Rutter: Requiem

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Produced by the composer himself, this is the first recording of the original ensemble version of John Rutter’s radiant Requiem. Written in 1985, the work is not a conventional setting of the Requiem Mass but comprises a personal selection of texts from the Catholic liturgy and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. John Rutter maintains intimate ties with Clare College and many of his anthems are left as a musical legacy to the college. Among these are two simple, tender Blessings: Go forth into the world in peace, dedicated to the choir on the eve of its first tour to America; and A Clare Benediction, written as a gift to Rutter’s alma mater. This recording is dedicated to the memory of Christopher Rutter.

Rutter: Requiem, Music, Susan Dorey, John Rutter, Timothy Brown [iii], Karen Jones, Christopher Hooker, London Sinfonia, The City of London Sinfonia, Nicholas Collon, Nicholas Rimmer, Elin Manahan Thomas, 20th/21st Century Variations for Keyboard, Choral, Choral Music, Christmas / Chanukkah, Classical, Classical Music, Keyboard, Music for Keyboard, Requiem/Requiem Section, Xmas Classical Instrumental

Average customer rating:

John Rutter Collection

Typically gorgeous Rutter

Wonderful!

To sample Rutter's best music, this is the one.

The Best

John Rutter Collection
Rutter , Cambridge Singers , and London Sinfonia
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006LIEZ
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Tracks:

For The Beauty Of The Earth
The Lord Is My Shepherd
All Things Bright And Beautiful
Shepherd's Pipe Carol
The Lord Bless You And Keep You
Open Thou Mine Eyes
My True Love Hath My Heart (From Birthday Madrigals)
Esurientes (From Magnificat)
Gloria Patri (From Magnificat)
Out Of The Deep (From Requiem)
Pie Jesu (From Requiem)
What Sweeter Music
A Choral Fanfare
A Prayer Of St. Patrick
O Be Joyful In The Lord
Behold, The Tabernacle Of God
O Praise The Lord Of Heaven
A Gaelic Blessing
Angel's Carol
Matthew, Mark, Luke And John (From Five Childhood Lyrics)
Sing A Song Of Sixpence (From Five Childhood Lyrics)
Go Forth Into The World In Peace

Customer Reviews:

John Rutter Collection.......2007-02-19

This CD is one of several that features Rutter directing his own choir. It has a good cross section of the John Rutter compositions, and is a good starting place for someone who has not heard Rutter's music before. I think you will be "hooked" if you really love choral music.

Typically gorgeous Rutter.......2005-12-20

I love John Rutter's music. Especially the "For the Beauty of the Earth" that is on this CD. Rutter is not the most inventive or varied composer of modern music, but if you have a taste for traditional choral writing with some angelic children's chorus singing, then you will probably share my enjoyment of Rutter's writing. Unfortunately I cannot give this CD 5 stars when it seems there is a drum set tapping annoyingly away on several of the songs. I do not understand this at all and am bothered by it every time I listen to those songs. It's a shame, because otherwise I love the music, and think it is lushly written, and simply but beautifully performed. I would highly suggest listening to sample track 3 before purchasing -- you can hear what sounds like a ride-cymbal right at the very end of the sample. This sound occurs in several of the songs on this recording.

Wonderful!.......2005-12-03

I am a huge John Rutter fan. The lilting melodies, the poignant lyrics and the lush orchestrations make his music not only accessable but also uplifting. This compilation, although drawing from many other previous recordings, is a great composite of his wirk. The sound is exquisite. Even if you own other recordings of this music, this is worthwhile.

To sample Rutter's best music, this is the one........2005-06-30

I purchased this CD as an introduction to the music of John Rutter and went on to purchase many more of his compositions. Still, this remains my favorite collection. It is choral music at its absolute finest. Far from "just church music", this CD has songs of faith, a few Christmas carols, a Celtic song for lovers, and even a child's tune or two. While most of the pieces are peaceful, warm, and thought-provoking, a few are up-tempo and lively. In my opinion, it is a perfectly balanced collection in which one song flows beautifully into the next with no sense of a jarring change of pace. If you have any interest in choral music, begin with the best...John Rutter... and this superb arrangement. Highly recommended.

