There can be few more noble sights than that of the spires of Ely
Cathedral rising above the fens, especially on clear and frosty days. It
would be hard to deny that it is one of the most beautiful of English
cathedrals, with a very special character of its own. On the basis of this
disc as well as hearing them in the flesh it would be similarly hard to deny
that the Cathedral Choir is amongst the best in England. Better still, under
Paul Trepte they have shown an admirable enthusiasm for music out of the
normal run. Earlier discs of church music by John Anmer, Arthur Wills and
Arthur Sullivan all explored unusual but rewarding repertoire.
The present disc is one of a series from Regent in which the contents
follow the progress of the church year from, in this case, Advent to Christ
the King. The choice of music is perhaps less adventurous than I had hoped
for but there are many real gems here, and even if Stanford's three Latin
motets are familiar ground there should always be room for performances as
good as these which capture the sheer exultation of the music to perfection.
S.S. Wesley's "Ascribe unto the Lord" is another familiar choice, but again
this confident and idiomatic performance is a very welcome inclusion.
Less familiar works include a delightful and imaginative arrangement
of "Away in a manger" by Pat Brandon, a jazz musician from Ely, and music
written for Ely by Ben Parry and Francis Grier. Despite the discipline of
following the church year the various items are chosen so that the disc can
be listened to as a whole with pleasure. That pleasure is compounded by
excellent notes on the music and the choir, by the full sung texts - with
translations where needed - and by an excellent recording quality which
gives the listener a very real impression of being present at a service in
the Cathedral. This disc would certainly be an admirable souvenir of a visit
of Ely, but more important it deserves inclusion in any representative collection of recordings by English
Cathedral choirs.
John SheppardContents
Richard Rodney BENNETT (1936-2012)Out of your sleep
[1:45]
William James KIRKPATRICK (1838-1921)
Away in
a manger
(arr. Pat Brandon) [5:30]
Samuel Sebastian WESLEY
(1810-1876)Ascribe unto the Lord [13:30]
Charles
WOOD (1866-1926)Nunc dimittis in B flat [3:09]
Ben
PARRY (b.1965)Prayer [6:30]
Thomas TOMKINS
(1572-1656)When David heard [5:10]
Patrick HADLEY
(1899-1973)My beloved spake [3:13]
Felix MENDELSSOHN
(1809-1847)Laudate pueri Op. 39 No. 2 [4:02]
Sir
Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924)Coelos ascendit hodie
[2:07]
Beati quorum via [3:39]
Justorum animae
[3:20]
Cedric Thorpe DAVIE (1913-1983)Come, Holy
Ghost, the maker [4:57]
Matthew MARTIN (b.1976)A
Hymn to St Ethelreda [3:28]
Herbert SUMSION
(1899-1995)Fear not, O land [6:33]
Francis GRIER
(b.1955)Death be not proud [4:39]
John RUTTER
(b.1945)O clap your hands [3:21]
