Released for Valentine’s Day, this latest album from one of the US’s foremost choirs, the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, presents compositions exploring all aspects of human love. The works range from the sixteenth century to new pieces by living composers, many commissioned by the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, with most receiving their first recording. The six-part cycle Ardor amoris, by British composer, Francis Pott, is interspersed among works on the theme of love by Carter Datz, Kerensa Briggs, Seóirse Bodley, Orlando Lassus, Ugis Praulins, Sasha Johnson Manning, Carl Orff, Mårten Jansson, and Jacob Handl. In a new departure for the chorus there are also new choral versions of contemporary songs by Trent Reznor and Taylor Swift. The collection is introduced by the two lovers in the cover picture, Acme and Septimius, immortalised by the Roman poet, Catullus, and imagined in an intimate moment by the Victorian artist, Frederick Leighton (1830–96).

The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus is one of the world’s foremost commissioners of new choral music from composers from across the globe. In addition to commissioning several new works each season, in 1998 the Chorus established a Composer-in-Residence scheme to encourage outstanding choral composers – both emerging, and more established – providing opportunities for performances of their new works. The first holder of the position from 1998–2006 was Sasha Johnson Manning. Other composers with works on this recording that have been Composer-in-Residence are Melissa Dunphy (2014–18), Mårten Jansson (2019–21), and Kerensa Briggs (2022–25).