CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Catholic Chorale, a performing group known for singing at Latin Masses, has released its first CD: “Masses of Caldara, Mozart and more.”
Carolina Catholic Chorale was founded five years ago by Thomas Savoy, director of sacred music and liturgical events at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. There’s about 25 singers in the Chorale on the recording.
The recording features two full Masses – the “Mass in A” of Antonio Caldara and the “Piccolomini Mass” (K. 258) of W.A. Mozart – as well as three other shorter works by Mozart and Johann Michael Haydn.
“It’s a work of unsurpassed beauty,” said Savoy, who is also the artistic director of the Chorale. “This is a landmark presentation in that it includes what we believe is the world premiere recording of the ‘Mass in A’ of Antonio Caldara; a work not heard for over 250 years. The Chorale, soloists and orchestra have never sounded better.”
The CD, released last fall, is now also available to download on iTunes and stream on Spotify. It includes 15 total tracks.
“The people in the group are great singers, they’re wonderful people and they’re tremendously excited about this and its success. It’s been received very well,” Savoy said.
The CD was recorded at St. Ann Church in Charlotte.
“It’s a beautiful place, not only to look at but also to make music in. It’s really superb acoustically,” Savoy noted.
The CD is compilation of songs the Chorale would ordinarily sing in the context of traditional Latin Masses, Savoy said. The group is often asked for recordings of its music and until now had nothing to offer, Savoy said. That’s one of the reasons the Chorale wanted to record a CD.
“Part of the mission of the group is to acquaint people with the tradition of their faith,” Savoy said. “It’s not just a musical performance. When you put it inside the liturgy, it’s faith and art joined together. It’s very, very powerful. We find that our work evangelizes people. Music is sort of the ‘gateway drug’ to things that are much more profound than even the music.”
Savoy produced a CD for a similar group he had founded in New York some years ago. He took his experience there and applied it to the Charlotte group’s efforts.
“You learn a lot by doing it. A lot of the mistakes you make, you try not to make them a second time,” Savoy said. “You more or less learn how to pull resources and use time most efficiently, when to let go, and when to take a second take. It was a world of difference this time around.”
Now that the first CD is under its belt, Savoy said, the Chorale is already looking at what the next recording project could be. He said there are a lot of gems from Catholic composers that would be great to share with the world.
“We’re not necessarily a recording group, nor do we necessarily do concerts,” Savoy said, but, he added, “I think it’s important to bring to light things people haven’t heard before.”
The Chorale welcomes interested musicians to audition. The group runs on donations, and any proceeds from the sale of the CD will benefit the Chorale.
— Kimberly Bender, online reporter
More online
At www.carolinacatholicchorale.com: Order the CD “Masses of Caldara, Mozart and more” for $15, including shipping, and learn more about the Chorale
Purchase all 15 tracks on iTunes for $9.99 and stream it on Spotify.