The Best.......2005-04-29

The John Rutter Collection in my opinion is one of the finest and most perfect works I've ever heard. The Cambridge Singers demonstrates the best vocal discipline and style of any vocal group in the world.

Sidney Vaught

Requiem & Magnificat/Rutter, Cambridge Singers

Average customer rating:

How can you go wrong with Rutter?
Sublime!
Cambridge Singers have never been better!
Rutter Requiem, Magnificat
Competent, pleasant, but unaffecting

Requiem & Magnificat/Rutter, Cambridge Singers

Manufacturer: Collegium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Be Thou My Vision

ASIN: B00000DI06
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Tracks:

1. Requiem Aeternam
2. Out Of The Deep
3. Pie Jesu
4. Sanctus
5. Agnus Dei
6. The Lord Is My Sheperd
7. Lux Aeterna
1. Magnificat Anima Mea
2. Of A Rose, A Lovely Rose
3. Quia Fecit Mihi Magna
4. Et Misericordia
5. Fecit Potentiam
6. Esurientes
7. Gloria Patri

Amazon.com

Two of John Rutter's most popular large-scale choral works are paired in this bargain-priced CD. Requiem, his first composition written without being commissioned, is a convincing affirmation of Christian doctrine on death and eternal life. It is also a substantial and sincere work that strives to be widely appealing while preserving a spiritual context centered on themes of light and consolation. Highlights include "Out of the Deep," its modal tune and harmonies giving it the flavor of a spiritual, and the wonderfully gentle and restful 23rd Psalm. Rutter personalizes his Requiem by adding movements not traditionally part of the Requiem Mass--passages from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, for instance--and this proves to be an effective strategy. Rutter's own, first-class Cambridge Singers are superb, as usual, and soloist Caroline Ashton steals the show with her heavenly Pie Jesu. The Magnificat shows Rutter at his most engaging, thoughtful, and adept. His usual canny sense of tunefulness and rhythmic rightness, flavored with splashes of pop harmony, accomplish his purpose in the Magnificat: to depict Mary's prayer as a celebratory occasion rather than a somber one. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

How can you go wrong with Rutter?.......2007-02-10

I have enjoyed all aspects of this recording; Rutter's compositions are always interesting and a wonderful blend of classic and melodid pop traditions, the choir and orchestra are prepared beautifully and the engineering of the recording is great. It is wonderful opportunity to study Rutter's work with maestro Rutter as conductor, imagine if we had this opportunity with the works of Mozart or Beethoven.

Sublime!.......2007-01-05

I bought this to learn the requiem for a choral performance. It is hauntingly beautiful and I have listened to it again and again.

Cambridge Singers have never been better!.......2006-12-06

I have listened to many other composers' requiems, but this one beats them all. It is a little unusual to have both English and Latin liturgy in a requiem, but it is entirely appropriate in this case, as it contains the Mass, psalms, and personal prayers to Christ--I thoroughly enjoyed some of the burial service text sang along with the requiem mass. The Cambridge singers are sublime, and Caroline Ashton's voice (soprano) is perfect. Liner notes containing lyrics and translations are included if you do not speak Latin. The "Sanctus" is very unique and much faster-paced than I am used to, with high voices starting and baritones/tenors echoing. If I have anything to dislike about Rutter's requiem, it is the fact that there is no "Dies Irae" text at all; they seem to have been replaced by psalms. However, the excellence of the singers and the great choice of the texts makes up for it very well.

Rutter Requiem, Magnificat.......2006-11-07

This is a quality recording with great performances of both works. These are two choral works which have stood the test of time by a great choral arranger and conductor who truly knows voices and choirs.
The recording is clean and authentic, not "studio contrived."

Competent, pleasant, but unaffecting.......2006-06-06

Sounds a lot like Enya, believe it or not; very well performed, euphonious, but bland.

