This is a vocal choir (SSAATTBB + guitar, piano, bass, drums) arrangement by Réjean Marois of "How Important It Must Be," the last song from Maria’s GRAMMY-winning (best classical composition) "Winter Morning Walks." Set to a lovely poem of Ted Kooser’s poems from his book, Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison, this song from Maria’s nine-piece song cycle, wonderfully arranged by Réjean Marois, is accessible for any skilled choir.
Maria writes: "I had such a fantastically unique experience working at Capilano University in Vancouver several years ago, when Réjean so beautifully arranged "Winter Morning Walks" for his wonderful "NiteCap" vocal ensemble. I had originally recorded this work with Dawn Upshaw and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and I was thrilled to hear a whole new and very lovely reworking of it. Réjean’s students gave an inspired performance of his masterful arrangement, and we are happy to now be able to share this music with other performing groups. Réjean and I had fun sitting down and discussing how to get the most out of a performance of this music, and in this offer, we will share that with you via exclusive streaming video."
Réjean writes: "My experience working on Maria’s song cycle was very enlightening, not only by Maria’s exceptional composition, but most notably by her understanding of each poem and how she conveyed them in such lyrical treatment. It was a natural step for me, with a vocal ensemble, to bring a polyphonic, contrapuntal texture to the music. For our performance, my group used individual microphones, but I don’t feel that’s mandatory. I feel that a capable chamber choir paired up with a rhythm section that is both cooperative and sensitive instrumentally can produce an outstanding performance of this work."
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