In 2010 American composer and choral conductor Eric Whitacre created a virtual choir of 185 singers from 12 countries. With each subsequent iteration, the crowd has grown. He has now posted the fourth, containing 5,905 voices from 101 countries.
Each voice is recorded on video individually, then painstakingly merged into a blended choral sound — and a creative visual — this time a video game-y 3D skyscraper effect to showcase each voice.
The orchestral-dance-pop choral piece is Whitacre’s own: “Fly to Paradise,” from his musical Paradise Lost.
Unlike in a real choir, the individual singers do not enjoy the benefits of camaraderie, late arrivals, jostling for prime spots, and the stream of catty asides from the tall tenor in the third row (yes, it’s often a tenor).
Think of this as the astroturf of chorales — always green and neatly trimmed:
When he put out his initial call for singers, Whitacre explained that he chose a choral part with as few vowels as possible, because they are notoriously hard to coordinate (and something most choir directors spend a lot of time rehearsing).
The vocal solo part is an amalgam of sopranos and altos skimmed from the cream of the crop.
John Terauds