Heavensong: Tabernacle Choir CD sings of spiritual bliss

Music is a tangible link between heaven and Earth. With its power to lighten and enlighten the mind and the soul, it can take us to a better place, Mormon Tabernacle Choir director Mack Wilberg says.

That's the reasoning behind the choir's newest CD release, called "Heavensong," which contains a variety of classical, spiritual and original compositions, including a collaboration between the choir and Grammy Award-winning musician, composer and producer David Foster.

"The original conception was to find music of contemplation and light," Wilberg says. There seems to be a particular need for that kind of music in today's sometimes-harsh, sometimes-depressing world, he says. And music can be a powerful ally amid the turmoil.

But choosing the selections for the CD was an interesting experience, he says. "I had a huge pile of music that I thought might fit. But some that I thought sure would be on it didn't make it, and some that I thought would probably not make it, did." That's kind of how it always goes, he says; until the final product's done, you don't know exactly how it will all fit together.

"It's designed to have a certain flow from beginning to end, so what gets included is what makes that flow work. It's not just a matter of slapping pieces together," he says.

Some angst goes into it, and he always greets the final product with both gratification and trepidation. "You always hope it will be well-received and that people will feel what you feel."

Plus, he says, "we always like to include some little surprises."

"The Prayer," written by David Foster and Carol Bayer Sager, is one of those, he says. "That song has been recorded a lot as a duet, but I don't believe it has ever been recorded as a choral version."

This song marks the third collaboration between the choir and Foster, who has said, "It's always been a goal of mine to work with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They are truly one of the greatest choirs in the world."

Foster, who has been nominated for an unprecedented 44 Grammy Awards and has won 15, including three as Producer of the Year, is one of the most in-demand musicians around. He's worked with Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, William Joseph, Blake Shelton, Kenny G, Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, N'Sync, Barbra Streisand and many more.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir first worked with him in 2007 when it sang on Josh Groban's Christmas album, "Noel." Last fall, Foster again asked the choir to provide vocals for a version of "The Lord's Prayer" that appeared on Bocelli's 2009 Christmas album, "My Christmas." A performance was taped and included in the nationally televised PBS Christmas special, "Andrea Bocelli and David Foster: My Christmas."