The Prayer Cycle
| The Prayer Cycle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Jonathan Elias featuring various artists | |
| Released | March 23, 1999 (U.S.) |
| Genre | Choral |
| Length | 51:29 |
| Label | Sony Classical |
| Producer | Jonathan Elias, R. Walt Vincent |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Melody Maker |   [1] |
The Prayer Cycle is a choral/orchestral album by American film and television composer Jonathan Elias. The album was released by Sony Classical Records in the United States on March 23, 1999.
The project, recorded and mixed by co-producer
). In the album's liner notes, Elias described the work as "a set of nine adagio prayers" that were influenced by his "personal views" about the future of humankind and the power of prayer across cultures. The contributing musical artists "used poems [he] wrote as inspiration, interpreting the words in their own way, in many different languages and chants."The featured vocalists were
Music from The Prayer Cycle was featured on the 1999 ABC documentary series called "The Century," which aired in six parts on March 29 and on April 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10.
The Prayer Cycle was played in its entirety for two
The entire work received its first live performance on April 28, 2013 when it was performed by the Branford High School choir at Woolsey Hall in New Haven, Connecticut. The piece was conducted by choir director Cathyann Roding and performed by the choir (including featured soloists) and a 45-piece orchestra.[4]
Track listing
All information appears as indicated in the album's liner notes.
| Track Number | Title | Performer(s) | Language(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mercy" | Alanis Morissette, Salif Keita, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | Hungarian, Mali, and Swahili | 3:43 |
| 2 | "Strength" | Perry Farrell, Richard Bona, Yungchen Lhamo, Liz Constantine, The American Boychoir, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | Dwala, Tibetan, and German | 5:40 |
| 3 | "Hope" | Alanis Morissette and The American Boychoir featuring Devin Provenzano | French | 6:38 |
| 4 | "Compassion" | Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mah Damba, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | Urdu, Mali, and Latin | 6:56 |
| 5 | "Grace" | James Taylor, John Williams, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | English and Italian | 5:54 |
| 6 | "Innocence" | Salif Keita, Alanis Morissette, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | Mali and French | 5:58 |
| 7 | "Forgiveness" | Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ofra Haza, Martin Tillman, Ethan James, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | Urdu, Hebrew, and French | 7:40 |
| 8 | "Benediction" | Linda Ronstadt, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Martin Tillman, The American Boychoir featuring Devin Provenzano, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | Spanish, Urdu, and German | 7:59 |
| 9 | "Faith" | Alanis Morissette, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and The English Chamber Orchestra & Chorus | Hungarian, Urdu, and German | 1:01 |
References
- ^ Booth, Daniel (April 24, 1999). "Jonathan Elias - The Prayer Cycle". Melody Maker. Vol. 76, no. 16. p. 36. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Program listing for The Prayer Cycle on the official Hearts of Space website.
- ^ Program listing for "Terror and Hope" on the official Hearts of Space website.
- ^ McCullough, Jenn (April 23, 2013). "BHS Choir to Perform The Prayer Cycle at Woolsey Hall". Branford, CT Patch. Patch. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
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