Track Listing

1. Winter Sun - Don Macdonald (Canada, b. 1966) (YouTube)

2. O magnum mysterium - Hyo-Won Woo (Korea, b. 1974)

3. Birds at Winter Nightfall - Karen P. Thomas (US, b. 1957) (YouTube)

4. Star of Wonder - Terre Roche (US, b. 1953) (YouTube)

5. There is no rose - Don Macdonald (b. 1966, Canada)

6. Non nobis, Domine - Rosephanye Powell (US, b. 1962) (YouTube)

7. Facta est cum angelo - Raffaella (Vittoria) Aleotti (Italy, c. 1570–after 1646) (YouTube)

8. Lumină lină - Mircea Valeriu Diaconescu (Romania, b. 1929)

9. Wishes - Fraser Wilson (England, b. 1984) (YouTube)

10. Ave Maria - Gabriel Jackson (b. 1962, Bermuda/England)

11. Winter Ride - Mari Esabel Valverde (US, b. 1987) (YouTube)

12. Y’mei Chanukah - Traditional, arr. Steve Barnett

13. Mi zeh y’maleil - Traditional, arr. Joshua Jacobson (YouTube)

©2020 All rights reserved.

SPM CD 9813

Recorded live in concert on December 14, 2019 and December 16, 2017 at Bastyr University Chapel, Kenmore, Washington. Bill Levey, recording engineer.

The winter solstice is a significant time of year in many cultures, and it has been marked for centuries by festivals and rituals, often focusing on the symbolic death and rebirth of the sun. Even Neolithic cultures likely attached special meaning to the solstice, as can be seen in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, such as Stonehenge in England where the primary axis points to the winter solstice sunset. Because winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, it was seen as the reversal of the sun’s ebbing presence in the sky. Thus, concepts of the birth or rebirth of sun gods have been common. Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun”) was the official sun god of the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers. Shab-e Yaldaa (rebirth of the sun) is celebrated in Iran by people gathering at home to tell stories and read poetry while bonfires are lit outside. In ancient Celtic society, solstice was the time of the death of the old sun and the birth of the dark half of the year. It was called Alban Arthuan by the ancient Druids, and it marked the time of the Sun God’s journey through the underworld to learn the secrets of death and life.

More familiar to most of us today is the celebration of a twelve-day midwinter holiday called Yule (or Jul), observed by the pagan Scandinavian and Germanic people of northern Europe. Many modern Christmas traditions, such as the Christmas tree, the Christmas wreath, the Yule log, and others, are direct descendants of ancient Yule customs. Central to all these traditions is the importance of the natural world, and the ways in which nature joins with spirituality to create observances that range from religious to completely secular and humanist. This recording includes various experiences of solstice, winter, and festivals of light, exploring this magical time of year which has captivated humans for millennia.

Karen P. Thomas
Artistic Director and Conductor