“This recording represents the core spirituality of my life. Since the early 1980’s, I have been writing choral music about spiritual unity – the unity that comes from knowing three basic things: 1) that there is one God for us all, 2) that the love of God is eternal and unconditional, and 3) that we are all Brothers and Sisters, eternal children of God and always loved unconditionally regardless of our actions in a given lifetime on Earth. Communicating this message, and related messages, became my main mission, and I proceeded to seek out or write texts that I thought would best communicate this message to my audiences, and set these texts to music. This recording contains several of my best compositions in this vein, including three of the six “universal masses” to date (the other three masses appear on Missa Universalis, Soundbrush 1002).” ROGER DAVIDSON All compositions by Roger Davidson – Musica Universalis Publishing (BMI) The New York Virtuoso Singers Harold Rosenbaum, conductor Jo-Anne Steinberg: clarinet Matthew Dine: oboe, English horn Seth Baer: bassoon Recorded at the Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City, January 13-15 2013 Recorded and edited by Adam Abeshouse ___________________ REVIEWS _______________ Otherworldly music for this Universe of Souls By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on August 25, 2015 Roger Davidson has long been regarded a pianist's pianist. His ability to bring the soul of the piano to the surface to share with his audience has long been lauded. Now we must bow to the same comments about his compositions. In this stirring, deeply spiritual collection of his sacred music he aspires to greatness and achieves it. Not that Roger Davidson would ever allow those words in his presence - he is a humble man whose heart is in his music and not in the praise of critics or the applause of audiences. That factor is abundantly clear is these masses for chorus and three instruments. The names of the works are MISSA UNIVERSALIS IV, MISSA UNIVERSALIS V, and MISSA UNIVERSALIS VI - masses for the universe of souls. These works, while contemporary in construction, retain that mystical sound of chants from ancient times. The works are impeccably performed by the New York Virtuoso Singers who manage to convey that straight tone (without vibrato) that makes the music so immediately accessible to the soul - and a direct communication with God in the manner of the Gregorian chants. They are assisted by Matthew Dine, oboe and English Horn, Jo-Anne Sternberg, Clarinet, and Seth Baer, bassoon. The ensemble is conducted by Harold Rosenbaum. This is music as spiritual as any you will hear. The recoding ends with three prayers composed in 1982, written in Yawasiil (the Language of Light) and prove a fitting closure to this communication from Roger Davidson. Roger has been quoted as saying that the works here are prayers `for the creation of lasting peace - the peace that can only come about when there is a peace among the followers of all the world's religions. Such a peace, I believe, will be established on Earth once human beings have learned that we are Brothers and Sisters, children of one eternally loving God.' And that says it all. Eloquent, uplifting, and profoundly moving music from Roger Davidson. Grady Harp, August 15 ___________________________________ ROGER DAVIDSON/Universal Sacred Music for Chorus: After spending all these years convincing us he's a happy go lucky piano man that enjoys Brazilian jazz, we find out Davidson is an ordained minister that does more than tickle the ivories at coffee houses. Really throwing back the curtain on his spiritual side, Davidson checks in with a religious choral work that's has the sound and feel of Bernstein at his most serious when he was tackling similar subjects. A deep work that was obviously meant to be lasting, when you are looking for some spiritual music that doesn't come from the Casio keyboard of a suburban divorcee on a mission, this is the stuff you need to step up to. A fine, refined work throughout. Volume 38/Number 302 August 28, 2015 MIDWEST RECORD CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher