Ola Gjeilo - The Rose

Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo is bringing warmth and comfort this holiday season with a new album called Winter Songs. Available here: decca.lnk.to/w...
Combining choir, piano and strings, this album reimagines beloved carols, alongside brand new compositions which evoke the spirit of winter. Christmas favourites such as ‘The First Nowell’, ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ and ‘Silent Night’ alternating with beautiful Gjeilo works such as ‘The Rose’ and ‘Ecce Novum’ - balancing the new and the familiar in perfect harmony.
Ola Gjeilo says: “I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas album and I’m so excited to get to share these winter-inspired tracks, 15 collaborations with the amazing Choir of Royal Holloway and 12 Ensemble.”
The new recording features Ola Gjeilo on piano, the Choir of Royal Holloway, and 12 Ensemble - a collection of London’s finest and most exciting chamber musicians. The conductor is Rupert Gough, Director of Choral Music and College Organist at Royal Holloway since 2005.
Music video for The Rose. (C) 2017 Decca Music Group Limited
vevo.ly/atxXLG

[@ronlivaudais6523]

Can you imagine Ola and Eric Whitacre putting together their creative juices?

[@jaquandajackson7752]

Just no. I don't have the heart for it.

[@e.wallacerobin7000]

i would perish instantly in fact

[@wonderlasting]

Eh, no thanks. I don't think Ola should contaminate himself like that.

[@wonderlasting]

@@noahmoment Not at all. I do not exaggerate my claims when I say that this guy became an assembly line sell-out of a composer when he realized he could make the big bucks writing for amateur groups. In other words, his "artistry" went out the window when that pretty boy celebrity got too much publicity. No thanks, I'd rather listen to good choral music. I know many of his choral works and have played a lot as accompanist for choirs. So your knee-jerk claim that I'm uninformed is rather pretentious if I might say so. As for his instrumental, I have no opinion because I do not know them.

[@hc9078]

Joseph Pena If I may speak. I get where you’re coming from, and myself as a person, not bias, as I don’t find any reason to be. Claiming Eric is a “pretty boy sell-out” is kind of throwing it out there. His choral works are actually quite decent. He has his own flow in his work, that many people don’t understand well. I respect your opinion, it’s just that I don’t see Eric as that type of composer.

[@anthonygross226]

The criticisms posted become trivial and melt away to a forgotten symantic when I reflect on this astonishing piece. Ola Gjeillo has brought beauty into the universe which will repeat and echo throughout time from all over the world. And for that, I say "Thank You"!

[@robertclark7772]

Astonishingly beautiful

[@ale29125]

hermosísima!!!!!!!!!!!! no me canso de escucharla

[@sylvettechabot3667]

Beautiful piece I lll sing this weekend in concert with other pieces and Sunrise mass 😍😍

[@primitivamartinmaudo3233]

Que bonita!!!!! 🎵🍂🎵

[@francescomencarini5671]

What a genius!

[@Videusexmachina]

Why, if Human Being can produce such perfection and emotions, then goes into wars and kill each other?

[@omniscientomnipresent5500]

Good.

[@Solsori]

May I ask if this piece could be sung solo too?

[@davidaustinmusicals1938]

Question, how did you manage to do the video?

[@erlendlangseth4672]

I was going to listen to all his pieces. This was the first one. I am stuck on repeat here now, can't proceed.

[@christinaderinconada]

I've done that same thing with "Sacred Heart". Love this composer

[@GinzaGeorge]

What a wonderful response!

[@kemicoker2147]

You need to go to northern lights! It’ll absolutely take your breath away

[@jodily]

Same!

[@yufanghuang5089]

Same!agree

[@kunal-ko]

Is this what they play in heaven?

[@coybi]

I am most certain they do. Otherwise I'm not going.

[@lucasslash1000]

This is a romantic song. Romantism is not a style that makes God happy, because it overestimate feelings instead of the reason. Feelings are mutable, reason isn’t. God likes baroque and medieval pieces.

