MONTEVERDI - VESPERS       HYPERION SACDA67531/2

Claudio Monteverdi was born in Cremona, Italy in 1567 at a time when the spiritual values and traditions of Renaissance music were giving way to the more human-centred values of the Baroque age. He was a musical prodigy – his first works were published when he was 15 and he published several books of madrigals and motets before being engaged as a string player and later as choirmaster (maestro di cappella) to the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua. During his life, which culminated in his appointment in 1613 as maestro di cappella at St Mark’s, Venice, he published many more examples of secular and religious works, including six operas, ballets, nine books of madrigals, numerous motets and masses, as well as the famous Marian Vespers. In 1610, disgruntled with his lot as choirmaster to the Duke of Mantua, Monteverdi set about compiling what was became one of the most significant choral publications in history. At its heart lies the Vespers, a amazing array of virtuosic solo movements and magisterial choruses to texts from which can be assembled music suitable for any Solemn Vespers, whatever the forces available. Many movements offer abridged versions and a complete alternative Magnificat is provided. The performance on this new recording features the complete work in all its opulent glory, with the addition of the simplified Magnificat and the Missa In illo tempore - a setting of the Mass without which no liturgical publication of the time could have been complete. As the cornerstone of The King’s Consort’s twenty-fifth anniversary concert series, the Vespers was performed to great acclaim at The Sage in Gateshead earlier this year. Robert King here leads the same jubilant forces in a magnificent performance free from transient artifice and with the confidence that can only spring ‘from the heart’. A dazzling array of soloists join King and his choir and orchestra in presenting this true masterpiece: a project made possible by the generosity of hundreds of people who donated to Hyperion’s appeal for recording funds in 2005. Available in multichannel DSD hybrid SACD as well as conventional CD, this is an exemplary recording of a monumental and immortal work of music.

JOHANN MICHAEL HAYDN - DEUTSCHE MESSE         CARUS 83.354

Johann Michael Haydn (1737-1806) was an Austrian composer, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn. He was a chorister at St Stephen's in Vienna, and shortly after leaving the choir-school he was appointed Kapellmeister at Großwardein and later, in 1762, at Salzburg. The latter office he held for forty-three years, during which time he wrote over 360 compositions for the church and much instrumental music. He was an intimate friend of Mozart, who had a high opinion of his work, and the teacher of Carl Maria von Weber. His sacred choral works are generally regarded as being his most important, but he was also a prolific composer of secular music, including forty symphonies, a number of concerti and chamber music including a string quintet in C major which was once thought to have been by his brother Joseph. The Court of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg can look back on a centuries-old musical tradition, reaching its zenith in during the second half of the 18th century through two composers with special anniversaries in 2006: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (his 250th birthday) and Johann Michael Haydn (the 200th anniversary of his death). Although the music of the younger Haydn brother was highly regarded by his contemporaries, it was largely forgotten in the 19th century and still awaits rediscovery. One of his better-known works is the central piece on this CD, the German Mass ‘Hier liegt vor deiner Majestat’, a work which is musically the epitome of south-German/Austrian Catholicism and which to this day is still a part of church music practice in this region. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is represented on this recording with some of his lesser-known works, including the 23-measure motet ‘God is our Refuge’, his first setting of a sacred text, which he composed in London at the age of nine. The CD contains two movements from Leopold Mozart’s C Major Mass, which presents the tradition of the older style of church music and was for a long time thought to have been composed by his son.

SOUNDS OF LIGHT - TRINITY CHURCH CHOIR       GOTHIC G 49245

This selection of classic choral works from the 16th to the 20th century performed by Boston’s Trinity Choir features music from Byrd (Ave verum corpus) to Tavener (As one who has slept), as well as new settings of familiar texts such as ‘This little light of mine’ and ‘God so loved the World’. Other composers include Morten Lauridsen, Colin Mawby, Franz Schubert, Arvo Pärt (The Beatitudes), Thomas Weelkes and Alan Hovhaness. Brian Jones assumed his first regular position as an organist at the age of 14 and is currently emeritus director of music and organist at Trinity Church, Boston, one of America’s great churches, where he where he has created widely acclaimed music for more than twenty years. He has also performed as an organ concert artist in many parts of the United States and England and has been a tireless advocate for organ music. In his time at Trinity Church in Boston, he has built the mostly volunteer Trinity Choir into an ensemble of national and international prominence, and founded the Parish Choir which has also been highly successful. The Trinity Choir is often heard on America’s National Public Radio as well as on the BBC, and the ensemble has toured England, with services and performances in grand venues such as Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral and New College, Oxford. Sounds of Light features the choir in sublime form, with its formidable technique and wonderful purity of tone.

THE COMPLETE NEW ENGLISH HYMNAL, VOL 22          PRIORY PRCD 722

Recorded in the beautiful Belfast Cathedral in June of this year, the latest in Priory’s ambitious and rewarding series features the Cathedral Choir, directed by Philip Stopford, with Ian Barber (organ). St Anne’s Cathedral was consecrated in 1904 but not completed until 1981, and is a very broad and high building in the Hiberno-Romanesque style. The Choir is voluntary, consisting of up to 30 choristers and 20 layclerks. The Organ was built by Harrison & Harrison in 1907 and rebuilt by them in 1975 with four manuals and 70 speaking stops. The hymns on this new releases include When morning gilds the skies, Praise to God, O Lord of hosts, O Lord of heaven and earth, Stand up, and bless the Lord, Psalm 116: I will love the Lord, The growing limbs of God, When came in flesh, Strong Son of God, O son of God eternal Love, How bright these glorious spirits shine, Hail, harbinger of morn, O word immortal, O King enthroned on high, O let the heart beat high, Martyr of God, We pray thee, heavenly Father, Bread of the world, Ye watchers and ye holy ones, My soul there is a country, With golden splendour, Hills of the North, rejoice, The Lord reigns clothed in strength, Jesu, the very thought of thee, Praise the Lord! ye heavens adore him, and There’s a wideness in God’s mercy. Full texts are included and the performances, recorded over three days, are appropriately warm and inspirational.  Other CDs just released in The Complete New English Hymnal series are Volumes 20 (featuring the Choir of Newcastle Cathedral, conducted by Scott Farrell) and 21 (in which the celebrated Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge, is conducted by David Rowland). Some earlier releases can be seen here.

VIVALDI - THE COMPLETE SACRED MUSIC           HYPERION CDS 4417181

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678. He became a priest in 1703 and was nicknamed Il Prete Rosso, ‘The Red Priest’, because of his red hair. Ill-health (apparently asthma) caused him to leave the priesthood to become a violin teacher at an orphanage for girls called the Pio Ospedale della Pietà. Vivaldi wrote most of his concertos, cantatas, and sacred music for them, and in 1713 became responsible for the musical activity of the institute. His talents were soon recognised beyond Venice and he was one of the composers who enabled Baroque music to evolve into an impressionist style as a precursor to the Romantic style. After many years of neglect, Vivaldi’s works were resurrected in the 20th century, thanks largely to the efforts of Alfredo Casella, and more of his music continues to be rediscovered. He composed over 500 concertos and 46 operas but his inspiring church music only came to light in the 1920s when a huge collection of his manuscripts was acquired for the National Library in Turin. Over fifty pieces have survived - the existence of many more is recorded - with most being for solo voice or voices. They include all the motets, introduzioni (a kind of motet designed to precede the setting of a Psalm or a section of the Mass), hymns and votive antiphons, besides a few of the Psalms themselves. The remaining works are either pieno (for choir only) or concertato (for choir with one or more soloists). The vitality and idiomatic quality of the instrumental writing is unrivalled in Italian sacred vocal music of the period, and this splendid box set gathers together all eleven CDs in Hyperion’s celebratory series. This features Robert King and the King’s Consort in music that includes the ‘oratorio’ Juditha Triumphans, two Glorias, Stabat Mater and Nisi Dominus.

