Dove: Choral Music (Bless The Lord O My Soul/ Missa Brevis/ I Am The Day) [CD]

This is a stunning recording. Wells Cathedral Choir are truly exceptional and this recording is one of the most exciting releases of choral music this century. It is worth buying for the anthem "Seek Him that maketh the seven stars" which ebbs and flows to a tremendous climax of power and beauty. Every track is excellent. Jonathan Dove can now be considered up there with the Taverner, Howells and Britten as a truly iconic UK choral composer and this release is the authoritative collection of his work so far.

Having recently heard, and enjoyed, the new Naxos CD of Jonathan Dove's choral music, I was all afire to hear its Hyperion counterpart. There is some slight overlap between the two, but the Hyperion disc focuses exclusively on settings of Christian texts, while the Naxos concentrates more on the secular. Either way, Dove's marvellous musicianship and powers of invention are equally evident.

The programme opens with the impressively ebullient "Bless the Lord, O my soul", with its prodigiously florid organ accompaniment. This sets the tone; the remainder of the programme makes for a profound spiritual experience. Dove has the knack of marrying words and music in a way that provides true insight into the power and meaning of the chosen texts.

The main piece on this recording is the Missa Brevis of 2009. The Kyrie receives a fully polyphonic treatment with fairly subdued organ accompaniment, rather in the style of Kenneth Leighton. By contrast, the Gloria is largely rhythm and sparkle with short, staccato phrases in unison choir, and a dancing, upbeat organ. There is a more subdued central section before the return of the opening mood. The Sanctus/ Benedictus maintains the zest of the Gloria before the more contemplative Agnus Dei in which the choir sings in unison over a low organ pedal. There is a brief climax before the final subdued "Dona nobis pacem".

"I am the day", for unaccompanied choir, never flags in interest throughout its seven-minute duration. The interaction between the reflective "I am the day, soon to be born" and the dancing "I am the Alpha, O, and Omega", is particularly effective, and the setting of the line "I am the first and the last" is magical.

"Wellcome, all wonders in one sight", a nativity piece, is built around a rocking mantra on the word "Wellcome", and has a slow, unhurried feel to it. The next three pieces are also about the nativity. "The Star Song" leans heavily on a syncopated rhythm set up by the choir over a sparkling "moto perpetuo" on the organ. "The Three Kings" is a gentle and simple setting, as befits its Dorothy Sayers text, and has some affinity with Howells' Carol Anthems. Each verse treats one of the three "kings", each of whom is individually characterised in the music. "Run, shepherds, run" is a thickly-textured piece which requires audience participation, considerable precision and, one feels, a good measure of luck to bring the whole thing off!

"In "Ecce beatam lucem", the choir responds to the ecstatic nature of the text, while the organ figurations sound distinctively minimalist. By contrast, "In beauty may I walk" is a simple part-setting for unaccompanied choir. "Seek him that maketh the seven stars" is a dramatic setting of Amos 5:8 and Ps. 139:12, not dissimilar from the choral writing of John Adams in places. The organ paints the scene - a star-spangled night sky - while the choir exhorts the listener to seek him who made it. The final piece, "Into thy hands", has a suitably benedictory quality about it. The writing is spacious, with plenty of pregnant pauses allowing for reverberation such as would be expected in a spacious building like a cathedral.

The performers on this disc, the Wells Cathedral Choir conducted by Matthew Owens, are old hands at recording contemporary music in the British choral tradition, having already released discs of music by Howells, Leighton and Mathias on the Hyperion label.