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Track Listings
| 1. A Hymn for St Cecilia - Simon Bland/Trinity College Choir, Cambridge |
| 2. Salve regina - Hannah Partridge/Trinity College Choir, Cambridge |
| 3. Gloucester Service - Jeremy Cole/Trinity College Choir, Cambridge |
| 4. Take him, earth, for cherishing - Jeremy Cole/Trinity College Choir, Cambridge |
| 5. St Pauls Service - Trinity College Choir, Cambridge |
| 6. Requiem - Simon Bland/Trinity College Choir, Cambridge |
| 7. All my hope on God is founded - Simon Bland/Trinity College Choir, Cambridge |
Product Description
Product Description
Herbert Howells was acutely sensitive to the transience of life, having witnessed the loss of friends and contemporaries in the First World War and encountered deep personal tragedy when his son Michael died of polio at the age of just nine. And so a mood of elegiac yearning inhabits much of his choral music: the austere, lovely a cappella Requiem, and the elegant Take him, earth, for cherishing, commissioned to commemorate the death of President John F Kennedy, here lovingly performed by the young voices of Trinity College Choir, Cambridge. And yet Howells could write magnificently thrilling music too, as demonstrated by the fresh brilliance of A Hymn for St Cecilia, the spine-tingling grandeur of the St Paul's Service, or the life-affirming hymn All my hope on God is founded , here further sweetened with a descant by John Rutter.
Product Description
A Hymn for St Cecilia - Salve regina - Gloucester Service - Take him, earth, for cherishing - St Paul's Service - Requiem - All my hope on God is founded / Trinity College Choir Cambridge - Stephen Layton, direction
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Entartete Musik
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Trinity's Howells disc is a stellar affair. Featuring two of the greatest evening services - those dedicated to Gloucester and St. Paul's cathedrals - as well as his motet in memory of JFK and the Requiem he wrote in response to his son Michael's death, the recording balances the private and public Howells. One thing, however, joins the whole enterprise together: the smooth but strident sound of the Trinity choir.
Conductor Stephen Layton inherited a safe but secure instrument from his predecessor Richard Marlow. There's now a more honeyed tone in the choir, echoing his mature professional outfit Polyphony. While the men's sound can't quite thrill in that way - these are, after all, much younger singers - they have a disarming candour. It's an odd contradiction, then, that Lincoln Cathedral was chosen for the accompanied works. On this recording, the organ tends to dominate upper registers. Whether an acoustic flaw, recording anomaly or simple act of registration, the organ is often too forward (if brilliantly played).
But the recordings made in Ely Lady Chapel are sublime. This, for the larger part, is Howells in mourning, tapping into the unspoken life of an Englishman. No holds barred, tenderness and tears come to the fore when confronting the death of his beloved son Michael. Although Trinity cannot quite eclipse the maturity of Paul Spicer's recording on Chandos with the Finzi Singers, this is a beautifully paced performance. The JFK motet 'Take him, earth, for cherishing', on the other hand, leads a very strong field of performances. Precision and shape are balanced, beautifully backlighting Howells' crushing response to Helen Waddell's text.
Conductor Stephen Layton inherited a safe but secure instrument from his predecessor Richard Marlow. There's now a more honeyed tone in the choir, echoing his mature professional outfit Polyphony. While the men's sound can't quite thrill in that way - these are, after all, much younger singers - they have a disarming candour. It's an odd contradiction, then, that Lincoln Cathedral was chosen for the accompanied works. On this recording, the organ tends to dominate upper registers. Whether an acoustic flaw, recording anomaly or simple act of registration, the organ is often too forward (if brilliantly played).
But the recordings made in Ely Lady Chapel are sublime. This, for the larger part, is Howells in mourning, tapping into the unspoken life of an Englishman. No holds barred, tenderness and tears come to the fore when confronting the death of his beloved son Michael. Although Trinity cannot quite eclipse the maturity of Paul Spicer's recording on Chandos with the Finzi Singers, this is a beautifully paced performance. The JFK motet 'Take him, earth, for cherishing', on the other hand, leads a very strong field of performances. Precision and shape are balanced, beautifully backlighting Howells' crushing response to Helen Waddell's text.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By bca123
This disc has just won the Gramaphone Award for the Choral Category. Sublime music, incredible singing - worth every penny.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I liked the CD which combined several works. Listening to the hymns and services performed by the Choir of Trinity College was a lovely hour.
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