[@alejandrom.4680]

Lucas Fernandes God may like Impressionism and Romanticism. They get the feelings to another level, and even expressing feelings that you couldn’t appreciate with medieval or baroque style

[@oliviakate944]

I'm sure he plays all sorts of classical music, as long as it is clean and is uplifting

[@grant9960]

no this is what they play in purgatory to bore people

[@ZackTheGiant]

The Rose The lily has a smooth stalk, Will never hurt your hand; But the rose upon her brier Is lady of the land. There's sweetness in an apple tree, And profit in the corn; But lady of all beauty Is a rose upon a thorn. When with moss and honey She tips her bending brier, And half unfolds her glowing heart, She sets the world on fire. - Christina Rossetti

[@akrobeau]

In between the first stanza and second stanza (i don’t know what it’s called in songs so i’m using poetry terms) there is a verse identical to the last one.

[@raphaelkelly861]

@@akrobeau maybe similar/equivalent to a chorus?

[@colbymontigue4032]

@@akrobeau The writer uses the last verse in between verse one and two as a chorus like verse, but they have written out the original text. It's common to use text this way in choral and even clssical. Gjeilo also loves using this technique often.

[@janeczkaprosperity]

I'm 444

[@catherinenicol6671]

Thanks you very very much 👍😇

[@reistellae]

My choir was planning on singing this (along with Myaamia, a piece also composed by Gjeilo) for our spring concerts, but sadly those have been cancelled. I'm so happy to be singing along while I wait for fall to come! Also I appreciate the beauty of this piece, especially as an alto one, we finally can show our range and carry the melody. One of my favorite pieces by far!

[@sharanya2097]

Same, but we will be having a virtual concert somehow

[@Gameplay-ff2is]

I feel that, my choir along with some college choirs and other highschool choirs were going to NYC to sing at Carnegie Hall, If only the virus wasn't hidden early on in china it never would of happened, I could of been in Nyc and you could have sung this beautiful piece.

[@owczyniartemidy2754]

Altos are underappreciated. When I first 'lost' my voice I was a bit sad that I could no longer sing the highest soprano parts, but now I wouldn't have changed me being in altos. Without them, pieces are... blank, we kind of give the depth to the pieces!

[@smartywolf6057]

I’m so sorry that you weren’t able to preform this beautiful song this year. I bet your choir would’ve sounded amazing!

[@Pippin2luv]

I’m so sad I graduated before I could suggest this or one of his other pieces 😭😭

[@Kaffeebaum]

I also love how it goes from 12/8 to 9/8 to 6/8 like the bars are withering away... Great piece of music

[@alucardsblkgf2082]

Schlabbes wow I didn’t really think about that but yeah it’s a beautiful piece 💓

[@weasel_in_a_tophat]

Huh, I never thought about it that way! Before, I kind of wished it would go back to 12/8 (like ending in the opening key) but I like your way better.

[@agnesepasko2884]

@@weasel_in_a_tophat u kenqatu ju pa

[@WrulfWroar]

@@weasel_in_a_tophat technically, two 6/8 measures are 12/8, such as two 2/4 could be 4/4.

[@chrisvanschothorst8075]

The entire piece could be in 3/8, the piano part has a bass note every 3 beats. It would not really affect the piece I think.

[@isaacsureshkumar8720]

Ola Gjeilo loves the Altos

[@ryanjordan6295]

They whose glowing hearts are only half-unfolded.

[@RoeBonebrake]

In. My experience with more modern composers they tend to give the altos a lot more interesting parts compared to just putting us on the same note for a while page

[@mariamokhova6684]

Like Bach😅

[@victoriaxhokaxhiu1329]

as an alto, we love gjeilo

[@alyssc01]

As everyone should. Lol

[@NoeliaJones]

The harmony unfolds like a blooming rose, very inspiring 🌹

[@authenticmusic4815]

Unfolds? Rather does nothing at all lmfao 6-5-4-5-6-5-2-5-6 Boom lmfaoo

[@kennichdendenn]

@@authenticmusic4815 how interesting that you apparently can aptly judge the individual perception of other listeners! Just by the way - most of Mozart's music is harmonically and rythmically simple, yet revered by many. There is more to beauty than complexity. Maybe the author of the comment is not as musically literate as you claim to be. The gist is still clear - they like what they hear. Maybe you even understood it wrong and the unfolding is meant to describe the performance, not the composition. Yet you seem to feel the urgent need to get incredibly arrogant and condescending and make everyone miserable. Think: How does that make anything better?

[@skylarelizabeth2541]

I clicked on this on a whim. Best decision I've ever made

[@anmarraheem5152]

there is a mysterious magic in this melody that i couldn't describe even after 3 years of listening to it! truly phenomenal!

[@korakes]

one of the most beautiful pieces of music i have ever heard

[@authenticmusic4815]

Oh gosh.. I am so sorry about that

[@chaeriplease]

@@authenticmusic4815 this is the second time you felt the need to be nasty for no reason... click off

[@costaszisis7722]

It's really weird how alto sings above soprano but still ends up sounding so good

[@EllaEllaEh]

Costas Zisis I love it! It’s fun to sing and be higher than the sopranos.

[@heliolux6904]

Costas Zisis it’s all about the continuous lines alto above soprano is fine for this

[@jordan-uh8oy]

sorry for late comment but i also came to comment how lovely the alto tone sounds in that register

[@glibbergloop]

It's the mark of a great alto section - when they can carry the melody so beautifully

[@victorialangston6039]

The term for this is "Voice Crossing" and occurs when the composer wants a different timbre featured.

[@jbkitty91990]

0:08 I’m so impatient 😂

[@xenoclea1041]

I really want to sing this with my choir, but covid has made that impossible for now. Hopefully sometime in the future :)

[@mavohq]

i hope you get too!!! i sang this in my last ever concert with my old choir last winter (we didn’t get to do a spring concert, and i graduated hs earlier this year) along with other pieces by gjelio, it was one of our best concerts ever and was so enjoyable to sing!

[@jaquandajackson7752]

The tone of the Altos. I love it. And the foundation of the males. Beautiful lullaby.

[@brosalind]

Sounds so warm and dark and beautiful at the same time! It's like I can feel the winter's night from this piece 😍❤

[@F34OIFJ34OIFJ]

EXACTLY !!!!

[@christomario5234]

Anjay ros, 2 terbanyak like

[@lahabitacioncompartida830]

There's something really moving in Ola's composings that can't be explained with words... I'm thankful God let Ola be born in our time.

[@thebrookelauren]

absolutely breathtaking I’m in love with the harmonies

[@TheAlessandra1986]

Maestro Gjeilo. I'm absolutely overwhelmed with your your music, I just discovered it by accident. For sure I will ask for your music and train my chorus to sing it. Wow. My respect. Thank you for fullfllling my soul today.

[@smith_yugo]

많은 위로가 되는 곡입니다. 방금 전 악몽을 꾸고 곧장 찾은 노래이고요. 마음이 진정됐습니다. 고맙습니다.

[@elderghost2468]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ All the way from Namibia 🇳🇦🇳🇦🇳🇦🇳🇦

[@caroltaurua5406]

I have fallen in love with this song, it is heavenly. God bless you and your talent for creating music of sublime beauty.

[@shuyinduran5366]

I’m so mesmerized listening to this beautiful music! I agree with some comments that this is bright and dark at the same time, maybe that’s why it is so captivating. Beautiful work!

[@littlemarmoset]

"Bright and dark at the same time" is a very apt phrase to describe the tone of this piece.

