MUSICA VIVA NY PRESS REVIEWS
CURSE UPON IRON - MARCH 2, 2025
“Musica Viva, under their decade long leader Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, has radiated the most eclectic selections over the past few years”
“… a moving experience…”
“… secular and religious music breathing the aura of the divine.”
Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet, March 3, 2025
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BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE - FEBRUARY 2025
“This moving album from Naxos celebrates the strength of contemporary American choral composition with three successful, and well-performed works”
“ … harnessed with aplomb by the Musica Viva NY choir…”
“… this recording finds the Musica Viva NY choir on especially thrilling form”
CD review by Kate Wakeling
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CHOIR & ORGAN - SPRING 2025
“a powerful and well-balanced trio of recent American choral works”
CD review by Hannah Edgar
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FANFARE - SPRING 2025
“This is a most rewarding disc… All of the pieces are composed in an accessible, tonal idiom, with settings that emphasize vocal beauty and textual clarity.”
“The Musica Viva NY Choir and Orchestra, under the baton of artistic director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, deliver exceptional performances: superbly articulated, tonally rich and keenly balanced, and embodying an infectious enthusiasm for the trio of works.”
CD review by Ken Meltzer
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GRAMOPHONE - January 2025
“with warmth, vitality and cohesion under music director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez . . . the Musica Viva NY Choir bask in the technical challenges, sustaining long lines with finesse and brimming with colour and crisp ensemble in the livelier material.”
CRIMSON ROSES Contemporary American Choral Music
CD review by Donald Rosenberg
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SEQUENZA 21 - December 2024
“This is the tenth anniversary of Hernandez-Valdez’s tenure with Musica Viva NY, and the contemporary pieces that were selected for the recording demonstrate both his dedicated curation and the versatility and talent of the group.”
“The orchestra and choir acquit themselves well in Turrin’s neo-romantic score. Kudos to conductor Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez for leading the piece in a well-paced and thoughtful interpretation.”
Frederica von Stade Bids Farewell On Naxos Recording
CD review by Christian Carey, December 16, 2024
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TEXTURA - November 2024
“Led by its conductor and Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, thechamber choir dazzles audiences with seasonal concerts at its historic All Souls NYC home base in Manhattan.”
“Crimson Roses: Contemporary American Choral Music is distinguished by the ensemble’s superb realizations of the three works but also for including a performance by the great mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. Having someone of her stature—she’s issued over seventy recordings and received countless honours and awards for her life’s work—make a guest appearance on the album is a genuine feather in the cap for the choral ensemble.”
“Cumulatively, the works argue strongly on behalf of Musica Viva NY and Hernandez-Valdez’s assured guiding hand and suggest attendance at one of its All Souls NYC concerts should be part of any city visitor’s itinerary.”
Musica Viva NY: CRIMSON ROSES Contemporary American Choral Music (Naxos)
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PIZZICATTO (REMY FRANK’S JOURNAL ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC) -NOVEMBER 2024
“In this work, the Musica Viva NY Choir shows its true potential as an onomatopoeic painter, sound designer and narrator to be listened to attentively.”
Contemporary American Choral Music
CD review by Guy Engels, November 28, 2024
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CHOIR AND ORGAN MAGAZINE - Spring 2024
“With a commitment to new music and diverse composers, New York City choir Musica Viva NYis paving the way for daring collaborations”
Musica Viva NY: Sounds of the City
Clare Stevens, February 23, 2024
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THE SORROW AND THE BEAUTY - MARCH 2023
“One rarely encounters spirituality within the prison-confining pallid walls of a church. This was the exception.”
“Musical Director Hernandez-Valdez not only took advantage of its dimensions but gave the partly-professional chorus, balance and clarity. Even with the fine spun percussion, voices, celesta and bells were impressive.”
Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet, March 12, 2023
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