Conspirare to Release JOBY TALBOT'S PIEDRA DE SOL
The recording of Talbot's choral setting of Octavio Paz's epic poem will be released in August.
GRAMMY Award-winning choir Conspirare and Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson will release Piedra de sol (Sunstone), featuring Joby Talbot's choral setting of Octavio Paz's poem Piedra de sol, on August 21, 2026, through Divine Art Records.
First published in 1957, Paz's poem draws on the symbolism of the Aztec calendar stone and explores themes of cyclical time, memory, love, and transformation. Talbot's approximately 70-minute composition follows the poem's progression from vision and uncertainty to enlightenment, using a wide range of vocal textures, solo passages, rhythmic interplay, and instrumental color.
“...the hugeness of the poet's vision; the cosmic immensity of the imagery; the febrile surrealistic intensity of a sensory journey through space and time from reality to fantasy and back again; the sudden moments of heartfelt intimacy that never fail to surprise...” Talbot said of the poem's influence on the composition.
The recording features marimba performed by Thomas Burritt, whose part serves as a central element of the work's harmonic and rhythmic structure.
London-born composer Joby Talbot has written extensively for concert performance, opera, ballet, film, and television. His stage works include the operas Everest and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, as well as ballet collaborations with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Winter's Tale, Like Water for Chocolate, and Oscar. His film scores include The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sing, Sing 2, and Wonka.
Led by Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare has released 17 commercial albums and 20 live recordings. The ensemble received the 2015 GRAMMY Award for Best Choral Performance for The Sacred Spirit of Russia and has earned 12 GRAMMY nominations overall.
The choir featured on the recording includes tenor Haitham Haidar, whose debut album Zaytoun received a JUNO Award nomination, along with Savannah Porter of Voces8, Jonathan Woody, Dann Coakwell, and basso profundo Glenn Miller.
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