This recording contains a wealth of British music in praise of the patron saint of music from composers including Britten, Dyson, Elgar, Howells and Vaughan Williams. Two new works were commissioned from James MacMillan and Gabriel Jackson. For Jackson's La Musique, the choir is joined by our distinguished alumni Dame Felicity Lott.
Gough has an exceptional group of singers here. They are impressively responsive, shifting from the rich homophony of Howells’s A Hymn for St Cecilia (anchored always in the bass), to the fidgety contrapuntal writing of Britten’s ‘I have no shadow’ episode and embracing the bluesy harmonies of Richard Rodney Bennett’s Verses on St Cecilia’s Day (Gramophone)
The performances by the fine mixed choir of choral scholars are superb (American Record Guide)
I regard this as a recording of the greatest interest and significance, a ‘must’ for any serious enthusiast (Cathedral Music)
A Cecilian smorgasbord of excellent music from two centuries (Audiophile Audition)
Gabriel Jackson's La Musique is attractive and beautifully imagined; this is another example of Jackson’s highly inventive ear for unaccompanied choral textures. The soprano solo line, which is a gift for a singer like Dame Felicity, contrasts with and complements the choral parts most effectively. The music is gorgeous, not least the soft, rapt conclusion … this is a most interesting and nicely varied programme of music. The singing is consistently fine. The choir’s blend is excellent and I admire very much the fresh tone that they produce. Rupert Gough, as we know from previous releases, trains his choir marvellously and this disc is another notable achievement. With Adrian Peacock and David Hinitt serving as producer and engineer respectively it’s no surprise that the recordings are excellent. Quite a few of these pieces will be unfamiliar to many collectors, which adds to the attraction of this splendid disc (MusicWeb International)
Hyperion, June 2013
All Hallows' Gospel Oak & Rochester Cathedral
Produver: Adrian Peacock
Engineer: David Hinitt
Released November 2014
