The Vienna Symphonic Library has announced the release of two unique choir libraries, both recorded in the large hall of Synchron Stage Vienna. Here's what they say:
For the first time, the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir ("Wiener Sängerknaben"), admired for its unique timbre and purity of tone, is available as a sampled virtual instrument. The Basso Profondo Choir gathers six astounding contrabass singers at Stage A of Synchron Stage Vienna for a mesmerizing, profoundly deep exploration of the lowest range of the human voice.
The idea for both Collections was born after the production of choral recordings for the Amazon Prime fantasy series "The Rings of Power", the prequel to "Lord of the Rings". The essential element in Bear McCreary's score is the use of choirs, which were recorded at Synchron Stage Vienna in 2020 and 2021. This large-scale project was the Vienna team's first collaboration with the Vienna Boys Choir, and it was the inaugural performance of the Basso Profondo Choir, an unusual ensemble of six oktavists.
The Vienna Boys Choir is one of the world's most famous and celebrated choirs, a cultural institution that remarkably dates back to the Middle Ages. Over time this ensemble has evolved into a prestigious independent concert choir known for its ethereal sound and diverse repertoire, which includes everything from medieval music to contemporary pieces. Comprising boys aged between 9 and 14, the choir is admired for its unique timbre and purity of tone, due in no small part to its rigorous training and admittance requirements.
Now, and for the first time in the 525-year history of the Vienna Boys Choir, the voices of this internationally renowned ensemble have been entrusted to Vienna Symphonic Library to create a virtual instrument of pristine quality and vocal brilliance.
Upon commencing the first sampling session at Synchron Stage Vienna it became clear that the boys would succeed in carrying out the strenuous studio recordings with great enthusiasm and incredible professionalism. It is no exaggeration to say that the boys are in no way inferior to a professional adult choir, and in some ways even superior.
As 20 of its members filled the spacious Hall A of Synchron Stage Vienna with their sublime voices, their natural sound and extremely high level of musical and technical ability revealed themselves. The exuberant joy of singing can be heard in every note of this collection, supported by the choir's priceless body of knowledge in youth vocal training. It was particularly impressive to watch the boys' stamina and their quick grasp of what's important in sampling sessions that differ so significantly from their usual assignments. The resulting recordings are a joy to play with the Vienna Synchron Player and immediately reveal the magic of this special boys' choir.
Basso profondo, an Italian term meaning "deep bass", refers to the lowest range of the bass voice type in classical music. These voices are distinguished by their rich, resonant, and profoundly deep vocal quality. They stand out for their ability to reach the lower limits of the human vocal range, typically encompassing notes as low as two octaves below middle C (C2) or even lower.
The experience of hearing six contrabass singers fill Synchron Stage Vienna's vast hall with the robust sound of a low C is undeniably mesmerizing. Basso Profondo singers, also called oktavists, sometimes sing an octave below the bass part as soloists, and to capture an entire ensemble of these exceptionally gifted vocalists was a special treat for everybody on the Vienna team.
The enthusiasm of the artists is palpable in the recordings of this library. It was a completely new experience not only for the Vienna team, but also for the singers to be able to explore the depths of their voices together as an ensemble. The pitch range of this unique ensemble spans from a very low A1 to A#3.
Both Collections are currently available at introductory prices of $142 (reg. $173) for each Standard Library and $221 (reg. $268) for each Full Library.
To mark the occasion, the company offers previously released voices libraries from the SYNCHRON-ized Series and the Big Bang Orchestra Series at promotional prices.
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