[@ZacharyShuster]

All my choral activities are cancelled due to the coronavirus. I miss it all. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to sing along with the computer! :)

[@Cogmania]

We performed this piece only last week! My favourite choral music of all time

[@NYkat222]

My spirit has left my body and taken flight... So Heavenly...

[@elizabethbathory1120]

Why do i have to cry everytime i hear this song? It is so sad. ://

[@saturnskye4270]

This really is a beautiful piece of music, I’m amazed that you were able to tune Christina Rossetti’s poem into this! Our choir is singing it for our winter concert in December :D

[@xenasBS]

This is the kind of stuff I wish I could compose and produce. Bravo, amazing piece of music!

[@thomasdastillung4097]

So many emotions carried through a simplicity in the different voices is a sign of great composing. Well done !

[@catherynecaine4056]

Cannot WAIT to perform this. My choir instructor is having us learn it for our winter concert and I really hope we do it proper justice!

[@exil0im]

I would kill to listen to this for the first time again

[@jamesmaxson2306]

so true i listened to it 20 times after the first

[@xZyrux]

Strange, I always get more enjoyment out of music the more I listen to it. So I can enjoy just listening ``

[@chrissalg9681]

So much is lost in the first listen. It's the second and third that are the best.

[@robertclark7772]

Oh my! What an utterly amazing piece, totally spellbinding, I get completely lost in the lush but poinient harmony

[@manuladissanayake3075]

So beautiful and mesmorising.... but I wish it had a tenor-bass lead verse after the 1st verse with Soprana /Alto verse....instead of all the verses being sung by higher voices.

[@thewelltemperedtheorist]

Yeah definetely, a male lead verse would have offered a beautiful contrast

[@ntombi105]

Might have to do with the lyrics and the poem the words come from - celebrating the woman...?

[@winterfall82]

Yeah, I'd love to sing a melody for once! Tenor 1 gang 🤘😔🤘

[@LeatSabbah]

One of the most beautiful compositions I have ever heard. Thank you for this gift, Ola Gjeilo!

[@gachaalex1517]

What about Ola Gjelio with Susan LaBar

[@hajnatucic2291]

I keep repeating it, so special ....

[@devingraves8044]

I get to play the viola part for this in my school holiday concert and im super excited because I find this peice to be just beautiful

[@cindyliu9746]

Devin Graves I’m playing the violin part for my school! It sounds so good with all instruments + choir together

[@cam-b7639]

i dont know if this is the proper compliment to apply here but this song fucks. thank you mr. gjeilo

[@orrling]

😅

[@patrickswan4537]

A truly remarkable piece of music which I will never tire of listening to. Had the huge privilege of hearing Royal Holloway choir perform this in their magnificent chapel, my first introduction to Gjeilo's music. I'll remember that moment forever.

[@metovycaj597]

This is how heaven sounds! I'm in love with this

[@deusakannaaviana1073]

Cancao belíssima,já estou ensaiando para o concerto do final de ano @amocantar!

[@yarribaren]

Très harmonieux et inspirant. Quelle profondeur et quelle joie mystique émanent de ce chœur et de cette composition musicale...

[@fandelisboa]

❤ THANK YOU ❤ for this absolutely wonderful song!!! I LOVE IT!!! ❤❤❤ Right from the beginning!! Absolutely beautiful!! ❤❤❤

[@awaitthegroom]

283 people sadly with no musical appreciation

[@ZipplyZane]

I take it it's just my phone where the string section overpowers the vocals? People are talking about a lot of things I had trouble hearing.

[@F34OIFJ34OIFJ]

One of the best piece ever heard......

[@clarionpatrick]

Is it me, or does this piece give me some form of video game feels?

[@Sentom23]

Reminds me of Dark Souls

[@douglasmccarthy1833]

My son said the same when he heard it

[@garrettmccloskey274]

breath of the wild

[@123eldest]

Ico you were there

[@ohheyfullmetal]

Reminds me of Fullmetal Alchemist

[@katalinrossu-hegyi6122]

This is one of the most beautiful choir music I've ever heard, it gave me goosebumps.

