Howells: Like as the Hart

This recording heralds the beginning of an exclusive recording contract between Chandos and the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge. All performances will be conducted by Andrew Nethsingha, the Choir’s Director of Music since 2007.

The disc of choral music by Herbert Howells includes two settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis: one setting was written for St John’s, where Howells was Acting Organist during World War II; the other for Gloucester Cathedral in the composer’s native county. It also features two premiere recordings, A Grace for 10 Downing Street and Psalm 142.

Andrew Nethsingha said, “We are delighted to be embarking on a partnership with such an excellent label as Chandos. With them, we will release a wide variety of repertoire. We have chosen to start with a disc of Howells’ music – Herbert Howells was closely associated with St John’s College for several decades. Two major works written for the St John’s Choir, including “Sequence for St Michael” will feature on the CD. The recording of “By the waters of Babylon”, a deeply moving psalm setting for baritone, violin, cello and organ will be another highlight of the disc.”

This is St John’s College Choir’s first long-term contract with Chandos. However, it has already made a number of recordings for the label, including Mozart’s Requiem and works by Charpentier and Poulenc (conducted by George Guest) and music by Tallis and Gibbons (conducted by Christopher Robinson).

This year’s Three Choirs’ Festival (8-15 August 2009) is based in the radiant acoustic of Hereford Cathedral, where this collection of works by Herbert Howells is recorded.

Presents the three sets of evening canticles written for the cathedrals of the Three Choirs Festival, (Gloucester, Hereford & Worcester) together with the complete canticles written for King’s College, Cambridge (‘Collegium Regale’).

Includes the set of Four Anthems featuring his most popular choral work ‘Like as the hart’.

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.

The first recording from the magnificent Chapel Choir of Winchester College since Malcolm

Archer (formerly Wells and St Paul’s Cathedrals) took over in 2007.

A beautiful collection of favourite anthems, including My beloved spake, How lovely are thy dwellings, Ave verum Corpus, Greater Love and Evening Hymn.

Several rarities, including Elgar’s great setting of Light out of Darkness and works by Sumsion and MacMillan.