HANDEL - BELSHAZZAR         K&K  67

Handel’s spectacular oratorio Belshazzar was composed in 1744, from a libretto by Charles Jennens that describes the fall of Babylon. Less successful in it’s day than the popular Italian opera, Belshazzar is a work on an imposing scale - dramatic, passionate, full of stirring choruses and solos, and a piece which Handel himself described as ‘very grand and uncommon’. The oratorio is full of invention, energy and drama with the Jewish, Babylonian Persian and Medes masses having their own distinctive musical styles that were juxtaposed to create a tense dramatic conflict. Composed in the same year as the splendid Hercules the two oratorios represent the peak of Handel’s dramatic writing. Belshazzar was a failure at the time of its first performance in 1745 - contemporary reports speak of a disastrously bad performance - and the oratorio never gained popularity in Handel’s lifetime. Jürgen Budday is director of church music and artistic director of the concert series at the monastery of Maulbronn, of the cantor choir and of the Maulbronn Chamber Choir. He is one of the leading German conductors of historical and modern vocal music, and his previous concert recordings have received international acclaim, including thos of the Handel oratorios Jephtha, Samson, Judas Maccabaeus and Saul Belshazzar may be one of Handel’s less performed works but is indisputably one of his finest, as is evident from this splendid recording in which the soloists include Mark Le Broque (Belshazzar), soprano Miriam Allan, countertenor Michael Chance and Patrick van Goethem.

BACH CANTATAS, VOL. 10       SOLI DEO GLORIA SDG 110

The 209 existing cantatas of J. S. Bach form an exceptional body of work that deserves to be better known. The cantatas original function and context, either as sacred or secular celebration, means that they do not fit easily into a modern concert setting, but Sir John Eliot Gardiner has captured this rich musical world in a series of wonderfully atmospheric recordings made during his Bach Pilgrimage in the year 2000. Earlier this year, Gardiner became the first Englishman to be honoured by the City of Leipzig and the Bach Archiv by being presented with the prestigious Bach Medal, awarded in recognition for lifetime achievement in the performance of music by J.S. Bach. The award followed an international tour of Bach’s monumental St Matthew Passion and the launch of Sir John Eliot’s own record label, Monteverdi Productions, which on its imprint Soli Deo Gloria is releasing all of Bach’s Cantatas. Volume 10 is a double-CD of live recordings made at Erloserkirche, Potsdam, and at Schlosskirche in Wittenberg. Disc one features three cantatas for the Nineteenth Sunday and one for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity. Disc two has two works composed for the Feast of the Reformation, including the masterful Ein feste Burg The Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists are in magnificent form, with Joanne Lunn (soprano), William Towers (alto), James Gilchrist (tenor) and Peter Harvey (bass).

KOERPPEN - JONA, ELIA, STEPHANUS           BELLA MUSICA  CTH 2506

Alfred Koerppen is a German composer, organist, writer and teacher, born in Wiesbaden in 1926. The son of a composer and conductor, he received his first musical education at the age of six and produced his first compositions soon afterwards.  His music covers a wide range, including chamber works, large-scale comositions for choir, numerous solo songs, orchestral works, oratorios, operas, ballet and film music. The three compositions on this impressive new CD feature biblical figures: Old Testament prophets Jonah and Elijah, and the martyr Stephen from the Acts of the Apostles. Koerppen has set the story of Jonah to music as the Bible relates it, strictly following the text. Elijah’s concept of the deity is more modern and an ‘apothosis of silence’ occurs in the middle of the work, when the organ loses its voice and breathes its last. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, celebrated on December 26, and in his concern for the poor and aged he has set an example to Christians through the ages. The text from Acts is supplemented with quotations from other biblical passages to give greater scope to the sermon in which Stephen relates the history of Israel to his accusers. The work ends with Psalm 27, at which point the music withdraws into the background, becoming laconic and quiet. This is intelligent and reflective music, performed by the distinguished Norddeutscher Figuralchor and Johannes Brahms Choir of Hanover.

HANDEL - ORATORIO SAUL         K & K ISBN 3-930643-83-9

Georg Frideric Handel’s glorious oratorio in three movements, Saul, is splendidly performed here in English by Nancy Argenta, Laurie Reviol, Michael Chance, Mark LeBrocq, Michael Berner, Stephen Varcoe and Steffen Balbach, together with the Hannoversche Hofkapelle and Maulbronner Kammerchor, conducted by Juergen Budday. This atmospheric concert recording was made in 2002 in the historical setting of the beautiful convent church of Maulbronn. Other albums in the beautifully produced Maulbronn Edition from K & K include performances of Gounod’s Missa Solemnis (ISBN 3-930643-63-4) and an cappella concert, Goettliche Liturgie, with Don Kosaken singing works from the Russian Missa (ISBN 3-930643-72-3). For more informion, see the K & K website.

THE DIVINE LITURGY       K & K 72  ISBN 3-930643-72-3

In this recording of a Maulbronn Monastery choir concert, the Don Cossacks Soloists Wanja Hlibka sing works from the Russian Orthodox tradition by Maximowitsch (Wir verbeugen uns vor Deinem Kreuz), M. Lovorsky, Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowsky (In der Kirche), Alexandre Gretschaninow (Credo), Kastalsky, Fatejev, Dimitrij Bortnjanskij (Tedeum Laudamus) and the Kiev Melodies. The compositions carefully selected for the liturgically conceived Musica Sacra reveal surprising new insights into the high art of sacred Russian music and tradition. The outstanding a cappella ensemble performing here was founded in 1991 by Wanja Hlibka and George Tymczenko, who were both formerly soloists in the acclaimed Don Cossacks Choir until its disbandment in 1979. The Don Cossacks Soloists perform live and without amplification, even in such large venues as the Musikhalle in Hamburg, the Messehalle in Frankfurt or the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. The rich and emotional music of the Russian Orthodox Church is not often heard in the Western world, making this atmospheric and moving CD a wonderful addition to the beautifully produced Maulbronn Edition.

HASSE - REQUIEM/MISERERE         CARUS 83.175

The German composer Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783) was pre-destined for a career in music. His great-grandfather, grandfather, father and brother were all musicians, active in Lübeck and Bergedorf. Hasse studied in Hamburg and had his first opera, Antioco, performed.Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel in 1721. He travelled to Naples, where he studied with Porpora and A. Scarlatti, and in 1731 was appointed to the court of Poland and the electoral court of Saxony. He served as the director of the Dresden opera and composed operas, cantatas, masses, oratorios, psalms and instrumental works (sonatas, concertos, and chamber music). This new CD brings together two compositions, each dedicated to a different occasion for grieving or earnest self-examination. Written for the two ensembles of prime importance to Hasse, they demonstrate both the high quality and the stylistic breadth of this composer's work. He wrote his Miserere in D minor for the Venetian orphanage Ospedale degl’Incurabili, which through its outstanding music instruction and distinguished music directors enabled the female students to contribute to the cost of their expenses by performing concerts for paying audiences. Hasse's Requiem in E flat major is the farewell work of the mature master at the end of his tenure at Dresden, where the great Court Orchestra was of exceptional quality. Hans-Christoph Rademann, the Kammerchor Dresden and the Dresdner Barockorchester are in outstanding form on this recording.

ALLIS - GAUDE GLORIOSA           HYPERION CDA67548

July 2005 is the (probable) 500th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Tallis, who was an English organist and one of the most important composers of his time. His career spanned the reigns of four monarchs and much religious change. He started out as an organist at the Benedictine Priory before moving to London, where he composed his early Latin motets: Ave Dei Patris, Gaude Gloriosa, and Salve Intemerata.  In this recording, The acclaimed Cardinall’s Musick performs Tallis’s Gaude gloriosa, a monumental and extended motet that is a sure-footed and eloquent response to an unusual text in honour of the Virgin Mary. Other works on this recording include the famous Loquebantur variis linguis and O nata lux settings, the five-voice Latin Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, and Suscipe quaeso Domine – where a particularly gloomy text (thought to have been written to mark England’s reconciliation with Rome on the accession of Mary Tudor) elicits from Tallis some extraordinary and rhetorical effects with harmonic shifts which are every bit as shocking today as they must have been at the work’s first performance in 1554. The Cardinall’s Musick and Andrew Carwood have an enviable reputation, displaying innovation and a freshness in tackling contemporary works or performing the music of the English Renaissance. Future plans for this ensemble on Hyperion include the completion of their series encompassing the complete Latin church music of William Byrd, one of Tallis’s pupils.

BERLIOZ - REQUIEM                 TAHRA WEST 3001-3002

Hector Berlioz (1803-1867) was a brilliant composer as well as musician, writer and critic, excelling in all these different fields. Born in La Côte-Saint-André, a small town in the Isère department of southeastern France, he learned the flute and guitar when young. After going to Paris to study medicine, he entered the Conservatoire at the age of 22 and soon established himself as a composer of great originality. In April 1958, at the Eglise Saint-Louis des Invalides in Paris, the Berlioz Requiem was recorded under the direction of Hermann Scherchen with the Orchestre du Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Paris and the Choeurs de la Radiodiffusion Française. Jean Giraudeau is the tenor soloist and René Alix the chorus master.. The recording was co-produced for the American label Westminster, the French label Véga and for French Radio. The Westminster stereo version has been expertly restored from the original masters and is here made available for the first time on CD in volume 1 of a series that will also include sets dedicated to Bach, the Mozart Requiem, Beethoven, Liszt, Vivaldi, Haydn and many others. This is a fascinating recording of a work by one of the 19th century’s most inventive geniuses.

LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT             COLLEGIUM CSACD 902

This double SACD set brings together the highly acclaimed albums Illumina (runner-up 2000 Gramophone Awards) and Blessed Spirit, showcasing the celebrated Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, directed by Timothy Brown, in music from Hildegard of Bingen to Ligeti's Lux Aeterna and Tavener's Funeral Ikos. The recordings were produced by John Rutter in the wonderful acoustic of the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral, perfect for the singing of a cappella chant and polyphony. Each album is devoted to a different facet of spiritual revelation: Illumina explores the theme of light, Blessed Spirit is about heaven and our journey to heaven. The music ranges in date from the dawn of notation in the middle ages to Ligeti in 1966 and Tavener in 1981. Clare College, Cambridge, was founded in 1326 and music plays an important role in its life. In 1971 the previously all-male chapel choir was re-established as a mixed-voice group of some 24 voices. It has since gained an international reputation as one of the leading choral groups in Britain. The ensemble is conducted by one of Britain’s most effective choir conductors, Timothy Brown, who succeeded John Rutter as director of Clare College Choir in 1979. The superb sound on these recordings is brilliantly captured in the SACD format and the discs will also play on any standard CD player.

THE COMPLETE NEW ENGLISH HYMNAL, VOL 7         PRIORY PRCD 707.

The excellent Choir of All saints, Margaret Street, London, directed by Harry Bramma, perform more songs from the New English Hymnal. These include Come rejoicing, God is love, Saviour eternal, The prophetic anthem, Faithful Cross above all other, and O Sapienta.

THE COMPLETE NEW ENGLISH HYMNAL, VOL 8         PRIORY PRCD 708.

The Choir of Keble College, Oxford, directed by Gavin Plumley with Mark Laflin (organ), continue Priory’s best-selling series of hymns from the New English Hymnal. The accompanying notes provide comprehensive background by John Bawden along with the full texts of the hymns. These include such popular compositions as The Church’s one foundation, Once in royal David’s city, and Rock of ages, cleft for me. ‘This is a CD series easy to get addicted to’ - Netherlands Daily Newspaper.

THE COMPLETE NEW ENGLISH HYMNAL, VOL 9           PRIORY PRCD 709.

The fine Choir of The Abbey School in Tewkesbury, directed by Benjamin Nicholas with Carleton Etherington (organ), perform on the ninth of Priory’s series featuring hymns from the New English Hymnal. The hymns on this occasion include Father, we praise thee, Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!, Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!, While shepherds watched their flocks by night, Round me falls the night, A great and mighty wonder, O for a heart to praise my God and O worship the king. ‘This is a CD series easy to get addicted to’ - Netherlands Daily Newspaper.

THE COMPLETE NEW ENGLISH HYMNAL, VOL 11         PRIORY PRCD 711.

In this edition of the excellent Priory Records series, the Choir of Wakefield Cathedral is directed by Jonathan Bielby and the organist is Louise Marsh. The well-chosen hymns here include Soldiers of Christ, arise; Lift up your hearts; Children of the heavenly King; Holy Father, cheer our way; The Maker of the sun and moon; Rejoice, O land in God thy might; O King most high of earth and sky; At the Cross her station keeping; Forgive our sins as we forgive; A heavenly splendour from on high; We love the place, O God; Let us, with a gladsome mind; and Give rest, O Christ. These are fine performances of richly expressive music.

THE COMPLETE NEW ENGLISH HYMNAL, VOL 12          PRIORY PRCD 712

In this issue of an exemplary series, The Choir of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral is directed by James Thomas, with Michael Bawtree (organ). They give sensitive performances of more fine music to be found in The New English hymnal, and the 22 here tracks include Judge eternal, throned in splendour, O come, O come, Emmanuel!, Hark! the herald angels sing, Jerusalem, thou City blest, Songs of thankfulness and praise, Love's redeeming work is done, Christ the Lord is risen again!, For all the Saints, Thee we adore, O hidden Saviour, thee, Jesus, good above all other, and We have a gospel to proclaim.

JOHN STAINER - THE CRUCIFIXION         NAXOS 8.557624

Sir John Stainer (1840–1901) was organist of St Paul’s Cathedral and professor of music at Oxford. He was also a prolific composer, scoring several oratorios, various settings for church services, many anthems and over 150 hymn tunes. During Stainer’s life, his music was performed extensively throughout the Anglican communion and beyond but since his death he has largely been rembered for one work - the ever-popular Crucifixion. In 1887 the composer conceived the idea of writing music for Passion Week that was within the reach of village choirs. The librettist, W.J. Sparrow-Simpson (1859-1952), was the son of a colleague at St Paul’s, and the first performance was at St Marylebone Parish Church in London. The Crucifixion was well received and has outlived almost all church choir music of its period, becoming a great popular favourite despite the harsh judgements by some critics and historians. The qualities that have endeared it to many generations are those that Stainer had consciously cultivated as a happy medium between contrapuntal elaboration and melodramatic tone-painting. Stainer’s deeply felt Meditation can still have a telling effect in the context for which it was designed, a parish celebration of Christ’s Passion. On this recording, Timothy Brown conducts the Clare College Choir, Cambridge, with solists James Gilchrist (tenor) and Simon Bailey (bass). The organist is Stephen Farr.

MENDELSSOHN - ELIJAH       DIVINE ART ‘HISTORIC SOUND’ 27802

Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg in 1809 and began learning piano at an early age, giving his first recital at nine and beginning to compose at ten. By the time he was fifteen he had written several string symphonies, piano pieces and songs, as well as an opera. He first performed his most famous oratorio, Elijah, in 1846 at the Birmingham Music Festival. This double CD features the first complete recording of that choral masterwork, made in London in 1930 for the Columbia label. It features Stanford Robinson conducting the BBC National Chorus and Orchestra, and the top class soloists include soprano Isobel Baillie, tenor Parry Jones, Australian-born baritone Harold Williams (singing the title role) and alto Clara Serena. Also featured are organist Berkeley Mason and The Wireless Singers, an ensemble that would later evolve into the BBC Singers. Although seventy-five years old, these mono recordings have been digitally remastered to reveal a thrilling performance of this great dramatic work. The release is one of the first three in Divine Art’s promising ‘Historic Sound’ series. The others so far issued are historic recordings of orchestral works by Sibelius (The LSO with Robert Kajanus, Catalogue Number 27801) and three Beethoven piano trios, played by Trio Santoliquido (Catalogue Number 27803).

