Elpmas

This is a wonderful CD built from environmental sounds, gently rocking marimbas, lovely counterpoint for winds, foot-taping rhythms, and sweetly sung wisdom from a chorus. Westward Ho! is an eight-part canon for voices and gambas that depicts the western migration from Europe to the New World, and finally west on the Oregon Trail. 　　"Suite Equestria (Trail versus Road and Rail)" is scored for the amazing and energetic texture of unison chorus, marimbas and glockenspiel in triple canon (on a sixteen-measure phrase), a steady beat percussion (Native American shaker and tomtom), and saxophones droning on a one-note rhythmic hocket. 　　"Fujiyama 2 (Love Song)" is for speaking voice (in Japanese), unison chorus (in English) accompanied by unison koto, and a rich polyphonic texture of gambas in triple canonic accumulation (round) with the recorded sound of rain toward the end. The text, a kind of nautical Romeo and Juliet tale, is heard recited in Japanese at the beginning with the start of the complex round for gambas; the chorus then joins in a minor mode.