Water Night -- St. Olaf's Choir

[SellyNue]

Absolutely LOVING the bass that you can hear so strongly!!!

[StrawBeriLuv95]

They are fucking a amazing. Even through a camera recording!!! THEY ARE STILL THE MOST AMAZING FUCKING CHOIR EVER!!!!

[marrymeross]

stop moving around! this video is hard to watch because I hear the camera over the choir.

[linzie78]

Stunning. I find the person who keeps clearing their throat far more annoying than the shaky camera. With that said, it's the best version of this song in youtube. I can only imagine what it sounded like live. The venue even looks stunning.

[Tan1723]

If only the BYU singers could have done the 14-part chord better as in what St Olaf does here, then they would have preformed it perfect. In this video you hear the basses notes and it kind of completes the chord .

[kaitibobaitiii]

st olaf is my fav choir, and this is my fav whitacre piece. i was lucky to get to read this at all state this year :) thank you so much for posting this artwork !

[bandoutaboston]

ugh...im so glad i wasn't there...i would've been a sloppy-ass mess...i would've been crying all over the place and embarrassing myself...and the fact that i can know that by listening to a shitty camera recording with feedback really says something about how amazing they are...<3 St. Olaf's!

[TheFlutegirl15]

they sound comparable to BYU, who's recording was the first of this song I'd every heard.  Absolutely beautiful! Bravo!

[logues85]

LOVELY use of dynamics. really, it was quite arresting. very artistic.

oh and @begis, it agree with you. i SHIRK at the thought of high school choirs attempting anything of this magnitude that requires the tone and tuning whitacre's and other leading contemporary choral composers' music requires. i wish high school choir teachers would stop trying to live a fantasy and simply prepare their choirs by picking rep appropriate for them.

[logues85]

@logues85 *i, not it.

[XPBXBEATS]

@logues85 Unfortunately, I believe you are utterly incorrect and narrow minded. I have heard some high-school choirs preform songs of such magnitude and they have sounded fantastic. For some high school teachers what you say might be true, but that is no reason to rid children of such amazing music that can change and shape their lives forever. So, "if you open your eyes" you might see that sharing such amazing sound with everyone is a great thing.

[brittanylj21]

@logues85 i agree that high school choirs are not as equipped as good college choirs-but does that mean we should dumb down the music to please to others? no!! i am a senior in hs, we sang Water Night last year along with Thanks be to God by Mendelssohn. it truly changed my life. isnt THAT what music is about?? it isnt living some "fantasy" that we will be as good as a choir the caliber of St. Olaf's-it is challenging us to be better and appreciate music for what is is more every single day.

[JSchnabbs]

Yeeeah! This shit is tight! "If you open your eyes" yea YEAH!!

[sunny0010girl]

Amazing. I love this recording, the best I've found yet

[XPBXBEATS]

Listened to this, a million times, and still am speechless..............

[ExVash]

"If you open your eyes" best rendition of that part ever. Seriously. It sounds like an organ sfortzando'd.

[LifeInGminor]

STOP MOVING THE DAMN CAMERA AROUND! YOUR MAKING NOISE AND RUINING THE MOMENT!!!!! lol

[MidwestSingerDude]

Omg..."Eyes of dream-water" was incredible.

Not to mention the rest of your performance was pretty...how should I put it? ....Insanely amazing?!

[montcrue90]

It's "The St. Olaf Choir" not "St. Olaf's Choir".... St. Olaf has many choirs, not just this one.

[Deduchucky]

I love st.olaf's choir... working with them and their conductor a few weeks ago was incredible!

[BeckerXJohnsonX]

absolutely stunning. you really feel the poem come alive. its glorious.

[gcheow]

oh wait. question. whoever who attended that concert, are the basses REALLY THAT GOOD? (or maybe it's my subwoofers i dunno. haha) cos i really can't believe how the low E flat can just come out with ease at "eyes of dream water". It's.... scarily good. haha.

[trinityclare]

I wasn't at this concert, but I was at another performance from that year, and basically YES. The low basses have at least low E flat every year, and a lot of songs have optional low D or C that several of them can hit.