Average customer rating:

It's Beauty Revealed, At Last
OK, I'm a sucker for the 1893 version
Life has been engulfed in time
Requiem- a masterpiece.
high quality but lacking emotion

Faure: Requiem and other choral music

Manufacturer: Collegium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000031HB
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Tracks:

Requiem: Introit et Kyrie
Requiem: Offertoire
Requiem: Sanctus
Requiem: Pie Jesu
Requiem: Agnus Dei
Requiem: Libera me
Requiem: In paradisum
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Tantum ergo
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Maria, Mater gratiae
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Messe basse: Kyrie eleison
Messe basse: Messe Basse - Sanctus
Messe basse: Messe Basse - Benedictus
Messe basse: Messe Basse - Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

John Rutter's groundbreaking research and subsequent performing edition of Fauré's beloved Requiem has enabled us to hear the work as the composer originally intended. His first version of the piece included only a chamber orchestra with lower strings, harp, timpani, and organ. Four years later, Fauré added two movements and slightly expanded the orchestration. This is the version that Rutter and his inimitable Cambridge Singers perform here-- and it's a glorious revelation, especially if the only Fauré Requiem you've heard is that for full orchestra, which the composer himself neither created nor approved. Rutter and his singers give us a wonderfully sumptuous yet detailed performance that benefits tremendously from the newly realized clarity of inner lines and from the richly colored orchestral textures. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

It's Beauty Revealed, At Last.......2007-01-11

This Collegium COLCD 109 is a later release of the Collegium COLCD 101 which I purchased circa 1985 after reading glowing reviews in Grammophone magazine. COLCD 101 is labeled Stereo/Digital. COLCD 109 is labeled Stereo/DDD. Is it a re-mastering? Liner notes don't say, but the new version provides noticeable improvements in vividness and clarity.

The release of COLCD 101 was a watershed event. John Rutter had questioned conventional performance versions of Faure's Requiem, those which used full symphony orchestras and Wagnerian-like soloists. Yes, it is a requiem, but Faure's ideas are very different than those found in, say, Verdi's Requiem. Instead of hellfire and damnation, Faure evokes serenity, peace and love. Rutter's historical research proved that Faure intended for his work to be performed in small, intimate settings where the orchestra and choir would be minimal and, maybe, use boy sopranos. Rutter's CD of the historical, 1893, version is like an expert restoration of an old painting where a century's grime is wiped away and the work is newly revealed in it's original beauty.

A 1990's CD of the 1893 version exists on Naxos 8.55076S by Jeremy Summerly and the Oxford Camerata. It, too, is beautiful and of similar performance quality, though conducted at a slightly slower tempo. I find Rutter's version more "right", but that's just personal preference.

OK, I'm a sucker for the 1893 version.......2006-01-17

John Rutter made substantial changes to the previously most-performed version of the Faure Requiem when he recorded this. He went back to the version of 1893 to do so, rather than using the more famous, more heavily orchestrated later version. One difference is that the violins in the Sanctus are transposed up an octave on this CD compared to the way in which they were played in the later Requiem. I find this recording to be beautiful and timeless, and definitely not over-orchestrated.

To me, Faure's great contribution with the Requiem was that he showed a firm refusal to judge other people as well as compassion in the face of death. This went against the beliefs of the Catholic church at the time, which emphasized hellfire and brimstone, and Faure was heavily criticized for putting as little mention in as he could get away with regarding the Day of Judgement. This compassion shows in his work and makes it comforting rather than frightening. It has been called a "lullaby of death."

I also enjoy the other vocal pieces, particularly the Ave Maria and the Cantique de Jean Racine, which is probably familiar to many people who are not really aware of Faure's career. These songs have a pure, clear sound which is not ruined through excessive orchestration.

In my opinion, John Rutter did a fantastic job with this material, and it's one of my favorite CDs.

