In celebration of Earth Day, Cedille Records releases the world premiere recording of Stacy Garrop’s monumental oratorio Terra Nostra, "a spellbinding dive into the history of the planet" (Chicago Classical Review). Terra Nostra explores the relationship between humanity and Earth, and how humankind can re-establish a harmonious balance. Stacy Garrop’s music is characterized by its lyricism and vivid storytelling. She has been described by the Chicago Tribune as "one of Chicago’s most keenly sensitive composers" and praised by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for music that "excites the enthusiasm of performers and audiences alike," while the Detroit Free Press remarks, "she has a sharp ear for instrumental color and narrative form: She can tell a story." Declared an "oratorio that embraces the whole world" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Garrop’s tour de force is an interconnected musical narrative presented in three parts: Creation of the World, The Rise of Humanity, and Searching for Balance. The multifarious text weaves together creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt, excerpts from the Bible’s Old Testament, classic poetry from Walt Whitman, Lord Byron, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and contemporary writings by Esther Iverem and Wendell Berry, among others. Terra Nostra is performed by soloists soprano Michelle Areyzaga, mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter, tenor Jesse Donner, and bass-baritone David Govertsen, the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Alice Millar Chapel Choir, and Chicago’s Uniting Voices, all led by acclaimed conductor Stephen Alltop.
