Hyperion’s long series of St Paul’s recordings is graced by an addition dedicated to music for Epiphany, a companion disc to Advent at St Paul’s. In the Christian Church year, Epiphany is the period after Christmas commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the Magi, celebrated on 6 January.
The programme embraces music from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, from Bach to Bingham, and includes many long-established favourites by Wesley, Cornelius, Howells and others.
“This series is the richest treasure trove an Anglican musician or English choral buff could hope to find. Texts and notes are an Anglophile’s dream. Sound is stunningly rich and ringing” American Record Guide
“Fascinatingly diverse anthology … a tonal brightness and rhythmic vitality that sparkle with festive brilliance” BBC Music Magazine
“The eclectic and thoughtful repertoire mix make for compelling listening … warmly recommended” Classic FM Magazine
“The choral tone is pleasant, the soloists are well chosen, and the recorded balance keeps everything in perspective” Fanfare
“Luminous with a sense of goodness and well-being, brightest and best of choral records for the last many months … a distinguished record” Gramophone Magazine
“Hurrah for John Scott and St Paul’s, who with this wonderful CD remind all how glorious the Epiphany repertoire is … every piece is approached as if it were the finest thing ever written, and joy is taken in rendering the simple beautiful … let us rejoice at the richness of this programme” Organists Review
“This sequence, first released a decade ago, of 17 hymns and carols for Epiphany admirably avoids seasonal cliché (these aren’t Christmas carols, after all) and, more than that, offers an intermittent stiffening of sublime polyphonic music by Byrd and Marenzio...Holst’s eight-part Nunc dimittis is particularly invigorating.” Sunday Times, 18th December 2011