Life has been engulfed in time.......2003-08-06

This requiem represents a complete shift in the general tone of the requiem as a genre. The vision of life and death is impregnated with a feminine light, the light of the ocean softly illuminated by the sunshine of Normandy, of the Graceful Coast. The figure that stands behind the music, that accompanies the dead person into the grave is no longer the masculine Germanic death that punishes man, nor even the furious feminine French death that challenges man, but the soft and comforting figure of the mother Mary, the universal comforter who takes the hand of each one of us, as if we were crying lost children, to make us pass the dangerous door that leads beyond life. This Holy Mary for whom Fauré has written so many Ave Marias, is promising us the end of time and our introduction into an everlasting stormless, painless and noiseless world that represents the very positive vision of a real world that is the negative vision of life. Photography is not far away. Everyday life becomes a life of strife, struggle, noise, violence, war, speed, work, exploitation and alienation, all elements seen as negative, and death is the negation of it all, is the positive virtuality that has to become our reality overthere. It is thus in perfect agreement with the vision the impressionists introduced to defy photography and bring art beyond the blaring image of reality a photographer brings up with his machine. The eye of the artist goes beyond those crude colors and forms to find light and life in the depth of his retina. Fauré is the impressionist painter of death as the real life beyond the surface we have to contemplate and suffer everyday. In other words virtual is beautiful and real is dreadful. Happiness has to be found in virtuality and not in reality. Fauré is bergsonian, who sees eternity beyond the flow of time. Fauré is proustian, who sees life beyond the loss of memory. This explains the erasing of the Dies Irae because there is no anger any more in the ascent to the eternal memory of what does not exist yet. This is a requiem of timelessness and nightlessness.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

Requiem- a masterpiece........2002-04-21

This exquisite collection has so many gorgeous songs that move me to tears. In Sanctus, the violin is so pure, so beautiful, its wrings my heart. This is real music, real art, crafted with such care, that it is a true privilege to hear it, not to mention sing it (which I have done, and I loved it). It is an encredible CD, and I would encourage anyone to buy it.
Lilly

high quality but lacking emotion.......2001-09-01

One reviewer describes this as "no lack of sadness, bright, not gloomy, filled with sunshine"; another calls it "peaceful". I might go with peaceful. The quality is high and the recording is of interest for being more faithful to Faure's original, non-orchestral version, but I found the performance notably lacking in emotion. I would steer the reader toward the more deeply moving Naxos version (conductor: Jeremy Summerly), which is something of a gem at budget price.

Average customer rating:

One of the Best Classical Music of our time
A celestial experience & a wonderful memorial piece
SIMPLY EXQUISITE
Glorious
An Excellent Introduction

John Rutter: Requiem

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000009OQB
Release Date: 1998-08-11

Tracks:

1. Requiem Aeternam
2. Out Of The Deep
3. Pie Jesu
4. Sanctus
5. Agnus Dei - DUKE DOBING
6. The Lord Is My Shepherd
7. Lux Aeterna
Veni Sancte Spiritus
What Sweeter Music
Hymn To The Creator Of Light
Cantate Domino
Cantus
Te Deum

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best Classical Music of our time.......2007-03-14

The Rutter's Requiem is one of the most beautiful music written in our time. It has a lyrical and very lovely melody, meaningful words and wonderful SATB voices. Highly recommended.

A celestial experience & a wonderful memorial piece.......2007-01-04

I agree with so much of what's been said in the other reviews ... "it never fails to get me," etc. I wanted to add my 5 stars and a few comments, as well.

I incidentally discovered this work when a local classical radio station broadcast "Pie Jesu," and like the writer above, I scrambled for a pen. Honestly, I still have the same sense of wonder and amazement that I first experienced that day, every time I hear the piece. I've since researched and listened to other versions of "Pie Jesu", and I agree that this is the finest version ever recorded. (I would say the same for the entire "Requiem" on this CD.) This version of this composition is something that you "feel" as much as you hear it.

