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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Howells: The Winchester Service & other late works
Hyperion’s previous recordings with Winchester Cathedral Choir are among the jewels in its choral collection. Now the label begins a new relationship with this ancient foundation and its latest director of music, Andrew Lumsden. Their new disc features a composer who was at the centre of the English twentieth-century choral tradition. Herbert Howells’ is a unique and distinctive voice in church music and it is his lyrical anthem Like as the Hart and his compositions of the 1940s and 50s for which he is most known and celebrated. However, his late works are equal in beauty and intensity and it is these that are featured on this superb recording. They are often over-looked as a result of their difficulty but Winchester Cathedral Choir reveal them as unjustly neglected gems. The Winchester Service, written in 1969, has its roots in plainchant and demonstrates the composer’s chromatic sophistication and the incredible depth of his harmonic palette. The choir display a clear affinity with the composer. They perform with sensitivity and precision and their glorious sound is quintessentially English. “this recording by a radiant Winchester Cathedral Choir urges a thorough reappraisal [of the lesser-known works]. The long, fluid lines, startling cadences and massive chords which are so unique to Howells are all here in "their" service, and they delight in some smaller works, particularly "Thee Will I Love" from 1970, with Simon Bell adding some delicious organ solos.” The Observer, 29th May 2011 “What this CD underlines is that, for all their trickiness of execution, with a harmonic range from the archaic to the chromatic, these pieces are vintage Howells. And far from constituting “old man’s music”, works like Antiphon and Exultate Deo express a joyful vitality. The performances, conducted by Andrew Lumsden with organist Simon Bell, thrive on the radiant Winchester Cathedral acoustic.” Financial Times, 16th July 2011 *** “The line-up of boy choristers can compete in terms of strength and incision with the best among their cathedral and collegiate peers. Their tonal richness and compelling collective conviction, outstanding in Come, my Soul and Howells's virtuosic Te Deum, bear witness to a choral institution clearly on the rise...Winchester's assistant director of music, Simon Bell, also commands attention with bold, imaginatively voiced organ playing.” Classic FM Magazine, August 2011 **** “This is one of the most beautiful CDs of choral music you're likely to hear...the magnificent Winchester Cathedral Choir give performances of near-perfection that sound completely effortless...There's an ideal blend and balance between upper and lower voices, and the trebles have a warm, glowing brightness...Simon Bell provides impeccable accompaniments with intimate colouring. He also displays tremendous virtuosity in the two organ solos” Gramophone Magazine, September 2011 “The Winchester Cathedral Choir is first-rate: intelligently responsive to texts, phrasing naturally shaped and with near flawless ensemble and dynamic control, all admirably demonstrated throughout...These are uniformly excellent performances and the recording quality is detailed yet superbly spacious.” International Record Review, July/August 2011 “The performances of the Winchester Cathedral Choir are so good that you hardly register the need to 'assess' them - exactly as it should be in devotional music. That's a huge tribute to the state of singing at the cathedral, and to Andrew Lumsden, whoe directs it. A marvellous CD, beautifully planned and executed.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2011 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Howells - I Love all Beauteous ThingsChoral and Organ Music
Tristan Russcher (organ) The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Judy Martin Herbert Howells has an assured place in the annals of English church music, however his popular reputation is founded largely on the frequent performance of a small body of core works. This recording redresses the balance in exploring some much less well-known pieces, with impassioned performances from the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin in their second recording for Signum. “The Mass, sung beautifully here by Christ Church, Dublin, is perhaps one of the best examples of the later crystallisation of Howell's language… a bonus on this recording is the serene lullaby, A Maid Peerless, in its 1951 version, sung by the female voices of the choir which are on top form.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009 | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | Howells - Choral Works
The imaginative registration, choral tone, recorded sound and written presentation are all admirable features of a
highly recommendable disc’ (Gramophone) | | | (also available to download from $21.75) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Anthology of English Anthems450 years Byrd to Tavener
Attwood, T: | Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire | Bairstow: | Blessed City, heavenly Salem Let all mortal flesh keep silence | Battishill: | O Lord, look down from heaven | Bennett, R R: | Verses | Berkeley, L: | Thou Hast Made Me | Blow: | My God, My God, Look Upon Me | Boyce: | O where shall wisdom be found? | Britten: | Hymn to St. Peter, Op. 56a | Byrd: | O Lord Turn Thy Wrath Teach me, O Lord Exalt Thyself, O God Sing joyfully | Croft: | God Is Gone Up With A Merry Noise | Fanner: | The Lord's Prayer | Farrant, R: | Hide not thou thy face | Finzi: | Welcome Sweet and Sacred Feast, Op. 27 No. 3 | Gibbons, O: | O Lord, in thy wrath rebuke me not O Lord, I Lift My Heart To Thee | Greene, M: | Lord, Let Me Know Mine End | Harper, J: | Salve Regina Ubi Caritas | Harris, W: | Bring us, O Lord God | Harvey, J: | Come, Holy Ghost The Tree | Holst: | The Evening-watch, H159 | Howells: | Like as the Hart Thee will I love Come, my soul | Ireland: | Greater Love Hath No Man | Joubert: | O Lorde, the maker of al thing | Leighton: | Drop, Drop Slow Tears Give me the wings of faith | Morley: | Out of the Deep Nolo mortem peccatoris | Ouseley: | Is it Nothing to You? O Saviour of the world | Parry: | My soul, there is a country (No. 1 from Songs of Farewell) | Purcell: | I was glad when they said unto me, Z19 Hear my prayer, O Lord, Z15 O God, thou hast cast us out, Z36 Remember not, O Lord, our offences, Z50 | Rose, B: | Praise Ye the Lord | Sheppard, J: | The Lord's Prayer | Stainer: | I saw the Lord | Stanford: | The Lord is my shepherd Glorious and Powerful God, Op. 135 No. 3 | Stewart, H C: | King of Glory, King of Peace | Tallis: | I call and cry to thee, O Lord Purge me, O Lord O Lord, give thy holy spirit | Tavener: | Hymn to the Mother of God | Tomkins: | Then David mourned O Praise the Lord, All Ye Heathen | Tye: | I Will Exalt Thee | Vaughan Williams: | Whitsunday Hymn | Walton: | Set me as a seal upon thine heart | Weelkes: | Hosanna to the Son of David O Lord Arise | Wesley, S S: | Blessed be the God and Father The Wilderness | Wilder, P: | Blessed Art Thou | Wood, C: | O thou the central orb Hail, gladdening Light Expectans Expectavi |
Magdalen College Oxford, John Harper “this set contains some very fine performances – particularly of the early twentieth century works. It makes fascinating listening especially for anyone interested in the development of music.” MusicWeb International, October 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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