HAYDN - THE CREATION     NAXOS 6.11073-74

Franz Joseph Haydn was one of two musical brothers born in 1732 in a wheelwright’s cottage in lower Austria. His long life and irreistible music were deeply influenced by the simple religious feelings and melodic folk music of the Croatian peasants who had been settled in the region for many years. Haydn went on to become ‘The Father of the Symphony’ and a pioneer of the string quartet. He was in his old age when he composed The Creation, an ambitious and poetic oratorio depicting the seven days of creation as retold in the Bible. It received its first performance to great acclaim in Vienna in 1798. For this double disc release Andreas Spering conducts the Cologne Vocal Ensemble (with Max Ciolek, choirmaster) and Capella Augustina in a performance sung in German and played on period instruments. The accomplished soloists are Jan Kobow (tenor), Hanno Muller-Brachmann (bass-baritone) and Christine Wehler (alto). The SACD format features excellent 5.1 multichannel surround sound and is compatible with standard stereo CD players.

J. S. BACH - PASSIONS               DHM 82876 67402 2

Bach’s St Matthew Passion is an oratorio with recitatives, solo arias, and chorales - its text based on the account of the passion and death of Jesus in the Gospel of St Matthew. Interspersed with the gospel text are chorales and meditative poems. The work was performed only four times in the composer’s lifetime, and was not performed again until revived by Mendelssohn in the nineteenth century. St. John is Bach’s earliest surviving Passion as well as his earliest known large-scale sacred work. It is less operatic overall structure and Bach uses a less elaborate chorus than the magnificent St Matthew. Just in time for Easter, these fine recordings of both Bach passions are re-released in a five-CD box set at a budget price. The excellent baroque ensemble La Petite Bande performs the St Matthew Passion under their founder, Belgian-born early music expert Gustav Leonhardt, and the St John Passion under Sigiswald Kuijken. Featured soloists include German tenor Christoph Pregardien, also Rene Jacobs, basses Harry van der Kamp and Max van Egmont and soprano Barbara Schlick. The box also includes comprehensive booklets in three languages with more than 200 pages.

ENGLISH CHORAL MUSIC OF THE 20TH CENTURY       NAXOS  8.501007

This splendid box set (ten CDs for the price of eight) features a wonderfully varied range of music by Lennox Berkeley, Benjamin Britten, Edward Elgar, Gerald Finzi, Herbert Howells, Kenneth Leighton, Edmund Rubbra, Charles Villiers Stanford, John Tavener and William Walton. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, and its acclaimed Director of Music, Christopher Robinson, give outstanding performances, especially on the Elgar disc and in compositions by Britten (Rejoice in the Lamb, A Hymn of St Columba and the Hymn to St Cecilia), Gerald Finzi and the underrated Rubbra (including his Nine Tenebrae Motets). Walton’s adventurous (and brief) Missa Brevis, written in 1966 for Coventry Cathedral, is sung with great elegance and the choir’s diction is exemplary throughout. These discs feature some of the finest Anglican Church music from the last hundred years, immaculately performed by a choir and conductor at their best.

BACH - MASS IN B MINOR       HYPERION CDD22051

This gorgeous work is considered by many to be the most perfect musical composition of all time. Bach’s deep spiritual conviction was the impulse behind all his sacred works, and his genius was to perfectly combine music and theology. Although the Mass in B Minor has long been an established part of the choral repertoire it remains a surprisingly enigmatic work - a complete Roman Catholic Mass composed by a Lutheran Protestant. Bach completed the Mass near the end of his life, between 1745 and 1750, when he was also composing such monumental works as The Musical Offering and The Art of the Fugue. Several movements of the Mass were adapted from earlier compositions and others newly composed to create music on a truly grand scale. On this 1996 recording the Tölzer Knabenchor, Choir of The King's Consort and The King’s Consort, directed by Robert King, perform with warmth and vitality, eliciting the marvellous intricacies of this challenging and profound music. the solists are Manuel Mrasek and Matthias Ritter (boy sopranos), Maximilian Fraas an Matthias Schloderer (boy altos), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) and Michael George (bass).

IVAN MOODY - THE AKATHISTOS HYMN       GOTHIC  G 49210-2

London-born composer Ivan Moody studied composition at London University and privately with Sir John Tavener. His music is deeply influenced by the beauty of Eastern liturgical chant and has the spirituality of the Orthodox Church, to which he belongs. Major works include Canticum Canticorum I, Prayer for the Forests, and his oratorio Passion and Resurrection. Ancient Byzantine melodies and a sixth-century poetic meditation form the basis of the Akáthistos Hymn, this contemporary English-language choral setting of Orthodox liturgical music. The name Akáthistos refers to a performance of the hymn, giving thanks for Mary’s divine intervention for the raising of the siege of Constantinople. The work is performed here by the excellent Cappella Romana, a vocal chamber ensemble dedicated to exploring the musical traditions of the Christian West and East, with an emphasis on early and contemporary music. The ensemble has taken a leading role in bringing the works of European composers such as Arvo Pärt and John Tavener to US audiences, as well as promoting the work of North Americans. The soloist is the bass-baritone John Vergin. This world-premiere recording will appeal to listeners interested in chant and early music, as well as to choral music aficionados and those interested in English-language settings of Orthodox liturgies. ‘Early religious music of purity and radiance in perfect realisations’- Gramophone Magazine.

MARTIN PEERSON - LATIN MOTETS         HYPERION CDA67490

The English organist and composer Martin Peerson was born near Ely in about 1572 and became a choirboy at St Paul’s Cathedral in the 1580s. After studying at Oxford he became Master of the Boys of Canterbury Cathedral in 1613 and was later organist and choirmaster at St Paul’s as well as sacrist at Westminster Abbey. His compositions include secular songs for one or two voices and viols and virginals, as well as keyboard pieces and other works for voice and instruments with continuo. His fifteen surviving pre-Reformation Latin motets, written in an attractively simple style, are sung here (for the first in three hundred years) by the excellent Ex Cathedra Consort, which specialises in Early Music. The twelve-voice ‘soloistic’ choir, directed by Jeffrey Skidmore, has been acclaimed for its performances of a wide range of choral music from the fifteenth to twenty-first centuries, and also regularly commissions new works. The music on this beautifully produced album includes Deus omnipotens (Prima pars); Redemptor mundi (Secunda pars); Pater fili paraclete; Levavi oculos meos (Prima pars); Ecce non dormitabit (Secunda pars); Mulieres sedentes (Prima pars); Christus factus est (Secunda pars); Hora nona (Prima pars); Latus eius (Secunda pars); O rex gloriae; Quid vobis videtur; O domine Jesus Christe; Laboravi in gemitu meo; Nolite fieri sicut equus (Prima pars); Multa flagella peccatoris (Secunda pars).

BERLIOZ - REQUIEM         TELARC  SACD-60627

Hector Berlioz considered the Requiem to be his most important composition. The massive work was written for a large chorus and orchestra, plus four added brass ensembles, and was first performed in Paris’s Church of St. Louis des Invalides in 1837. On that occasion the poet Alfred de Vigny described the work as ‘strange and beautiful, wild, convulsive and painful’. This exhilarating and awe-inspiring Requiem has been recorded many times but this highly recommendeded SACD by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Robert Spano, sets new standards for both recording and performance. The orchestra has won an impressive eighteen Grammy Awards in recent years and the 200-member, all-volunteer Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus has been a vital part of the Orchestra’s programming since it was founded in 1970. Also featured here is the acclaimed New York-born tenor Frank Lopardo. ‘…the sense of acoustic spaciousness and the warm clarity created by Telarc’s engineers are truly to be marveled at’ BarnesandNoble.com.