John Rutter apparently wrote this specifically for the acoustics of King's College Cathedral, and the superb technical quality of this recording adds a lot to the experience. There are wonderful French horn and oboe solos in several pieces (not so in other versions I've heard.) Rutter comments that he wrote it in memoriam, after he suffered a personal loss, and I believe he's musically expressed the human experience of death & loss as well as anyone ever has. So when I lost my father in October 2006, I included several movements in the funeral service: "Pie Jesu", sung in Latin with just a few phrases repeated throughout; Psalm 23, sung in English, at times hauntingly; and Lux Aeterna, again Latin, in which I sense a celebration of one's life, and the beginning of one's healing after a loss.

If you're interested in a CD to listen to, when you're mostly in the mood for a spiritual experience - this one comes highly recommended.

SIMPLY EXQUISITE.......2000-07-28

We had heard of neither Rutter nor Cleobury until a chance airing of "Te Deum" on the local classical station's sacred music concert had us scrambling madly for pen and paper and thence directly to the music store.

This CD contains a stellar cross-section of Rutter's work. He combines the melodic simplicity of Bach with a distinctly modern sensibility. The combined effect of the music's sheer beauty, the exquisite skill of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, and the magisterial hush of the King's College Chapel make for an ethereal and thoroughly transformative musical experience.

It's truly *lovely.* Words simply cannot convey the listening experience, let alone do it justice. This recording will blow you away, if not change your life.

--VMS/PTS

Glorious.......2000-06-07

This is a fine recording of John Rutter's masterpiece. The Choir of King's is exceptional. The recording features the full orchestral accompaniment with amazing soloists, specifically flute, cello and oboe. I am particularly found of performances by all-male choirs of this composer's music - Pie Jesu is breathtaking as a boy soprano solo. I believe this to be the best recording yet on disc of the Requiem. The programme is rounded out by other secular choral works. The Wallace Collection brass ensemble is a great guest on the disc as well. Highly Recommended.

An Excellent Introduction.......1999-12-08

This CD is a near-perfect introduction to the music of John Rutter, a composer who has forged a place in the hearts of many listeners. Although he has written for most media (including solo instruments and orchestra), it is his choral music that commands the most attention- primarily as there is so much of it! And on this disc, the King's College Choir explores some highlights of the last ten years or so, including a number of works written for them. The Requiem is itself a fine work. I have sung it on two occasions so I know the demands it places on performers; most of these are overcome so well that it sounds like an easy work. There are a few places where the orchestra drowns out the choir (slightly smaller perhaps than Rutter intended) but in general the work is an absolute joy to listen to from beginning to end- every emotion is felt, indeed every note seems to be just right. In the other works, there is even clearer evidence of Rutter's diversity and personal style: most speak for themselves although I was rather surprised by "Hymn to the Creator of Light", the opening of which bears echoes of John Tavener. The final two tracks stand out above all the rest in that they feature the Wallace Collection, surely the most beautiful brass band I have ever heard, in two memorable showcases- "Cantus", a single word setting that makes glad the heart and may well draw tears from sensitive listeners; and "Te Deum", in which the scintillating combination of organ, brass and drums will sweep you away in a wave of pomp and majesty. If you want to discover Rutter, this is the disc for you; if you or your friends and loved ones already know and like Rutter, this disc will make a fine addition to any collection or gift list.

Average customer rating:

Simply the best copy of Rutter's Requiem!
Requiem
Absolutely Beautiful
A glorious piece
Rutter brought me into the 20th century with this recording.

Rutter: Requiem

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008OP1S
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Tracks:

Requiem Aeternam
Out Of The Deep
Pie Jesu - Elin Manahan Thomas
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
The Lord Is My Shephard
Lux Aeterna - Elin Manahan Thomas
Arise, Shine
Come Down, O Love Divine
Musica Dei Donum - Karen Jones
A Clare Benediction
Go Forth Into The World In Peace
Toccata In Seven
Variations On An Easter Theme For Organ

Album Description

Produced by the composer himself, this is the first recording of the original ensemble version of John Rutter's radiant Requiem. Written in 1985, the work is not a conventional setting of the Requiem Mass but comprises a personal selection of texts from the Catholic liturgy and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. John Rutter maintains intimate ties with Clare College and many of his anthems are left as a musical legacy to the college. Among these are two simple, tender Blessings: Go forth into the world in peace, dedicated to the choir on the eve of its first tour to America; and A Clare Benediction, written as a gift to Rutter's alma mater. This recording is dedicated to the memory of Christopher Rutter.

