hear them sing "Lux Aurumque". And, please, maestri, don't ever change your personnel. Your ensemble is a unique and priceless gift to the world. So many other vocal groups have tossed in replacements to keep the "franchise in business", and it has totally spoiled their legacies, marred and cheapened their artwork. VOCES8 is *THIS* set of eight vocal geniuses -- no other.
Insanely beautiful. Where has this been all my life? Bravo!!
Beautiful vocal scoring, wonderful complex harmonies sung with precision and artistry. Awesome performance.
The harmony is surprisingly simple. Essentially only parallel 9-th chords. I think the thing that does it is that the piece contains almost no real counterpoint, so when he employs it at the most climactic moments it feels very dynamic musically.
It's a great piece.
@@viggojonsell9754 It is a great piece and I agree it contains little, if any, counterpoint. However, I contend that 9th chords are complex harmonies in vocal music, considering that he scores the major 7th/root/major 9th together in the soprano voices at times. The group does a wonderful job with intonation and balance amid these tightly wound harmonies. Bravo!
Exquisite!!
I first heard this poem setting by Whitacre just after my father passed away. It has been a special work, but hearing you all sing it brings the beauty and pain of the song into exquisite detail. Thank you so much, Voces8, for this stunning performance.
A blissful piece of work
Perfect for Lyra and Will of His Dark Materials.
This is a perfect example of perfect ensembleship. They are completely unified in spirit which allows them to cut off and start phrases exactly together without a conductor and without even cueing each other. They. Just. Know. They feel each other and they just know. I am reminded what the King's Singers told us years ago, in that they are a soccer (football) team. They played together as a means to become more unified and more like-minded. It's amazing what humans can do individually, and in this case, collaboratively. Masterpiece.
My daughter brought this incredible group to my attention some weeks ago. So thankful!
Listening to this is like floating in a spa float tank. Everything suspended yet everything at equalibrium=harmony and possibly...peace
The tuning is impeccable!
breathtaking performance of this heart-breaking song
1:49 the second girl‘s pure and glorious major is like a reverence to Master Gesualdo.
Saw/talked with them in concert and ALL of them are so sweet
Heartbreaking and breathtaking
most impressive Voces8! Even the dissonances seem harmonious; I cannot fathom a better blend of voices
I had to leave my choir and i long to be back with them. Thank you🤍
Absolutely fabulous
If Voces8 didn´t exist, how could this piece ever be performed to its deserved perfection, and more, as it just was?
U are unbelievable crystal clear...
The chord at 1:34 just makes my heart stop. This is musical genius, both in writing and performance.
This is one of my favorite choir pieces. No matter how many times I hear it, I always get goosebumps. It's especially nice when they all hit the fricatives simultaneously. 🤌
This is hauntingly pristine. The dissonance (1.34 - 1.37 my fav) of Whitacre and the disciplined execution of Voces8. It's not often I talk about the brilliance of silence, but Whitacre has mastered this with this piece. It's what you do in and with the silences that remains one of the differences between excellence and sheer brilliance. Voces8 manage the silence with almost virtuosic control. Thank you
One of my favorite Eric Whitacre pieces by one of my favorite groups ❤️❤️❤️
One of my favorite small choral groups doing one of my favorite Eric Whitacre pieces. :D