[@ロビン-l5e]

I'm learning this in choir right now as an alto (i'm normally a mezzo soprano with a higher range), and it's difficult to sing- but amazing to learn. I feel like this piece will also have real significance for me as my past tutor for 3 years and the head of the choir I'm in is doing this piece for us as one of the final pieces for the choir to perform before she leaves. I will miss her greatly; she taught me a lot and helped me through some really, really rough times, and I wouldn't be here today without her. Still, I'm grateful that she was a part of my life, and I'm going to put all my effort into nailing this piece!

[@oneshotorgan]

Why does this have 237 dislikes?! How can anyone dislike this?!

[@richardsproulle6534]

Yes, I was thinking the same thing!!!

[@eugeneclasby518]

No souls.

[@meandmickey2057]

2:38 that gave me chills!!!

[@YasminOakOfficial]

Today is Mars 4th of 2020, I had an AMAZING day and received the incredible bless of know this song. I'm graduating as a Classical Singer in November, my week has been FULL of the BEST NEWS and I can't express how happy & thankful I feel for know your work. Thank you for make music capable of heal & free the soul ♥

[@ilovelolsurprise3419]

My high school treble choir is doing this!

[@kierangresko7789]

This reminds me of a song my choir once sang called, “The Lily and The Rose” it’s a very beautiful and simple song.

[@HighTen_Melanie]

Blown away by this incredibly beautiful piece of music. For me it encapsulates the ever changing seasons. The feelings of Love and the desire to never stop wondering and dreaming with it’s mesmerising and slightly mysterious elements.

[@thomasngure2204]

☀️ Ｓｕｎｎｙ Ｄａｙｓ ☀️ ic

[@j5555785]

Please send Olas music into space. The tragedy of the universe missing out on this because of the A. Stupidity of most people in the west and B. The looming apocalypse

[@saraaa02]

This is absolutely beautiful. It sounds magical

[@vocomama]

What a beautiful song! Just a reminder: Alto's m50 has a redundant note on the top of "half."

[@palacsinta6622]

How did I even end up here. Most pleasant surprise of my day.

[@kid10249595]

I love the canon in this piece, makes it hard to understand at times, yet it meshes and moves so well together its complexity is pleasant to listen to.

[@flyingferret5070]

I'm singing this for our Christmas concert in choir, and I couldn't be anymore excited

[@TealStarSusan]

It’s beautiful. I love the sound and the words but as a very longtime choir singer I’d have preferred it to be slower . Just my opinion though!

[@sebastianmichaelis5708]

Wowza the altos really go high up there!

[@EllaEllaEh]

YeetusCleetus A C-nat is not an unreasonable note by any means.

[@sebastianmichaelis5708]

Ella Walsh (sorry for not responding right away, I never got a notification) I’m used to my choir director giving us pieces that are soprano heavy, typically the alto parts I’m given are low and monotone. I am by no means calling this unbearable or extreme, I’m simply comparing my experience to normal melodic alto parts :)

[@missliss312a]

Chalk one up for the good guys! I loved singing this piece. I hate a choir that has no range for altos. Like, come on, we're the second largest group. Give us something to do.

[@stellastrange4441]

This is one of the most magical pieces I’ve ever heard - EVER.

[@seshanabeykoon9804]

Just kept on my autoplay on while studying and heard of this lovely flow of the melody. At a glance saw it was a poem by Christina Rosetti, the famous. Ola has definitely given the ideal feel to the words. ❤️😍 Love to get this as one among many lovelies to be performed......

