Recently named in Gramophone as the ‘fifth best choir in the world’, Stephen Layton and his acclaimed Trinity College Choir perform a stunning disc of American and Canadian a cappella choral works.
The recording is a showcase of little-known American composers unearthed by Layton during his travels. These distinctive and luminous compositions illustrate the context in which better-known composers such as Lauridsen and Whitacre—already championed by Layton—learnt their craft.
The choir is in perfect voice. Their purity of tone, flawless intonation and depth of feeling are truly exceptional. This wonderful disc is a must for all choral fanatics.
Clausen: Tonight Eternity Alone
Stucky: 3 New Motets, "In Memoriam Thomas Tallis" - #1 O Admirabile Commercium
Stucky: 3 New Motets, "In Memoriam Thomas Tallis" - #2 O Sacrum Convivium
Stucky: 3 New Motets, "In Memoriam Thomas Tallis" - #3 O Vos Omnes
Gjeilo: Sanctus
Ferko: Hildegard Triptych - #1 O Vis Aeternitatis
Ferko: Hildegard Triptych - #2 Caritas Abundat
Ferko: Hildegard Triptych - #3 O Virtus Sapientiae
Fissinger: Lux Aeterna
Willan: Fair In Face
Willan: I Beheld Her, Beautiful As A Dove
Willan: Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One
Willan: How They So Softly Rest
Paulus: The Day Is Done
Paulus: The 3 Hermits - Pilgrims' Hymn
Paulus: To Be Certain Of The Dawn - Hymn To The Eternal Flame
Hawley: 2 Motets - #1 Mosella
Hawley: 2 Motets - #2 Te Vigilans Oculis
Gjeilo: Phoenix
August 2011
“it is impossible to do anything else but listen once the opening track of this glorious album begins...I can say with certainty that it is an album that will repay repeated listening for years to come.”
****
“The singing is beautifully blended, the parts sensitively balanced, the absence of spurious vibrato a constant pleasure. Typically outstanding Hyperion sound caps this warmly recommendable issue.”
October 2011
“it shows a genre in which beauty of sound and an atmosphere of prayerfulness are the chief characteristics...For my money the cleverest writing here comes from Frank Ferko who, through recourse to rows of bare fifths, nicely hints at the archaic source of his chosen texts...Layton performs miracles in sustaining these long musical phrases...[and] elevates a disc of music which, in other hands, might come across as merely pleasant.”
September 2011
“'Luminous' aptly describes the singing of the Choir of Trinity College as a whole, not just that of the various soloists who contribute to this programme. The choir comprises about 40 members and one can hear how Layton, as with Polyphony, has developed it into an ensemble capable of responding with immediacy to the most infinitesimal suggestions. The choral sound is blended and coloured with superb precision.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Clausen: Tonight Eternity Alone
