Gregorian (band)

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Gregorian

Gregorian and Amelia Brightman live in Konzerthaus Freiburg on 6 December 2009
Background information
Origin Germany
Genres Gregorian chant
New age
Crossover
Symphonic rock
Labels Edel
Website gregorian.de
Members Richard Naxton
Johnny Clucas
Chris Tickner
David Tilley
Gerry O'Beirne
Lawrence White
Rob Fardell

Gregorian is a German band headed by Frank Peterson that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. The band features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment.

Band history

Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.

In 1998, Peterson and his team of Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.

Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.[1]

The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.

In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.

Gregorian in 2009

On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.[2]

On 14 September 2012 a new album titled Epic Chants was published with the collaboration of the Austrian newcomer Eva Mali.

Tours

Gregorian have toured parts of Europe, Russia and Japan. Live concert DVDs have also been released.

Members

The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro), Rob Fardell (Rob F.), Daniel Williams and Brendan Matthew (Bren).

Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.

Discography

Gregorian have released eight albums in their Masters of Chant series and a number of other albums, including a Christmas album. They have also released two types of video album; live concerts and music video albums featuring the singers in various surroundings.

Masters of Chant albums

Other albums

CD singles

Video albums

  • 2001: Masters of Chant in Santiago de Compostela
  • 2001: Moments of Peace in Ireland
  • 2002: Masters of Chant Chapter III
  • 2003: Gold Edition
  • 2005: The Masterpieces
  • 2007: Masters of Chant: Live at Kreuzenstein Castle
  • 2008: Christmas Chants & Visions
  • 2011: Masters of Chant Chapter 8 (Gregorian Live in Europe 2011: The Dark Side Of The Chant) - Limited Edition (CD & DVD)
  • 2012: Epic Chants "Live In Zagreb" - Limited Edition (CD & DVD)
  • 2013: Epic Chants Tour 2013 "Live In Belgrade" - Deluxe Edition (CD & DVD)

References

  1. ↑ "Q&A: Frank Peterson". The Age. 2001-08-26. Archived from the original on 2001-08-28. Retrieved 2006-08-06. 
  2. ↑ The announcement of the new album, Dark Side of Chant.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gregorian (band).
Modern musical projects based on Gregorian chant and other chants
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