While perhaps best known for his co-founding of instrumental phenomenon Enigma and producing legendary voices like Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, Frank Peterson’s three decade plus run as mastermind of the vocal group Gregorian has been one of his most successful, impactful and enduring contributions to our culture and musical landscape. He came up with the fascinating concept of blending traditional Gregorian chant with contemporary songs and productions in 1989 during a visit to the royal monastery in San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain.
The crown jewel of the extensive Gregorian discography was its Masters of Chant series, ten popular albums released from 1999 to 2015 featuring the eight sublime Gregorian singers creating exquisite classic/sacred arrangements of pop/rock classics. Gregorian’s latest series, launched with Pure Chants in 2023, offers a more eclectic mix of source material, from pop classics, traditional songs, ancient hymns and familiar classical pieces to relatively obscure compositions.
It’s testament to Gregorian’s desire on this new series to be more wildly eclectic and unpredictable that on their consistently engaging and dynamically adventurous new album Pure Chants II, they chose as their first two lead singles the wonderfully obscure, vocally percussive, dramatic and tension filled “O Fortuna” – a movement from German composer Carl Orff’s 1935-36 cantata Carmina Burana – and the reverent anthem “I Vow to Thee My Country” (set to a popular melody from English composer Gustav Holst’s orchestra suite The Planets), rather than a more obvious choice like “Hallelujah” (which they do beautifully, of course!).
Other gems here include the chanter’s surreal twists on “Winter Light,” an obscure 90’s piece by Linda Ronstadt; tried and true holiday-associated greats “Greensleeves,” the stunning opener “Ave Maria” and Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”; the graceful organ-enhanced hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"; and the call and response prayer, “Cum Angelis + Psalm 24, Ver. 7-10.”
The first leg of Gregorian's current tour, which performed in 26 cities in April and May 2024, was a major success. The group returns in November to complete its debut tour run across North America. The tour features special guest performers Amelia Brightman and Narcis, a rare male pure soprano.
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