THOMAS TALLIS - MAGNIFICAT                 LINN CKD 233

Tallis was one of the finest English composers of the first Elizabethan era. His spectacular motet in forty parts, Spem in alium nunquam habui, was commissioned in 1571 by Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, and Henry Fitzalan, Duke of Arundel, who owned a country house with an octagonal banquetting hall which could accomodate eight choirs, each of five voices, spread around its perimeter. In this breathtaking piece of music, the voices enter one by one and lead to a sudden, stunning entry for all eight choirs; the choirs then exchange phrases back and forth and end with a majestic 40-voice chord. On this superbly engineered SACD, the Magnificat ensemble, directed here by its founder and conductor, Philip Cave, give an inspired performance of the Spem in Alium as well as eight other Tallis masterpieces. These include a beautiful setting of the prayer Salvator mundi and a Mass for four voices. The choir was formed in 1991,  taking its name from Mary’s canticle in St. Luke’s Gospel, the Magnificat: My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

MONTEVERDI - THE SACRED MUSIC, VOL. 3       HYPERION SACDA67487

Claudio Monteverdi was born at Cremona in 1567 and became one of the most inventive and influential composers of his period. Best known today for his operas, including Orpheus and his masterpiece, The Coronation of Poppaea, he also wrote a good deal of sacred music. For the last thirty years of his life (he died in 1643) he was the director of music at St Mark’s, Venice. It was there that he wrote his wonderful Gloria in excelsis Deo for seven voices as part of a ceremonial Mass to mark the end of the devastating 1630 plague outbreak in that city. The Gloria forms an exhilarating climax to this third volume of Monteverdi’s sacred music, performed by Robert King, The King’s Consort and the Choir of The King’s Consort, with soloists Carolyn Sampson, Rebecca Outram, Daniel Auchincloss, Rogers Covey-Crump, Charles Daniels, James Gilchrist, Peter Harvey and Robert Evans. Among the other pieces included are an exuberant second setting of the Dixit Dominus as well as nine motets and Psalms, including a transcendental recording of the Christe, adoramus te. MONTEVERDI SACRED MUSIC, VOL.  1 (Hyperion CDA67428) features an stunning performance of the Messa à 4 da Cappella as well as Dixit [Dominus] Primo, Confitebor Primo, Beatus vir, Laudate pueri Primo, Laudate Dominum omnes gentes, Christe redemptor omnium and Magnificat Primo. SACRED MUSIC, VOL. 2 (Hyperion CDA67438) includes the Messa à 4 voci da Cappella as well as 8 other inspirational Monteverdi works.‘This series is surely set to be the definitive representation of Monteverdi on disc’- BBC Music Magazine.

HOMILIUS - MOTETS             CARUS 83.210

Gottfried August Homilius was the greatest cantor of Dresden’s Kreuzchor, and for a time was a student of Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed music for the church and was described in 1790 as ‘one of the greatest and worthiest organists alive’. His greatest work is perhaps his St Matthew Passion, which is similar in style to Bach’s large vocal works. On these world premiere recordings, a selection of motets by Homilius can be heard and should contribute towards making the music public more aware of the works of this unjustly overlooked composer. Homilius’s style combines the expansive Thuringian-Saxon motet with the shorter, liturgical introit motet and with the sensitive cantabile style of his time. The motets based on biblical passages fall into two groups: those with and those without a basic chorale (hymn). This excellent recording by Frieder Bernius and the Kammerchor Stuttgart includes an almost equal number of motets from both groups. The chorale motets show a broad compositional array of techniques with their variety of ways to treating chorales. The more homophonic motets are characterized by interesting harmonic turns and by the tense building-up of phrases and sections which are always closely related to the meaning of the text.. The translucent beauty of the music is complemented on this CD by fine singing and the brilliant recording quality.

ARVO PART - BERLINER MESSE         NAXOS 6.110052 (SACD)

Arvo Pärt was born in Estonia in 1935. His earliest works were in neo-classical style but by the 1960s he had changed to serial composition mode of composition, bringing him a certain notoriety. By 1976 he had developed a tonal technique he called ‘tintinnabuli’, influenced by Russian neo-classicism, Western modernism, Schoenbergian dedecaphony, minimalism, polytonality and Gregorian chant. His method, placing emphasis on individual notes and making extensive use of silence, can be heard in his modern classics such as Tabula Rasa, Fratres and Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, and St John Passion (Naxos 8.555860). This latest recording features Pärt’s Berliner Messe, originally scored for four solo voices and organ. It was subsequently arranged for choir and organ or, as on this recording by the Elora Festival Singers and Orchestra, for choir and strings. The other works on this SACD are the chant-like harmonizations of Cantate Domino (a setting of Psalm 95 for four-part chorus and organ, played here by Jurgen Petrenko), De Profundis (a Psalm setting  for male chorus, organ and percussion), Summa (for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists or choir), The Beatitudes (Pärt’s first work to a English text) and the profoundly spiritual Magnificat.

VERDI - REQUIEM       TELARC CD-80152

The late Robert Shaw, sometimes called ‘the Dean of American choral conductors’, died in 1999 having produced many fine recordings, eleven of which earned Grammy Awards. He became Music Director Emeritus and Conductor Laureate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1988, having served as Music Director for 21 years. He built the Atlanta Symphony into a major American orchestra, gathering world-wide acclaim, and with this recording took on one of the greatest challenges in the repertoire: Verdi’s Requiem. Combining a succession of thrilling solo arias, duets and ensembles with inspired writing for chorus, the Italian master produced a unique tribute to the memory of one whom he regarded as a virtual saint: the poet and novelist Alexander Manzoni. Robert Shaw, together with the Atlanta Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, succeed in balancing the devotional and the theatrical with great subtlety, taking care to involve the listener in this continually unfolding drama.  The album offers superb value (two discs for the price of one) by also including interpretations of some of the best-known choruses from five of Verdi's major works: Macbeth, Don Carlo, Otello, Aida and Nabucco (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves). ‘This choral work is thrilling...this performance beats every other studio recording of the work hands down’ - High Fidelity.

JOHN TAVENER - A PORTRAIT         NAXOS  8.558152-53

This two-disc set celebrates the 60th birthday of one of Britain's most famous living contemporary composers with a chronological survey of his work to date. The profound spirituality of John Tavener’s music has largely been inspired by his Greek Othodox faith, as demonstrated here in an excerpt from his most famous composition, The Protecting Veil. Among the other works are Song for Athene, played at the funeral of the Princess of Wales, and part of Mary of Egypt (sung by the wonderful soprano, Patricia Rozario). The 'Portrait' also features a world premiere recording of Prayer Of The Heart, a simple yet immensely moving piece written for and sung by the Icelandic pop singer Bjork with the Brodsky Quartet. ‘I'd heard her voice...it was quite a raw, primordial sound, and I was very attracted to this sound...I thought the way she sang it was quite wonderful, and it couldn't possibly be sung by anybody but her’ - John Tavener. This bargain-priced set also includes a 45-minute interview with the composer and a long, informative essay that describes his journey of musical self-discovery.

BESIDE THE WATERS OF COMFORT           PRIORY PRCD 808

When the early Christian Church adopted the Old testament it inherited the Psalms - 150 Hebrew religious poems which were sung in the temple worship at Jerusalem. The Book of Common prayer calls them ‘The Psalms of David’ and they are essentially prayer. On this recording The Priory Singers of Belfast, directed by Harry Grindle, here perform 19 of ‘The Glorious Psalms of David’ with music that embraces chants familiar and unfamiliar, including much-loved chants by E J Hopkins, Sir Joseph Barnby, ‘Trent’, James Turle, John Davy and Percy Whitlock. We are brought up to date with John Bertalot and Donald Davison, the organist on this disc, and eleven of the chants are by Dr Grindle. The one for Psalm 67 was written for a Harvest Festival Evensong at Kilbride Parish Church and those for Psalms 75 and 76 were written for Evensong at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.

