Prayers for this Century

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Ted Gary has been playing music in churches for the past 25 years.

Nancy Brouthers and Ted are currently the worship team leaders at their local church.

Band membrs: Ted Gary
Nancy Brouthers
Garland Tabb

Album Description
This music evokes a gentle, soothing atmosphere that takes its listeners into the presence of God, and is ideal for devotional times, or just relaxing with your friends. These songs have a long history of building strength and faith in the hearts of the listeners.

Nancy Brouthers' pure voice rings with the love of God, and the delicately arranged music sets the stage for a closer walk with the Lord.

Tracks:

Kaddisch
Laudate Dominum
Ave Maria
Amazing Grace
Breit' Uber Mein Haupt
L'assedio Di Corinto: L' Ora Fatal S'appressa... Guisto Ciel !
Pie Jesu
Der Vierjahrige Posten: Gott! hore Meine Stimme!
Sanctus
Maria Stuarda: Preghiera Di Maria
Lacrimosa
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Take Care Of This House - Sumi Jo/Phil Chor Koln/Susan Graham
Nun's Chor/Casanova: Laura's Song
Gigi: Say A Prayer For me Tonight
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child

Amazon.com

This program seems designed primarily to display soprano Sumi Jo's fabulous singing and famous stylistic eclecticism. However, it also exhibits an admirable religious inclusiveness, encompassing expressions of faith from the Latin liturgy to Negro spirituals; there is even a Richard Strauss song that is essentially a paean to love. An incongruous note is struck by a nun's song from an operetta by Benatzky that is a corny Viennese waltz and by a soundtracklike arrangement of a 16th-century Ave Maria. Ranging from Mozart to Broadway, this musical mix is held together by Sumi Jo's ravishingly beautiful, pure, warm voice and the way she can color and inflect it, and by her mastery of every style (though not every language; her German in particular is unintelligible). Her intonation is impeccable, her breath control incredible. Jo's top notes soar triumphantly, and she can sustain them indefinitely, with enough power left to make a crescendo at the end. Highlights include Ravel's "Kaddisch," which sends shivers down the spine; arias from operas by Rossini and Donizetti; and arias from sacred works by Gounod and Fauré. Of two spirituals, the second one is simpler and more convincing. The accompanying forces are excellent; James Conlon doubles as pianist when not conducting. Susan Graham also makes an appearance in the moving invocation "Take Care of This House" from Bernstein's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Nice Voice.......2007-05-06

Sumi Jo has a beautiful voice but her renditions of Motherless Child and Amazing Grace were not impressive at all. The vibrato was too uncontrollable. The Ave Maria was so,so. I did not hear the richeness others have declared in their assesments. Don't get me wrong, the instrument is quite beautiful but only in some selected selections.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-17

"Music and poetry emerge from man's desire to give thanks, to praise and to pray to his gods. One of the magical powers of the human voice is that it can fly, on the wings of songs (a la Mendelssohn) to heaven and appear to be in direct communication with God." Therefore, it is no surprise that prayer is omnipresent throughout the history of music. Sumi Jo has chosen an excellent representation of songs including most styles and periods which include : Baroque (Caccini)-Classical (Mozart)-Contemporary (Preisner)-Romantic Opera (Rossini,Donizetti)-German 'Singspiel'(Schubert)-Lieder (Richard Strauss)-French church music (Gounod ,Faure)-traditional music (spiritual)-Jewish melodies (Ravel)-Viennese operetta (Johann Strauss) and the American musical (Bernstein).

Sumi Jo, born in Korea,is a much sought after coloratura soprano, having triumphed on stage, and in recitals all over the world. Not being fond of coloraturas, I make an exception for her voice, because of its depth along with the very high register. She shows a great deal of sensitivity to all of her varied selections on this disc, and each delivery is a 'gem' unto itself.

I must personally comment on those works that I particularly enjoy. Hearing her sing Mozart's 'Laudate Dominum' was a real treat; it doesn't matter how often one hears that lovely piece, just like all of his music, it 'wears' well. The 'Pie Jesu' was absolutely stunning as Sumi Jo sang it, and it is a pleasure for me to hear the selection from "GIGI" by Lerner & Loewe; not being a great broadway fan, I have always liked that specific musical. I think because it was well-done when I saw it years and years ago.

This disc is abolutely totally enjoyable. There is something for all musical tastes, and the conductor/pianist James Conlon does a great job pulling it together!!!!!

Sumi Jo- coloratura supreme.......2006-04-09

One word: Lacrimosa. It haunts you and will stay with you long after you hear it. I actually forced several if my coworkers to listen to it many of which are not opera fans and even they could not argue the beauty of it. One of my coworkers was actual on the verge of tears by the end of the song.

The rest of the album is enchanting as well as breath taking. I am a harsh critic when it comes to singers so I do not give those compliments very often, nor am I easily moved by singers but Sumi Jo has certainly done that with this album.

My only complaint is that I would have liked to hear her take of "Ave Maria" by Schubert which, while recorded many times over, would complimented her voice perfectly due to it's simplicity. "Sing low sweet chariot" would have been another great one to hear but as far as spirtuals are concerned I was very happy with her acepella version of "Amazing Grace." I was never a huge fan of "Amazing Grace" since it's been done a thousand times over but she brought such seetness and emotion to it. Of course I am kind of biased becuase I offically hate the "belting" version of this song and that's how it's usually done. It's nice to hear a simple, straight forward version.

My last comment is that it's nice to hear Sumi Jo sing less operatic pieces considering most opera singers are rarely bold enough to sing anything other than classical pieces, excluding Renee Fleming of recent.