[chenispeese]

Most college choir basses can sing that low... In high school choirs you have many baritones singing bass, even in some of the best choirs. Good college choirs get good singers for every section. Basses SHOULD be able to sing in that D/E-flat range.

I am a bass but I am not currently in a choir. (I'm in an a cappella group but it's not the same at all...) I still regret not applying to schools with good choirs and music programs... *sigh*

[gcheow]

wow. i've to give it to you guys. you guys sound really good. and yes, for once i thought it was BYU singers. but like what some of ya'll have said already: different interpretation. kudos to you guys. you're on my personal choral hit list now. haha.

[soleado10er]

If you don't like this video recording, come see us live; we're doing an Eric Whitacre festival this March in Minneapolis, MN, and are taking a couple of his pieces on tour with us to the South-East and the British Isles.

[MercedesTwins]

God this was my favorite song to sing, and this venue (The Strathmore) was simply outstanding- I'll never forget it.

[finally555]

stop messing with the camera!

[LaFred88]

St. Olaf = Choral Music

the end.

If someone out there thinks that their high school can do it better, than you are kidding yourself.

how the mere thought is appalling...

anyways, great job St. Olaf! you are doing wonders!

[steelvenom2003]

Except that Luther=Choral Music more. Sorry, it's true. ;)

[Begis]

I think it is pretty funny... how someone says they think their HIGH SCHOOL choir sings this song better than arguably one of the top 5 choirs in the entire nation. I find that incredibly amusing. I'm sure your choir did it well... but this is the St. Olaf choir. I have heard them before. They have a beautiful choral blend.... that most choirs only wish they could have. The ending is also not weak. It was as Whitacre intended.

[sexyking19]

@Begis its like water-to be fluid and and jst flow quitely

[jeffretA656565]

the chord progression is very well executed. the ending is rather weak however. my high school choir sings it better

[musiciansheart]

My high school sang this song this spring. If you listen to the recording on Whitacre's website, which is of THIS CHOIR singing the song, you'd have to admit, no high school choir is that good. And yes, the ending seems weak, but that's because it's supposed to be that way. It's so that the music fits the poetry. But I will extend you kudos, because if your hs choir sings this song well, you should be proud.

[ExVash]

Isn't the recording on his website done by BYU?

[eltontheprince]

Thats what I thought. I think they are similar interpretations though. But this does sound similar though. I do hear a few differences, but only if you are familiar enough with the recording. I'm a Whitacre fanatic. I can't help it.

[bassrob2]

Hold the friggin camera still!! Haha. I'm just messin with ya dude. It's cool. I just wish it was better quality. But a wonderful performance by St. Olaf.

[2300lulu0023]

we sang this at camp at Luther College. THis is really great you should check out a boy and a girl by eric whitacare also! =D

[dormanchorusgirl]

My favorite lines:

1)"...two little animals, moonled..."

2)"...flowing from the center of the night..."

3)"...and if you close your eyes..."

I'm just in LOVE with the chord progression there! And I also love St. Olaf's interpretation. I got to work with Dr. Anton Armstrong two years ago at a camp in North Carolina and he made me sound better than I ever had before!!

[JazzyPhay15]

OMg ur almost as god as the best choir in the world porterville concert choir but really good!!:D

[ExVash]

"If you open your eyes," is so perfectly done, both in dynamic intensity *AND* pitch. It almost hits as hard as an organ that suddenly opens all its pipes and bellows.

[u1zha]

Splendid carried out choral effects and solid form in huge phrases, also sung well with the text. This is my favourite version on YT. Should the rumbling be absent, it would be stellar for all purposes.

[JPSaxMan]

Amazing choir sound, but man hold the camera still and get a tripod if it's that hard to handle...lol.

[thebadtenor]

The sounds...such amazing SOUND! Gorgeous interpretation and the balance is sinfully wonderful. Eric wrote it but you guys SUNG it. Oh be still my souL!

[urthanjell]

That song takes me to those dreams that I don't want to wake up from.

[dormanchorusgirl]

AMEN! I totally and completely agree!

