Howells: Take him, earth, for cherishing

“Layton's performances have exactly the poise and careful moulding that this rather fragile, deeply felt music needs.” The Guardian, 29th March 2012 ***

“Hyperion's disc...is all more impressive for dispelling the clouds of dissonance that have given Howell the bad name of a meandering mystic and letting us hear what a fine ear he had...Had good it is to hear the St Paul Service not swallowed up by the dome that cathedral but still buttressed by a mighty Willis beast, belonging in this case to Lincoln...This is a perfect disc of its kind.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2012

“In a work intended to console, it's important that the actual sound the choir makes is warmly consoling. It certainly is in this new Trinity College recording of Howells's 1932 Requiem...It's fascinating to note, too, the difference undergraduate voices make in this music...The purity of vibrato-free voices is again a major plus-point at the opening of the Gloucester Service...A superb one-stop introduction to Howells's choral music.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 *****

“Trinity's recording allow[s] the music to be served but not overwhelmed by the choir's first-rate technical ability...The Gloucester service is relaxed and smoothly flowing, though I do wonder whether it's all just a little too coolly handled” International Record Review, June 2012

“a glorious celebration of Howells' sacred output...Gorgeously sung throughout, this is repertoire perfectly suited to Trinity Choir's pure, chorister-like sound. Their graceful, dignified reading of the Requiem, framed within the wonderful acoustic of Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel, is one to cherish.” Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 16th June 2012

“all performed with Tenebrae’s customary poise.” Financial Times, 15th October 2011 ****

“[Tenebrae's] account of Parry's Songs of Farewell abounds in subtleties of phrasing and telling distinctions of dynamic, yet flows beautifully, the textual narrative unfolding with a rare continuity and coherence. Technically the singing is impeccable without being at all effortful or studied...Huge credit to Nigel Short. Of this programme's type, I can't envisage hearing anything better.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 *****

“Short gives wonderful shape to the well-known 'My soul, there is a country' and extracts that essential longing from 'I know my soul hath power'...Most impressive, however, is the fluidity of the double-choir motet, 'Lord, let me know mine end', the textual clarity and emotional intensity of that fairly summarises the complexity of the composer's heterodoxy.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2011

“The tone quality achieved by Tenebrae is incredibly smooth and consistent. There isn't a hint of unevenness or unwanted peaks and troughs within individual voice parts. It's an extremely easy choir to listen to...there is a very quiet, still quality to the disc that, over the course of the whole programme, is quite soporific, relaxing and altogether ideal for a winter evening's listening.” International Record Review, February 2012

“Priory's recording engineers and Truro Cathedral seem to be made for each other. This is yet another example of the way in which the building's fine acoustics and its atmosphere can be captured on disc."” Organists Review

‘A moving and impressive addition to the a cappella repertoire’ (The Daily Telegraph)

"one of the most accomplished small choral groups of our time" Gramophone

“The St. Johns Choir has never sounded better, and the recorded sound is glorious: clear and clean, but with great warmth and a sense of space. The finely nuanced performances are impressively controlled. This disc is a must-have for connoisseurs of English cathedral music and a great introduction to Howells for the novice.” American Record Guide, May 2000

“Howells, probably more than any other composer, extended the cathedral repertoire in the 20th century. Here his music is performed by one of the best choirs. Under Christopher Robinson, St John's has preserved its distinctive character (the bright tone of its trebles a famous part of it) and, as this record demonstrates, has gained in vigour and clarity of purpose.
Immediately notable is the choice of relatively quick speeds. Howells sometimes appears to invite a relaxed style of performance which isn't to his advantage.
St John's tempo suits the acoustic. This applies to a similar comparison with the Choir of King's College in its more reverberant chapel, singing the Communion Service dedicated to it: the more opulent sound matches the broader tempo, St John's achieving (as in the Sanctus) clearer effects within a narrower spectrum. Their discs also have in common the Rhapsody No 3 for organ, and whereas the expansive performance at King's includes a murmurous pianissimo next-thing-tosilence, the quicker, more sharply defined one at St John's has a dramatic urgency.
The choice of programme is particularly happy, with one of the lesser-known Evening Services (the 'St Paul's') and one of the best known of Howells's anthems (Like as the hart).” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010