Prayerful and beautiful.......2005-11-14

It is a refreshing change to have a collection of arias on a CD with a title that actually bears some relevance to the contents. This is indeed a prayerful collection. That means, of course, that you have to be in the appropriately contemplative mood in order to appreciate it.

Another nice change is that the orchestral accompaniment enhances the singing rather than just tagging along as an afterthought, which often seems to be the case. It is fitting that James Conlon gets equal billing here. This is splendid singing to splendid music.

Sumi Jo is comfortable in any language and in a broad range of styles. I was uncertain how she would tackle songs like Amazing Grace and Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child. I need not have worried. In the latter she reveals a soulfulness that fits the lyrics perfectly.

The only track not worthy of this collection is Bernstein's Take Care of This House. I suppose, as it is a prayer, it was an obvious song to include, and Jo sings it very well, but it is just a very poor song. That still leaves 14 excellent tracks that, if you are a lover of good singing, you will want in your collection.

A spectalce of voice and vocalization.......2004-12-29

I bought this used from an Amazon.com dealer and it came with a cutout on the left side of the CD box. Can this specacular CD possibly have gone out of print by Christmas 2004? If so we have lost one of the benchmark recordings of this splendid artist.

Never is there a weak moment in this incredibly beautiful collection of classical bleeding chunks and spirituals. I don't think you'll confuse Sumi for your favorite spiritual singer in "Amazing Grace" and "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" but she is magnificent singing the complete and incomplete tunes elsewhere on the CD by famous classical composers including Mozart, Richard Strauss, Rossini, Schubert and Donizetti, to name some of them.

She is in wonderful voice and fresh-faced for the Loewe-Lerner "Say a prayer for me tonight" and does an equally nice job with Susan Graham accompanying Leonard Bernstein's "Take care of this house" from "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue". I'm not much for this kind of music -- I bought this exclusively for her rendition of Mozart's "Laudate Dominum" -- but it adds a dimension to the concert that brings it into the realm of popular Broadway tunes.

This is a wonderful concert of familiar and not so familiar songs from a singer whose voice is eloquent, beautiful and rich, with significant range and span from PPP to FFF. Sumi Jo controls her voice well throughout the concert, giving everyone something to think about regardelss of musical preference. This might have been improved if she'd included a Beatles tune -- maybe "Elenor Rigby" or "Yesterday" -- accompanied by the orchestra and James Conlon's direction. But it stands with any similar collection by any singer as it is.

Average customer rating:

great rendition of the old hymns and more
Great for devotional time - Godly peaceful music
This CD helps me to unwind and enjoy being with God
Lovely, serene music

Prayers for this Century

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004U0Y8
Release Date: 2000-05-25

Tracks:

Be Still My Soul
Wonderful Peace
Near the Cross
His Eye is on the Sparrow
Turn Your Eyes / Simple Gifts
There is a Fountain
Jehovah's Name
No, Not One
'Tis So Sweet

Album Description

This music evokes a gentle, soothing atmosphere that takes its listeners into the presence of God, and is ideal for devotional times, or just relaxing with your friends. These songs have a long history of building strength and faith in the hearts of the listeners.

Nancy Brouthers' pure voice rings with the love of God, and the delicately arranged music sets the stage for a closer walk with the Lord.

Customer Reviews:

great rendition of the old hymns and more.......2003-08-05

this CD takes away my troubles of the day and brings me to a place where I can remember what is important in my life, My God, my family, my church, and just praising God, for He is worthy of all honor and Praise !!!

Great for devotional time - Godly peaceful music.......2003-08-05

Great for devotional time, Ted's piano work brings me to a point where I can "Be still and know" that there is a God in this universe and He is a personal God that I can communicate with in my quiet times. When I "Be Still" , the voice of the Holy Spirit can "talk" to me , so to speak, not in words per se but, I sense His presense and what he wants me to do today as I read the Word. This CD gets me to that point where I am "still enough" to listen for that communication and can turn my day over to Him. Thanks Ted

This CD helps me to unwind and enjoy being with God.......2002-12-03

I have really enjoyed listening to the Prayers for This Century CD. It is such a peaceful CD to listen to.....it calms me when I'm uptight, and helps me focus on the truths of God's word. I have also enjoyed the modern sound given to these hymns I have loved since I was a child. Thank you!!

I purchased several for friends and family, and they are now enjoying them. I also found their music on MP3.com, listed under "Prayers for this Century". You can take a free listen there if you want to hear some of the songs.

Lovely, serene music.......2000-06-20

This lovely new CD takes hymns that we're all familiar with and puts them into a new contemporary form. The result is calming, peaceful, serene music with a comfortable feel. I keep it on the CD in my car and put it on when traffic gets awful, or I've had a tough day at work. Its effect is immediate. My favorite track is 'Sparrow', with Nancy Brouther's soaring clear voice. If you enjoy good contemplative music, this one's a winner.

Average customer rating:

Mostly About Love: Songs & Vocal Works

Manufacturer: Northeastern
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Susie Asado
Pigeons on the Grass Alas
Canticle of the Sun: Prayers & Praises
My Master Hath a Garden
Sung by the Shepherds
Before Sleeping
Jerusalem, My Happy Home
Thou That Dwellest in the Gardens
Return, O' Shulamite
O, My Dove
I Am My Beloved's
By Night
Love Song
Down at the Docks
Let's Take a Walk
Prayer to Saint Catherine
Commentaire Sur Saint Jerome
From "Sneden's Landing Variations"
Was This Fair Face the Cause
Take, O Take Those Lips Away
Tell Me Where Is Fancy Bred
Sigh No More, Ladies
Oraison Fune de Henriette-Marie de France
Capital Capitals

Music:

Music

Music