THE NAXOS BOOK OF CAROLS - TONUS PEREGRINUS         NAXOS  8.557330

For this inspiring new album, the composer Antony Pitts has made arrangements that refresh the tunes of well-known carols and puts them into four narrative sequences to tell the complete Christmas story. The carols, one chosen for each day in Advent, range from some of our most famous tunes to less familiar mediaeval items, as well as  brand new music that includes a delightful setting of ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ by John Pitts. Naxos and Faber Music have made the sheet music for these new carols available for download through a special website (www.naxoscarols.com) and the scores of all 24 carols will be available in printed form from Faber Music. The excellent Tonus Peregrinus ensemble was founded by Antony Pitts while studying at New College, Oxford, and the group had a huge success with its début disc of Arvo Pärt's ‘Passio’, followed by recordings of early choral settings of the Mass and the Passion (Naxos 8.555861). ’...fine and practical versions of old favourites, reminders of a rich and forgotten heritage, and the brand new: a living and developing repertoire’ - Simon Halsey.

BERKELEY - SACRED CHORAL MUSIC             NAXOS  8.557277

Lennox Berkeley’s motet Crux Fidelis for tenor solo and unaccompanied choir was first performed in 1955 by Peter Pears with the Purcell Singers, and this Good Friday hymn was inspired by his personal faith and membership of the Roman Catholic Church. Performed here by the Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge, directed by Christopher Robinson, it appears as the first track of an album entirely made up of some of Berkeley’s finest sacred choral works. Other pieces include the Missa brevis (with its intense Agnus Dei), the  the exultant Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, Three Latin Motets (scored for five-part voices), The Lord is my shepherd (a masterly setting of Psalm 23), the richly sonorous Mass for five voices, a tender Look up, sweet babe, and the brilliant Festival Anthem and Toccata (the last of his Three Pieces for organ). The album is a fitting tribute to the composer’s Centenary and to the distinguished Christopher Robinson’s retirement. The virtuoso organist is Jonathan Vaughan.

MOZART - REQUIEM             LINN  CKD 211

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem in D minor is played on this new recording by the outstanding Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, with soloists Susan Gritton (soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (contralto), Timothy Robinson (tenor) and Peter Rose (bass). The requiem was Mozart's last, unfinished work, best known in the version by his pupil Franz Xaver Süssmayr. The version performed on this CD, completed by Robert D. Levin, seeks to address the problems of instrumentation, grammar and structure within the Süssmayr version while respecting the work’s 200-year-old history. The new version honours Mozart's spirit while allowing the listener to experience the composer’s magnificent music in the framework of its historical tradition.

PUCCINI - MESSA DI GLORIA        K & K ISBN 3-930643-75-8.

In this atmospheric concert recording from the convent church in Maulbronn in 2001, Giacomo Puccini’s Messa di Gloria is performed by Willi Stein (tenor), Thomas Pfeiffer (baritone), Kantorei Maulbronn, and members of the SWR Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden & Freiburg, ably conducted by Juergen Budday. This sumptuous CD also includes a recording of Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio fragment, Christus.

THE CHORAL MUSIC OF HERBERT BREWER- LAUDATE      PRIORY PRCD 797

Anyone who likes the choral music of Edward Elgar will find much to enjoy on this recording of stirring music by Sir Herbert Brewer (1865-1928). The composer was a friend of Elgar as well as organist at Gloucester Cathedral from 1897, a position which entailed conductorship of the Three Choirs Festival. The works here include Let the People Praise Thee, As the Hart Pants, Blessing Glory, Wisdom and Thanks, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B flat, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in C, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in C, O Death where is thy sting, God is our Hope and Strength, Prevent us O Lord, O Lord God, A Solemn Prayer, God within, Bow down thy ear, O Lord. Laudate is a fine young mixed choir, directed by Howard Ionascu. The organist is Joseph Nolan.

JOHN RUTTER - REQUIEM         NAXOS 8.557130

John Rutter’s Requiem (1985) was composed in memory of his father, who had died the previous year, and the music exudes an aura of consolation, drawing inspiration from Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem (1888). Rutter envisaged a contemporary Requiem Mass unlike the vast, dark orchestrations and dramatic rhythms of those by Berlioz, Verdi or Britten. His Requiem was conceived concurrently in its orchestral version and chamber arrangement, heard in this première recording performed by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, and members of the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Timothy Brown. The impressive CD also includes two organ pieces (played by Nicholas Rimmer) as well as four other pieces of sacred music by John Rutter.

TEXEIRA: TE DEUM - THE SIXTEEN       CORO COR16009

The little-known composer António Teixeira's remarkably grand setting of the Te Deum was written for a New Year's Eve performance in 1734 in the Italian Church of his home city, Lisbon. Requiring eight soloists, five spaced choirs and a large orchestra, the lavish and ornate piece is filled with vivacity and charm, giving a rare insight into Portuguese musical life in Lisbon before the earthquake of 1755. This exhilarating recording by The Sixteen and The Symphony of Harmony and Invention is conducted by Harry Christophers. The featured soloists are Lynda Russell, Gillian Fisher, Catherine Denley, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, William Kendall, Andrew Murgatroyd, Michael George and Peter Harvey. ‘A real eye-opener that demands to be heard.’ - Gramophone.

RHEINBERGER - CHRISTUS FACTUS EST               CARUS 83.158

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger's sacred vocal music is becoming much better known but until now there have been no recordings available of some of his important church music works. This CD includes two frequently performed masses: the Missa St. Crucis  and the Mass for women's choir (in a version with organ accompaniment). There are also several interesting motets by Rheinberger, including the Nine Advent Motets, the six-voice Meditabor and Christus factus est (another a world premiere). The excellent Vocalensemble Rastatt is directed by Holger Speck, and gives outstanding performances of some of Rheinberger's best-known and loved compositions.

ARVO PART - PASSIO           NAXOS  8.555860

Estonian-born German composer Arvo Pärt’s Passio - or Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem to give it its full title - was  first performed in 1982 and uses for its text the Passion story told in the Gospel of St. John. Whereas Bach, for example, might take the Passion story and have the choir interpolate interpretations of the various passages Pärt uses only the pure Gospel story. This is more like the Renaissance model of having a solo quartet in the role of the Evangelist, rather than a single soloist. This composer is often at his best when working on a larger scale and this recording by the ensemble Tonus Peregrinus and Antony Pitts captures a thrilling performance of a modern masterpiece.

BACH - ST MATTHEW PASSION                 DUTTON  2CDAX2005

This 3-CD box set contains excellently remastered recording of Bach’s sublime masterpiece, dating originally from 1947/8 and featuring soloists Kathleen Ferrier, Elsie Suddaby and Eric Greene, with the Bach Choir and the Jacques Orchestra conducted by Reginald Jaques. Ferrier’s magnificent voice makes Have mercy Lord unforgettable and she’s complemented by the pure tones of soprano Elsie Suddaby and the Eric Greene giving the Evangelist’s music a peculiarly piercing tone entirely appropriate to the story. The third disc also includes a fine performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater again featuring Kathleen Ferrier, this time with Joan Taylor, Roy Henderson, the Nottingham Oriana Choir and the Boyd Neel Orchestra conducted by Roy Henderson.

NATIVITE - MUSICA INTIMA         CBC MVCD 1154.

This welcome Christmas CD features festive seasonal music performed in unique style by the Vancouver - based Musica Intima. One of the things that makes this group different is that it has no conductor. Instead, the twelve singers have developed a working relationship that enables them to take direction from one another, each member contributing creatively to produces a highly expressive result. This beautiful CD includes music ranging from Franz Bieble’s Ave Maria to Hugo Distler’s Es ist ein Rose entsprungen and Steven Chatman’s O come, O come Emmanuel, as well as some brilliant arrangements by members of Musica Intima. Perfect listening for the approaching festive season.

TELEMANN - ‘JAUCHZE, JUBILIER UND SINGE’         BERLIN CLASSICS  0183512BC.

‘Exult, rejoice and sing’. This oratorio from Kapitansmusik (‘captain’s music’) has nothing nautical about it, having been written for an annual gala of the Hamburg Militia. This festal baroque music was not composed for feudal pomp and show but to be enjoyed by free citizens. A loose sequence of biblical texts was freely adapted to fit the secular civic occasion. On this recording the Choir and Orchestra of Leipzig Radio under Wolf-Dieter Hauschild give a fine performance, with leading soloists personifying the figures of Joy, Truth, Gratitude and Sadness. Singers include Ursula Reinhardt-Kiss, Rosemarie Lang, Eberhard Buchner, Siegfried Lorenz and Herman Christian Polster.

