Hans Gál: Music for Voices Vol.1
Motet: Op.19
Epigrams: Five Madrigals after poems by Lessing, Op.27
Four Madrigals to Elizabethan Poems, Op.51
Satirikon: Four Aphorisms, Op.72
Four British Folk-Songs
Four Part-Songs
Borealis Choir, Bridget Budge, Stephen Muir
Toccata Classics 2020
TOCC 0509
Where to buy or listen
Hans Gál: Music for Voices, Volume 1
Hans Gál • Borealis Choir; Bridget Budge & Stephen Muir (directors); Ian Buckle (piano)
About this release
The first volume in Toccata Classics’ choral project brings together Hans Gál’s part‑songs and madrigals from across his career. The programme includes the early motet Op. 19, the witty Epigrams Op. 27, the four madrigals on Elizabethan poems Op. 51, the satirical cabaret cycle Satirikon Op. 72, a set of British folk song arrangements and four evocative part‑songs. The Borealis Choir under Bridget Budge and Stephen Muir shows Gál’s gift for text setting, luminous harmonies and gently humorous touches. Ian Buckle accompanies the pieces requiring piano.
Where to buy or listen
- Toccata Classics product page (CD/download)
- Qobuz (streaming/download)
- Apple Music (streaming)
What critics said
MusicWeb International’s reviewer introduces Volume 1 as the first instalment in a long‑term project to record Gál’s choral music, praising the rich variety of demanding eight‑part choruses and charming folksong settings【243770894970337†L112-L155】. They highlight how the folksong arrangements maintain a light touch with straightforward harmonies and how the Motette’s counterpoint is both complex and moving. Read the full review at MusicWeb International. Additional commentators have lauded Borealis’s clear diction and expressive shading across this varied programme.
Further context
Many of Gál’s choral works were composed for his own choirs in Vienna and later in Edinburgh. They reflect his deep love of poetry and folk tradition, and they bridge the salon, the concert hall and the cabaret. This release introduces listeners to his deft handling of words and music, paving the way for Volume 2 and the forthcoming final volume.