[@zuzannatopolska7085]

PLEASEEEEE ADD CELLO VERSION!!! It is only in spotify.... :( this is the best choir song i ever heard. Love you Ola

[@FabianRaimund_old]

HERE IT IS on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5DWanqwbsqbq8k 😁

[@couldntchooseausername2504]

This is so beautiful 🥺 🥀

[@rosetyong]

It's interesting how the notes look like roses too

[@bry_crochet]

I’m leaving this comment here so i can be reminded of this beautiful piece of music

[@stephenarendsechoralworksa745]

For some reason, I get a serious "Enya" feel at the end. Ola is a genius :-) "

[@liesgenbrugge8573]

This makes me shivering from heavenly beauty

[@petitexwild13]

why am i crying this is so beautiful

[@yarnover]

This song tugs at my heartstrings. I cry almost every time I hear it.

now I want to create a choir just to sing this

[@whitneymoore8919]

So beautiful!

[@PauloCesarMaiadeAguiar]

Divine song. Amazing composition. Many thanks for to share this dear

[@Voodja]

Amazing.

[@F34OIFJ34OIFJ]

Nice ! it's a pity that there is not the violin part...

[@chrisfistonich9497]

If your piano can drown out the entire choir, you don't have enough singers.

[@TinyTiniaMan]

So I have a few questions if you don't mind. First, how do you display synced sheet music with not too much effort in editing ? Second, is there a way to have the strings sheet since I really want to learn how to orchestrate strings (and this is a beautiful piece I want to understand ) ?

[@J02-s2j]

Year ago i was going trough really hard period on college, i had panic attacks. In that period i was listening this composition and my grandfather came to visit me and he was calming me down. He passed away and now he cant calm me down...

[@Amadea27]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Buy I think that he will still be with you when you listen to this piece. He and his words are in your heart and he will comfort you whenever you remember those words and him.

[@enlumineresse]

I hope you are doing well now. 💌

[@Luca-gj9xn]

This song is really beautiful! My choir sang it during one of our last performances. Part of the arrangment is original. Write this in the search. You're going to love it for sure! Corale Novarmonia - The Rose (O. Gjeilo)

[@soleeombra6261]

It's wonderful! You are very talented! :)

[@romano9816]

Amazing 👏

[@kindredkate8940]

Love this, but wish there was an a cappella version or a version with a quieter instrumental. It’s hard to hear the harmony at some sections.

[@mileris_lc]

So beautiful... Simple, but great music! *-*

[@mileris_lc]

I know it, because I'm a singer too.)

[@prestons6876]

@@mileris_lc my band director said, "..it may be slow but it carries a lot more meaning, so play with your feelings not with your hands." Tbh I couldn't really take that to heart at the time, mainly because I was playing the triangle, which is hard to play with emotion.

[@Petrucci2323]

KUSC brought me here! The first time hearing this composition this morning and all day it's been playing. I'm in awe..It's touched me spiritually and emotionally. I need something and it's making long for my music. I've been away too long..

[@aniyahsharre]

Does this classify as a classical song?

[@Sissie131]

Well, it’s a contemporary piece, made in 2017, but it’s made in the style of classical music. So, it’s a yes and no, depends on personal thoughts.

[@LevelUpWithMatthew]

Yes it contemporary classical

[@choirkitty]

Wow! I soooooo want to sing this!

[@korgy_13]

Looking for SATB pieces that evoke the same feelings as this one, almost a hopeful melancholy, remembering something that’s passed but exists so vividly in the mind. Any suggestions?

[@trinette31]

Esenvalds' Only in sleep is exactly what you describe. Try the Trinity College Choir version :-)

[@ajs4807]

The Old Mill by Kenneth Riggs. The best version is on JW Pepper

[@agenttexx]

The orchestral arrangement (The Rose II) sounds so much more dramatic and emotive when the playback speed is set to 75%. It gives the voices a bit more room with a slower tempo. Give it a try if you have the chance. You won't regret it. :)

[@edwing71]

I did regret it.

[@jacob.2]

this reminds me of my time in Atlantis on a business trip

[@RoyalBrenda]

Finally altos get more attention than sopranos :D

[@renahime_]

Actually it seems pretty evenly balanced