GEORGE LLOYD - REQUIEM AND PSALM 130           ALBANY TROY 450.

On this expressive and beautifully crafted CD the Exon Singers, conducted by Matthew Owens, perform George Lloyd’s moving Requiem and Psalm 130. George Lloyd's music possesses great optimism and depth of character, stemming from the powerful experiences in his life and his generous spirit, expressing a wide emotional appeal while being spontaneous, exuberant and inspired. The soloists on this recording are Stephen Wallace (counter-tenor) and Jeffrey Makinson (organ).

SERMON ON THE MOUNT - CARL RUTTI         GUILD GMCD 7238.

Full of rhythm and harmonic invention, Carl Rütti’s Three Carols have been recorded complete for the first time on this inspired CD. There are also première recordings of various other motets and carols, mostly written during the past six years and culminating in the dramatic cantata, Sermon on the Mount, with its vivid retelling of the famous story. In addition to the choral pieces, there are three elegant organ solos including a movement from Carl Rütti’s suite based on a theme from the Luzern (Lucerne?) Organ book. The Norwich-based choir Escorial are joined on this recording by the composer, expressively playing the organ of Norwich Cathedral.

PSALMS & PROPHETS - ALICIA SOLOMON         EROICA JDT 3090.

American soprano Alicia Solomon’s wide experience includes opera, oratorio and musical theater, as well as extensive sacred work, spanning three continents and over thirty years. Her pure, warm voice is heard to great effect on this inspiring collection of songs, which include the 23rd Psalm, Come to the Water, Wait on the Lord, Laudate Dominum and Rest in the Lord. Accompaniment is from her own keyboard as well as by David Ziems (guitars, banjo, mandolin), Donese Mayfield (keyboards) and Giselle Vivian (viola).

MOZART - VESPERAE ET LITANIA           CARUS 83.401.

The Vesperae et Litania occupy a unique position between Mozart’s settings of the Mass and his single- movement ‘shorter church works’. The substantial, multi-movement litanies and psalm cycles were written while he was still at Saltzburg and their composition undoubtedly allowed him greater musical freedom than his settings of the mass. In this exemplary recording, the Estonian Philharmonic Choir is directed by its artistic director and principal conductor, Tonu Kaljuste.

VIVALDI - SALMI A DUE CORI         CARUS 83.404.

The special importance of psalm settings within the church music of Antonio Vivaldi is explained by the dominant position of psalms in the Vespers liturgy and by the important role which Vespers played in the sphere of church music. ‘In due cori’ indicates a composition for two ensembles, each with its own set of soloists, choir and orchestra. The performers on this outstanding recording are the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Talinn Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tonu Kaljuste.

BUXTEHUDE - KANTATEN         CARUS 83.134.

As the composer of much ‘Abendmusik’ (evening music), many cantatas, arias for weddings, and liturgical numbers, Dietrich Buxtehude had a large output of vocal music. Only 112 cantatas, 2 liturgical pieces and 8 wedding arias have been preserved, however, but these show that he was an individualistic personality in the history of music, linking Schutz with Bach. The cantata ‘Alles, was ihr tut’, performed on this CD, is one of his best known works. Gunter Graulich conducts the excellent Ensemble ‘76 Stuttgart and soloists include Barbara Ullrich (soprano), Bruce Abel (baritone) and Oly Pfaff (tenor).

CHRISTMAS A CAPPELLA - MUSICA SACRA        ATOLL RECORDS, NZ ACD 501.

Saint Martin, who became Bishop of Tours in 371 A.D., was chiefly remembered for his act of charity in cutting his cloak in half to clothe an almost naked beggar whom he found shivering in a severe frost at Amiens. Later on, the Saint's cloak (Latin: cappa or diminutive cappella) was preserved in a sanctuary which became the first church building to bear the name 'Cappella' or Chapel. Eventually the term came to be used to refer to church musicians, and hence the term a cappella has come to mean music 'in the church style'. It is in this tradition that Musica Sacra, admirably conducted by the Indra Hughes, perform this programme of unaccompanied choral music for Christmas. Well-known traditional favourites are joined by familiar tunes in new arrangements and some never-before recorded pieces.

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - CHOIR OF ORMOND COLLEGE         MOVE MD3269.

The splendid Choir Of Ormond College sings favourite carols from around the world together with newer works, accompanied by the fine Australian pianist, Stephen McIntyre or organist Rhys Boak playing the impressive Rieger organ in the Scots' Church, Melbourne. The 24 featured carols come from England, Ireland, Wales, Germany, Austria, France, Russia and Australia. They include the title track as well as Silent Night, In the Bleak Midwinter, A Child this Day is Born, Deck the Hall, In dulci jubilo, Wexford Carol (Irish trad.) and Herbert Howell's Tryste Noel. Altogether, an ideal gift for Christmas. ‘Yuletide rarities ... gloriously performed ... exquisitely evocative ... faultlessly executed ...’ Sunday Herald Sun.

TAVENER - LAMENTATIONS AND PRAISES             TELDEC 0927-41342-2.

Set to texts from the Greek and Russian Orthodox Easter service sung in English interspersed with ancient Greek words, John Tavener’s Lamentations and Praises is scored for male voices and an odd combination of strings, winds and extra-large percussion instruments, including a Byzantine monastery bell, a Tibetan temple bowl, a tam-tam and a simantron (a wooden board struck with a hammer). The music, in Tavener's characteristic medieval, monastic, Byzantine style, is devout, contemplative and very slow with endlessly sustained notes and chords, and based on structurally determined repetition. The performance on this superb recording by Chanticleer is wonderful, the voices floating with a transparent, pure, otherworldly sound.

CHRISTMAS WITH CHANTICLEER               TELDEC 8573-85555-2.

The formidable Chanticleer, joined by the delectable soprano Dawn Upshaw, perform an enchanting selection of Christmas carols from the Old World to the New. Outstanding tracks include A Christmas Round, A Lullaby/Away in a Manger, The Three Kings, Spanish Carol, Coventry carol, Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, Huron Carol and Stille Nacht. The musical director is Joseph Jennings.

MOZART - REQUIEM           CHANNEL CLASICS CCS 18198.

Jos van Veldhoven conducts the excellent choir and orchestra of The Netherlands Bach Society in this eloquent and moving performance of Mozart’s Requiem, which remained unfinished at the composer’s death. The soloists on this exemplary recording are Marie-Noëlle de Callataÿ (soprano), Annette Markert (alto), Robert Getchell (tenor) and Peter Harvey (bass).

MOZART - REQUIEM           VANGUARD CLASSICS SVC-141.

Mozart’s moving Requiem is wonderfully performed on this recording by the Amor Artis Chorale, with the assured English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Johannes Somary. The exceptional soloists are Carole Bogard (soprano), Ann Murray (mezzo-soprano), Richard Lewis (tenor) and Michael Rippon (bass). ‘Conviction and enthusiasm from singers and orchestra alike. The soloists are all top caliber’ - American Record Guide.

MARIO DAVIDOVSKY - THREE CYCLES ON BIBLICAL TEXTS        BRIDGE 9112

This disc contains premiere recordings of three expressive settings of Biblical texts by the Pulitzer Prize winning composer Mario Davidovsky . These are Shulamit's Dream (described as a ‘mini opera’ by the composer), Scenes from Shir ha-Shirim (set in Hebrew and evoking early Middle Eastern music) and Biblical Songs (the most intimate of the threecycles). Soprano Susan Narucki is the fine soloist with the Riverside Symphony, conducted by George Rothman.

BEETHOVEN - MISSA SOLEMNIS         OMEGA CLASSICS OCD 1033.

