Rutter: The Lord is my shepherd

No composer alive today more completely embodies the Anglo-Saxon choral tradition than John Rutter, whose compositions and arrangements have enjoyed endless success around the world.

These illuminating performances are licenced from John Rutter’s own Collegium label, taken from albums many of which have sold in six-figure numbers over the years. The performances can hardly be bettered, directed by John Rutter with his hand-picked choir, recorded in the iridescent acoustic of the Chapter House in Ely Cathedral.

John Rutter is probably the world's favourite choral composer, and over the course of his long career has created some of the most popular and often performed pieces for vocal ensemble.

All 22 tracks on this collection performed by The Cambridge Singers, the choir which Rutter founded back in 1981, the tracks range from the joyous "Shepherd's pipe carol" of 1966 to the 1995 setting of Philip Sidney's poem "My true love hath my hear" from Birthday Madrigals.

The disc opens with one of Rutter's best-known works, the timeless "For the beauty of the earth" and also includes his settings of Psalm 23 and "All things bright and beautiful"--popular with choirs and audiences alike--as well as two movements each from his Magnificat and Requiem. Most tracks are accompanied by the City of London Orchestra, breathing new life into works which are often heard only with piano accompaniment.

The perfect gift for Christmas!

The Psalms of David – sometimes referred to as the hymn-book of the bible – have inspired composers writing for the church through the ages.

The vivid, poetical nature of the texts, arousing the full gamut of human emotions, has stimulated the composition of many great sacred works in Western music.

The Choir of the Chapels Royal, HM Tower of London, directed by Colm Carey, was established in 1966 to lead and enrich both worship and liturgy in the two historic chapels within HM Tower of London.

This new CD, Exultate Deo, creates a kaleidoscopic snapshot of music inspired by the Psalms, and is a captivating insight into the wealth and variety of repertoire sung on a weekly basis by the choir.

For his final recording with the men and boys of Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum, Benjamin Nicholas has chosen to celebrate Britain’s best-loved living composer, John Rutter. Rather than simply sticking to familiar classics, this programme explores the full range of the composer’s output from 'The Lord is my shepherd' and 'Lord, thou hast been our refuge' to his most recent piece 'This is the day', written for the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Rutter’s rare communicative gifts are given a special glow by the refulgent acoustic of Tewkesbury Abbey and the choir’s luminous singing.

Few choirs in the world today offer greater precision, musicianship and sheer beauty of sound than The Sixteen. This collection offers the great anthems of English Choral Music over the past 100 years, part of the Cathedral Music tradition which (alongside the Anglican Hymn) is widely considered England’s greatest single contribution to music before The Beatles!

An album which could lead many to discover a whole new world of music, aided by performances of radiant beauty from Harry Christophers and The Sixteen.

After thirty years of world-wide performance and recording, The Sixteen, "The Voices of Classic FM", are recognised as one of the world’s greatest ensembles. Comprising both choir and period instrument orchestra, The Sixteen's total commitment to the music it performs is its greatest distinction. Its special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of twentieth century music, is drawn from the passions of conductor and founder, Harry Christophers.

The Sixteen has recently featured in the highly successful BBC Four television series, Sacred Music, presented by actor Simon Russell Beale.

The Sixteen’s album IKON was nominated for a 2007 Grammy.

A New Heaven narrows the gap between our secular age and a time when the Anglican Church was among the most important patrons and consumers of British music. It also offers listeners the chance to reconnect with spiritual matters richly expressed by composers with the flair and imagination required to distil big issues of life and death into miniature forms.