[mattmccarthymusic]

Their intensity and tone is impeccable. Some of their sudden changes in dynamics feel a bit awkward, but I'm all for different interpretations. This is the best choir I've heard on youtube by far

[theevmeister]

stay with it, the scruffing only lasts throught the very beginning. beautiful piece.

[janeym]

this is such an amazing choir!

[jakem1000]

Well....it's definitely the best I've heard this piece done outside of Polyphony. Intonation is spot-on, vowels are perfection, and its take on the song is unique and beautiful, better than Polyphony's even. The only flaw is that it ends a half-step higher than it should....which is really tragic because if they stayed on pitch, this really would've been perfect. It just...got sharper and sharper and eventually ended a half-step higher. Oh well.

[agentkro]

The chorus became sharp very briefly at "a silent and beautiful current", but the last few words they are back in key again. I am not a pro music critic though lol. Just using my ears.  And a pitch pipe.

[dukebbfan12]

hold the camera still

[marcyy08]

this sounds exactly like my choir when we did it a few years ago

[jcirmsa]

is that a joke or is it serous? cause they're pretty good.

[marcyy08]

im serious-my high school choirs were sooo good. we only have a few songs on youtuvbe i think...look up firestone high school

[sorafb]

very interesting take on styling

[NikkoFiore]

The acoustics in that place are phenominal. Even with the sound quality, I'm not complaining. St. Olaf's choir is so amazing. Eric Whitacre is a stunning composer, he is so inspiring in his works.

[kkocman]

how does this video only have 3 stars?

[ochakid]

cause you cant see the choir...and there is the scruffling

[mybluecastle]

By far the best on YouTube--awesome!

[pemchem]

dude, maybe if you stopped jerking the camera around, we could enjoy the music better

[Vash14er]

Actually, him "jerking the camera around" has nothing to do with the sound, really.

And if it's the music you really want to enjoy, then you ought to minimize this window while you listen to it, or any music, for that matter. For watching a music video only hinders one's ability to hear all there is to hear.

Granted, a music video is made to stimulate both the ears and eyes, but if you're here strictly for the music, then you shouldn't even be looking at the screen.

Huzzah! Laytaz.

[Vash14er]

Oh, and only in the beginning does he really shake it so that it'd rub against something.

No biggie. Relax.

Huzzah! Laytaz.

[gocubs317]

wow!!! my choir did this last year for concert choir state competition and won. we weren't this good tho. amazing. fantastic tenor section!

[Drumline161]

amazing tone... really

[bryceep]

I liked the risks that the conductor took, though I think it could have been a little toned down in some parts. Please use less vibrato, if any!

[mootz09]

Where is this auditorium? It's a flat-out gorgeous place. I wish I had a recording of this choir; I have never heard another choir besides BYU to completely nail "if you open your eyes." Best part of the song!

[luvlaur]

This is a great choir but whoever videoed it sucks!

[RhetoricalsC2007]

I heard the choir on this tour, and it is too bad that this is not the best recording. I think you'll find that this choir is one of the top in the country, if not the world. I do agree that BYU does a nice job with Whitacre, but you can't appreciate the full St. Olaf Choir until you SEE them sing. It is so amazing how animated they are... the music they make is just incredible.

[NoLeafClover1989]

are you jackin off or something damn its a choir concert sit still

[nunsense666]

hahahahaha!!  no kidding

[operadiva1984]

Oh Whitacre. And i had no idea that st.olaf was in VA/MD area. I was a concordia choir member so i appreciate good choir music but i am now in VA doing my masters in opera. I totally could have been there. Dang!

[finally555]

BYU nails this song best.

[lhschoirboi05]

this sounds amazing. i miss my old days of great choral singing.

[bulgarianmimi]

this is a painful video!!!!!

[LCN09]

Some people love the sound, others don't, but the Big 3 Lutheran choirs serve a niche that is unique among collegiate choirs in the world.

If you get a chance, check out the Luhter College Nordic Choir singing "O Lord God."

Craig Arnold has taken that choir to amazing levels in just a few years

[mootz09]

OMG you're familiar with the Nordic Choir!? I live in Iowa, so I get to see them quite often.  They are soo amazing. Their last Christmas concert tour in 2007 was totally kick ass.