The excellent Chorus and Orchestra of the Vienna Festival, conducted by Josef Krips, give an intense and impressive performance of Beethoven’s magnificent Missa Solemnis. The outstanding soloists on this CD are Uta Graf (soprano), Grace Hoffman (contralto), Helmut Kretschmar (tenor) and Erich Wenk (bass).

KYRIE: CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR REFLECTION AND MEDITATION   NAXOS 8.556707.

The Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy), which follows the Introit of the Mass, is a rare survival of the Greek rite in the Latin liturgy. On this inspirational CD the words are set to intense and lyrical music in 14 pieces by 11 composers, including Gabriel Faure, Haydn, J. S. Bach, J. C. Bach, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Orlando de Lassus, Jean-Nicolas Geoffroy and Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

GOUNOD/ROSSINI - MISSA SOLEMNIS/STABAT MATER   K & K ISBN 3-930643-63-4.

Charles Gounod’s first passion was for clerical music and his Messe solonelle de Sain-Cecile is one of his most beautiful works, filled with marvellous melodies. Gioacchino Rossini turned to religious music later in life and his Tabat Mater is almost opera-like with its sweeping melodies and drifting rhythms. Both pieces are wonderfully performed in this concert recording in which the glorious Maulbronn Choir, conducted by Juergen Budday, is joined by soloists Svetlana Strezeva (soprano), Jolanta Michalska-Taliaferro (mezzo soprano), Willi Stein (tenor), Nikita Storojev (bass) and members of the SWR-symphony-orchestra Baden-Baden & Freiburg.

BACH - ALTO ARIAS         LINN CKD 158.

Some of J. S. Bach’s most noble, beautiful and poignant arias are sung on this recording by the superb British alto Catherine King, accompanied by the fine Norwegian Baroque Orchestra, playing on period instruments. The collection includes Buss’ und Reu and Erbarme Dich from the St. Matthew Passion, Wo swei und drei versammlet sind and Zum reinen Wasser from the Eastertide cantatas and the Agnus Dei from the B Minor Mass. The singer’s warm tone and sensitive performances give this rapturous music a moving dignity and tenderness.

MAGNIFICAT - CHANTICLEER           TELDEC 8573-81829-2.

The award-winning a cappella male choir Chanticleer performs music written in praise of the Virgin Mary. The impressive ensemble brings eloquence the extraordinary emotional range to Gregorian Chant and music by composers such as William Cornysh, Claudio Monteverdi, Josquin Desprez, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Vasily Titóv (a singing clerk in the 17th-century Russian court) and Tomas Luis de Victoria (the brilliant ‘Regina caeli’). Uplifting and resplendent music. ‘Elegant’ - Time Magazine.

COLORS OF LOVE - CHANTICLEER             TELDEC 3984-24570-2.

Most of the compositions on Colors of Love are recent commissions by the Chanticleer ensemble and all are recorded here for the first time. Although some of the texts are old, even ancient, these modern compositions bring new sensibilities and insights to the subject of one of mankind’s most profound contemplations, love. The music is by Steven Stucky (Cradle Songs), John Tavener (Village Wedding), Bernard Rands, Zhou Long (Words of the Sun), Chen Yi, Augusta Read Thomas (The Rub of Love) and Steven Sametz (his extraordinary ‘in time of’).

VESPERS - RACHMANINOV        BERLIN CLASSICS 0017422BC.

This exultant rendition of Rachmaninov’s sacred Vespers reveals all the reverence, sensuality and beauty of the music. The excellent MDR Radio Choir is conducted by Howard Arman, and the soloists include the wonderful Polish contralto Klaudia Zeiner and the young Russian tenor Mikhail Agafonov. The fine lector is Lev Maidachevski. This is luscious yet deeply religious music.

HEINRICH SCHUTZ - SACRED WORK         BERLIN CLASSICS 0094492BC.

Born in Germany’s eastern Erzgebirge region in 1889, Rudolf Mauersberger became the 25th Kantor of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden and made it his life’s work to perform the entire surviving work of Heinrich Schutz. Martin Flamig, who succeeded Mauersberger as director of the splendid Dresden Kreuzchor, is also represented on this 10-CD collection with his interpretations of various Schutz works. These include the Psalmen Davids, the Cantiones sacrae, the Auferstehungshistorie (Resurrection Story), the Kleine geistliche, the Sacred Choral Music and the Passions.

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI           ARSIS CD 141.

This touching one act opera with music by David Conte and libretto by Nicholas Giardini is based on a short story by the American writer O. Henry. The excellent San Francisco Conservatory New Music Ensemble is conducted by Nicole Paiement and there is fine singing from the soloists: Aimee Puentes, Elena Bocharova, Tim Krol, Chad Runyon, Branden Smith, Aaron DiPiazza and Gary Sorenson. A most valuable addition to the repertoire.

TOURNEMIRE - L’ORGUE MYSTIQUE       PRIORY PRCD 669 AB.

Charles Tournemire was the organist at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris for more than 40 years until his death in 1939. He was also a fine composer, writing string quartets and operas as well as music for the organ. His monumental L’Orgue Mystique uses over 300 Gregorian chants adapted for Roman Catholic organists to play during Sunday masses and on other important feast days. The music shows Tournemire’s considerable imagination and understanding and is superbly performed on this two-CD set by Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet. The instruments are the organs of La Sainte Trinite, Paris, and La Baslique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre, Paris.

IN DULCI JUBILO            BERLIN CLASSICS 0094502BC.

This double CD features the muti-talented Ludwig Guttler as conductor, ensemble director and trumpeter extraordinaire in some of the loveliest and most moving Christmas pieces. They include works by J.S. Bach, Corelli, Michael Praetorius, Handel, William Brade (Paduane) and Vivaldi (Concerto in E).

LUCREZZIA VIZZANA - MUSICA SECRETA           LINN CKD 071.

Songs of ecstasy and devotion from a 17th century Italian convent are performed by Musica Secreta, with Catherine King. A glimpse beyond the convent wall through the motets of nun composer Lucrezia Vizzana. ‘Extraordinarily worldly, even sensual, settings, ravishingly declaimed’ - Classic FM Magazine.

CHRISTMAS AT ARMLEY           PRIORY PRCD 909.

Graham Barber plays a well chosen selection of organ music for Christmas on the Schulze Organ of St Bartholomew’s, Armley. The works include music by J S Bach (In dulci jubilo, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme), Flor Peeters (How lovely shines the morning star, The star proclaims the King is here), Max Reger (Weihnachten), Marcel Dupre (Lumen ad revelationem), Percy Whitlock (Carol: No. 1 of Four Extemporisations for Organ) and Jean Langlais (La Nativite).

CHRIST THE FAIR GLORY KOCH KIC CD 7441.

On this double CD collection the St Thomas Choir of Men & Boys of St Thomas Church of Fifth Avenue, New York City, sings music selected by The Reverend Andrew Craig Mead, the Rector of St Thomas. The organist and Master of Choristers is Gerre Hancock and the stirring hymns and psalms include Christ, the fair glory of the holy angels, In the bleak midwinter, Non nobis, Domine and De profundis.

JULIAN WACHNER - SACRED MUSIC          ARSIS CD 124.

The Boston Bach Ensemble, conducted by Julian Wachner, give sensitive performances of sacred music works. These include Alleluias, Intercessions and Remembrances, Three Songs of Isaiah (I. Surely it is God, II. Seek the Lord, III. Surge, Illuminare), At the Lighting of the Lamps (I. Inventor rutili, II. Ne nesciret homo, III. Vivax flamma viger), Arise, My Love, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, All Creatures of Our God and King.

MAGNIFICAT AND NUNC DIMITTIS         PRIORY PRCD 528.

The Bristol Cathedral Choir give a fine performance of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. Music by Francis Jackson, Kenneth Leighton and Herbert Howells, among others, surrrounds some of the oldest and most revered form of music in existence today - plainsong first performed by early Christians in Byzantium. The organist on this CD is Ian Ball and the choir is directed by Christopher Brayne.