St Paul’s Cathedral Choir (director Andrew Carwood).
Decca CD
A disc appropriate after Easter, Jubilate celebrates 500 years of cathedral music with many famous choral works.
It has been issued to support Britain's Diamond Fund for Choristers, that aims to help young choristers and secure the future of cathedral music. The choristers at St Paul's, in London, are highly trained by Andrew Carwood, and sing seven days a week in the huge cathedral, with its fine acoustics and eight-second echo, where this recital was recorded.
The choir has been performing there for nearly 900 years, making it one of the world's oldest singing groups. On this recording it was augmented by 50 more young choristers from other UK cathedrals making a ``super-group'' on four of its 18 tracks: the opening, Zadok The Priest (Handel), Parry's I Was Glad and Rutter's A Gaelic Blessing (two versions).
The programme spans five centuries, from Thomas Tallis' Salvator Mundi to Paul Mealor's Ubi Caritas. There are works included by Purcell, Vaughan Williams, and others, including former choristers William Byrd, Henry Purcell, and William Walton. The final track is a special arrangement by John Rutter of A Gaelic Blessing featuring baritone Aled Jones, a former choirboy, with the enlarged choir. St Paul's Nathaniel Morley, head chorister for 2016, sings Mendelssohn's O For the Wings of a Dove. Simon Johnson provides the organ accompaniments.
``I hope this album gives listeners a glimpse into the little bit of heaven that we try to create every day in St Paul's Cathedral,'' Carwood said.
Listeners might agree this aim is well achieved.
