Christmas at St John's

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HOWELLS / RUTTER / HOWELLS / WARLOCK / GOLDSCHMIDT / etc
Christmas at St John's
The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge / David Hill

[ Hyperion / CD ]

Release Date: Thursday 26 October 2006

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"This is a very fine disc indeed. Though I've expressed one or two reservations the overall impression with which I'm left is one of great satisfaction and pleasure. The programme has been assembled with great imagination and the execution is well nigh flawless. When one adds in excellent and very atmospheric sound, first rate notes and texts and translations, it all adds up to a very distinguished package indeed. I shall be surprised if I encounter a finer CD of Christmas music this year."
(MusicWeb Recording of the Month Oct 2006)

Taking as its starting point their world-famous Advent Carol Service, The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, is here on dazzling form in an imaginative and varied programme devised by David Hill.

Alongside Christmas classics by Rutter, Warlock, Howells and Holst, we have new works by Judith Bingham and Francis Pott, and Naylor's epic Vox dicentis. Many of these works have specific connections to David Hill and his choir, and the resulting conviction of performance is a testimony to their stature.

A narrative thread is provided throughout the disc by the seven Great 'O' Antiphons ('O Wisdom', 'O Key of David', etc) which fall on 17 to 23 December in the liturgy. At the close David Hill's imaginative arrangement of Bethlehem Down (combining the popular choral version with Warlock's own accompaniment for a solo song version) leads into Morten Lauridsen's phenomenally successful O magnum mysterium and a blaze of glory in the Christmas Day hymn O come, all ye faithful. 'Hodie Christ natus est' indeed.

Tracks:

CHAPEL BELL [0'35]
PLAINSONG Rorate caeli [5'21]
HYMN O come, O come, Emmanuel [3'25]
ANTIPHON O Sapientia [1'00]
CAROL A tender shoot OTTO GOLDSCHMIDT (1829–1907) [2'08]
CAROL A Spotless Rose HERBERT HOWELLS (1892–1983) [3'15]
HYMN Lo! He comes with clouds descending descant by Christopher Robinson [4'44]
ANTIPHON O Adonai [1'08]
MOTET Vox dicentis: Clama EDWARD NAYLOR (1867–1934) [9'00]
ANTIPHON O Radix Iesse [1'02]
ANTHEM The clouded Heaven JUDITH BINGHAM (born 1952) [4'50]
ANTIPHON O Clavis David [1'09]
CAROL There is a flower JOHN RUTTER (born 1943) [4'28]
CAROL This have I done for my true love GUSTAV HOLST (1874–1934) [5'29]
ANTIPHON O Oriens [0'57]
CAROL Lullay my liking FRANCIS POTT (born 1957) [6'40]
ANTIPHON O Rex gentium [0'58]
CAROL Bethlehem Down PETER WARLOCK (1894–1930) arranged by David Hill [4'49]
ANTIPHON O Emmanuel [1'00]
MOTET O magnum mysterium MORTEN LAURIDSEN (born 1943) [6'50]
HYMN O come, all ye faithful descant by David Hill [3'54]
ANTIPHON Hodie Christus natus est [1'07]