A Voice from Heaven: British Choral Masterpieces
£11.35
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Label: Vivat
Cat No: VIVAT113
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Vocal/Choral
Release Date: 7th October 2016
Contents
Works
Justorum animaeBring us, O Lord God
Faire is the Heaven
Drop, drop, slow tears
I heard a voice from Heaven
Take him, earth, for cherishing
Drop, drop, slow tears
Bring us, O Lord
The souls of the righteous
Parry, Charles Hubert Hastings
Lord, let me know mine endI heard a voice from Heaven
Justorum animae
Song for Athene
Take Him Earth for Cherishing
Artists
Choir of The King’s ConsortConductor
Robert KingWorks
Justorum animaeBring us, O Lord God
Faire is the Heaven
Drop, drop, slow tears
I heard a voice from Heaven
Take him, earth, for cherishing
Drop, drop, slow tears
Bring us, O Lord
The souls of the righteous
Parry, Charles Hubert Hastings
Lord, let me know mine endI heard a voice from Heaven
Justorum animae
Song for Athene
Take Him Earth for Cherishing
Artists
Choir of The King’s ConsortConductor
Robert KingAbout
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Harris - Bring us, O Lord
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2MacMillan - Bring us, O Lord
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3Harris - Faire is the heaven
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4Howells - Take him, earth, for cherishing
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5Tavener - Take him, earth, for cherishing
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6Stanford - I heard a voice from heaven
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7Howells - I heard a voice from heaven
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8Leighton - Drop, drop, slow tears
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9Parry - Lord, let me know mine end
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10Stanford - Justorum animae
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11L Berkeley - Justorum animae
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12Murrill - The souls of the righteous
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13Jones - Drop, drop, slow tears
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14Tavener - Song for Athene
Europadisc Review
But there’s much more to this disc than just a string of gorgeous neo-Romantic works on the theme of death and the hereafter. The choir’s conductor Robert King has chosen to include in the programme five ‘paired’ settings: the same texts, set by two (and, in one case, three) different composers. It’s a brilliant idea, vividly illustrating the contrasting, yet always sympathetic and often complementary compositional responses of musicians to classic texts across the years. Hearing, for instance, Stanford’s gently comforting Victorian setting of I heard a voice from heaven juxtaposed with the more probing harmonies of Howells’s version from his Requiem of the 1930s is to experience the same text (from the biblical Book of Revelation) illuminated from two distinctive viewpoints, enriching the experience of both pieces. The same applies to Tavener’s astonishing version of Take him, earth, for cherishing, with its magical semi-chorus, side-by-side with the exquisitely intense Howells version.
Other stand-alone works include Parry’s Lord, let me know mine end, the psalmist’s outburst of ‘Take thy plague away from me’ sounding startlingly modern in this animated performance. MacMillan’s brilliant version of Bring us, O Lord (following straight on from Harris’s ‘classic’ setting) and Jones’s finely honed Drop, drop, slow tears show the state of church music composition to be in rude health, nurturing new textures and harmonic avenues while maintaining an expressive thread that stretches back over a century.
As for the performances themselves, you won’t hear better in this life. Robert King has placed the tenors and basses at the centre front of the choir, giving the choral sound an extraordinary grounded richness which emphasises the intensity of human emotion over detached, otherworldly qualities. And the singing in all voices is simply superb, with youthful-sounding upper sopranos of the greatest clarity and light, and several fine solo contributions to boot. The recording, made in the Lutyens-designed church of St Jude’s, Hampstead Garden Suburb, is a perfect match for the performances, with just the right degree of radiance and warmth to the sound. And the great crescendo in the closing Song of Athene is completely overwhelming, stunningly delivered.
There’s an almost missionary zeal to all of Robert King’s projects, and this one is no exception. The expressive intensity of the performances is infectious and completely compelling, every track delivered with total musical commitment. Incredibly, this is first completely unaccompanied recording of the Choir of the King’s Consort (who normally work with their instrumental colleagues), and it is a truly remarkable achievement. Compulsive listening for all lovers of the great British choral tradition.
Reviews
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