[lala132435]

personally, i think that st olaf, nordic, concordia and even dale warland singers are way overrated. i have heard so many choirs better them them, interpretation and technique wise, be it in europe, us and even asia.

[VibesBlair]

Ha! I'd bet money Lawrence's choir is not better than St. Olaf. Dude, you don't challenge the mastery of any of the trio of the Luthern choirs.....St. Olaf, Luther, or Concordia. I'm afraid they all have you beat buddy!

[lyrictenororbust]

great, but Lawrence University's (wisconsin) performance is better. Lawrence's dynamics are natural, not contrived like this perfomance.

[lyrictenororbust]

also the core of voices are better.

[schmda04]

I'd like someone to post a video of Lawrence, I'd like to hear their performance compared to that of Luther's Nordic Choir, the St. Olaf Choir, or Concordia Choir.

[paulbram]

I'll take that bet! I'd put any of the big three private lutheran college choirs up against Lawrence University! St. Olaf, Concordia or Luther.

That's what this world needs. A battle of the choirs!

[olegurl2010]

Haha... There is actually a Clash of the Choirs on TV soon... not Cool Choirs like Olaf, Luther or Concordia... but choirs put together by famous ppl from ppl in their hometowns :)

[BSCtheatregal]

That video quality aggravates me. What on earth was going on? Y'all sound AMAZING, but it's hard to hear you with all the muffled weirdness going on.

[flurricane47]

This song is amazing! We sang it for our spring concert at my high school. Our choir has sung Cloudburst, A Boy and a Girl, and next year we are going to do Animal crackers and/or This Marriage

[lhschoirboi05]

Back in the day, I was in one of the first choirs to sing A Boy and a Girl. I love it.

[joshi87]

It's too bad that Ole Choir sang it last year, I would have loved to sing it, but maybe we can still sight sing it once? Either way, it sounded absolutely amazing. I can't wait to sing with the choir next year!

[UnluckierThanU]

wow oklahoma is singing it too?! NJ allstate chorus is singing it this year also! so far we've only sight read it, but i love this song!!

[OrganistInTraining]

o my lord. that was awesome. it is my <i>dream</i> to go to st. olaf and be in that choir..

you do awesome work

[kaj151]

This is beautiful. I love Whittacre and I love this choir. I think his 'Stopping by Woods' is still my favorite though. They sound SO similar.

[Bheit]

This hall was a blast to sing in!

And I know somebody already posted this, but the name of the choir is: The St. Olaf Choir. No possesive " 's ". St. Olaf doesn't own us, it's just where we're from.

[urgrad03]

Oh my... this brought on the waterworks. This is one of my favorite Paz poems, and it's beautifully set to music here. Gorgeous singing.

[Slink12345]

OMG I love this song, I got to sing this song with my All-State Chorus, I just wish I could have sung many other of Eric Whitacre's Works!

[SombraSoubrette]

What state?

[Slink12345]

Oklahoma

[TimonyErt03]

Raise the camera up! You can be discreet in this hall because you are up in the upper balcony. I know. I've sung there!!

[SombraSoubrette]

I was at the front of the middle balcony and very definitely (to my chagrin) could not be discreet.

[kevinstocks]

Thanks for coming to our concert at the Strathmore! Very slick work with the digital camera. Too bad the quality is not better. I would, however, like to mention that the "s" at the end of St. Olaf, as you wrote it, is not necessary. Thanks again for coming!

[docchigahikaru]

Well, by "like no other," I didn't actually MEAN "like no other." I meant "a lot, especially at the dissonant chord about halfway through." It's not my ultimate favorite, but I do love it.

[docchigahikaru]

GASP Was this the concert that you saw Mr. D at?!

[SombraSoubrette]

Yes! Mr. Chadwick was there too, apparently, but I didn't run into him.

[docchigahikaru]

Oooh!

Psst Water Night = <3 like no other. Eeheee.

[SombraSoubrette]

Really? It's not my favourite. My favourites are Leonardo, Lux, and Cloudburst.

[carminaburana13]

i love when david heard!

i sang this with my chorus. We were more legato. Is it just me or are they taking alot of awkward breaths??