The Guardianreports that the Pope has signed with Geffen records. Pope Benedict XVI is releasing a Christmas album and he will be singing on the album. The album will also include eight new pieces of modern classical music. The composers for the music have not yet been named. The album will hit stores on November 30th.
Rather disappointingly, the pope's album will not be cover versions – Summer's Heaven Knows, perhaps, or Dogg's Neva Have 2 Worry. It will, though, feature a singing pope for the first time on CD. His holiness will be singing a Marian prayer as well as speaking Lauretan Litanies in different languages - Italian, Portuguese, French and German - accompanied by eight original pieces of modern classical music. The album is called Alma Mater and will be released in time for the Christmas rush on 30 November. Some proceeds from sales will be used to provide musical education for underprivileged children across the world.
Details of the new compositions, by three as yet unnamed composers, will be announced at the Vatican in September. No names have been revealed although it is understood they are English, Italian and north African and not all are Catholic. What is known so far is that the pieces have been recorded this week by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road studios in London.
Geffen Records UK's general manager Ricardo Fernandez told the Guardian, "I think the beauty of the album will surprise a lot of people. They will be surprised by the quality of the music and also the breadth."
