Weir: In the Land of Uz · Beach: The Canticle of the Sun

Two significant choral premieres separated by the Atlantic Ocean and a gap of 100 years. In the Land of Uz by Judith Weir is the first commercial recording of a major new work for choir, solo tenor and chamber orchestra, premiered by conductor David Hill at the 2017 Proms. The Canticle of the Sun by US composer Amy Beach takes inspiration from nature: in just a few days, the composer claimed she ‘merely took down the music as if from dictation’. With her luminous choral harmonies, Beach is now recognized as a cornerstone 20th-century American classical voice.