Canadian Sacred Music
Opus 8
Independent (opus8choir.com/store)
Released on July 1st, 2024, to coincide with the anniversary of Canadian confederation, Canadian Sacred Music, the independently released third fine recording by the Toronto-based choral octet Opus 8 advances the canon of underappreciated Canadian music by showcasing beautiful original work from Eleanor Daley, Derek Holman, James Rolfe, Violet Archer, Stephanie Martin and Ramona Luengen, among others. While taking on the task of recording music by Canadian composers deserving greater recognition is perhaps not easy, the results are musically excellent. Spanning seventy-five years of Canadian sacred choral music, Opus 8 approaches these pieces with the creative aplomb and historical rigor for which the group has been known for most of the past decade.
Part creative endeavour, part musicological excavation, pieces such as Holman’s An Old Song lay dormant following a lone decades-old performance before being resurrected here by tenor soloist and Opus 8 founding director Robert Busiakiewicz, who arranged the piece and brought it to the group.
Handled gorgeously by Busiakiewicz and singers Katy Clark, Clara MacCallum Fraser, Veronika Anissimova, Rebecca Claborn, Jamie Tuttle, Martin Gomes and Bryan Martin, the piece, as well as the resulting album which shines a light on a body of music that otherwise may have been lost to time, is creatively satisfying, historically valuable and beautifully captured at Toronto’s Humbercrest United Church with excellent results. Highly recommended for lovers of choral music, Canadian history enthusiasts and general listeners alike.