Customer Reviews:

Simply the best copy of Rutter's Requiem!.......2007-06-27

In my opinion, this copy of Rutter's Requiem is the best one available. The orchestra does not overpower the chorus. The soprano soloist, Elin Manahan Thomas, is sublime.

Requiem.......2006-07-07

This CD has some of the most beautiful sacred music I have ever heard. Though a requiem is focused on a person's death, Rutter's Requiem leads you to consider the living Christ. "Requiem aeternam" and "Sanctus" are both uplifting and worshipful, and "Toccata in seven" is pure fun.

Absolutely Beautiful.......2006-06-09

Beautiful is one of those words that I don't use often and I don't use lightly, but this recording of John Rutter's Requiem and other choral works is worthy of description with the full weight of the word. All seven movements of his magnificent requiem are flowing with rich, delicate beauty. Rutter uses the full palate that the orchestra and the chorus has to offer such as the light sustained oboe throughout "The Lord is My Shepherd" and the bellowing low cello in "Out of the Deep." It's cool to hear a mix of Latin and English texts throughout the work. The soprano solo on "Pie Jesu" is breathtaking and the work closes with the sonorous, harmonicaly rich "Lux aeterna." The "Sanctus" is triumphant and the incredibly haunting "Agnus Dei" sends chills up the spine. The main theme introduced in the first movement is just beautiful. I am sure that if I heard Rutter's Requiem performed live and well, it would certainly bring tears to my eyes. It is a simply beautiful piece of music and is very well interpreted on this album. There is an excellent attention to the text and the shape of the phrases. A truly wonderful recording.

As for the other works on this album, they are just as impressive. The bombastic, sonorous "Arise, Shine" has enough G-force to plaster you to the back of your seat. It is wonderful to listen to the dialog between the chorus and the flute in "Musica Dei donum." "A Clare Benediction" is absolutely beautiful, as is "Go Forth into the World With Peace." The chords in "Come Down O Lord Divine" are incredible.

As for the organ pieces, the "Toccata in Seven" is bright and exciting, though a little heavy in some sections. The epic "Variations on an Easter Theme" is just astounding. Rutter takes us through a labyrinth of harmonic and rhythmic variation on a simple theme with wild obligados, fierce runs, dynamic shifts, tense harmonies, argumentative counterpoint and lyrical melodies. This is an amazingly exciting piece with two organists using all eight of the appendages between the two of them to make some amazing music.

This is quite a great collection of great sacred music from one of the best composers around today. Not to mention, you cannot beat Naxos' value. For under 10 bucks, this CD is a must.

A glorious piece.......2005-12-16

--Music--
Rutter's Requiem was written in 1985. In Catholic liturgy, a requiem is a Mass for the Dead, and as such involves strong tones both of mourning and loss as well as elements of hope and eternal life as reflected in Christian belief. Rutter states that, like Brahms and Faure, there are elements that depart from the traditional lines of a Catholic requiem. Rutter takes some of the texts from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Both the first and second movements, Requiem aeternam and 'Out of the Deep', set very dark, low, sombre tones. The use of strings at the beginning of 'Out of the Deep' is very effective, together with funeral-dirge like vocals. This contrasts greatly with the Pie Jesu, light and spiritual. The Sanctus is almost playful in aspect, and the Agnus Dei and Lux aeterna draw the listener higher and higher into the fullness of expectation of God's presence.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

This recording is produced by Rutter, but is performed by the London Sinfonia, a group that he has worked with but is not the usual Cambridge Singers. This performance compares favourably with Rutter's own group, with areas in which there is greater subtlety and depth.

Rutter brought me into the 20th century with this recording........2005-10-01

Prefering Classical, Baroque, & Romantic Music and particulary Requiems, I only gave this recording a chance because I could not find another requiem at the time, shortly after my parents had died. Having sung a few of Rutter's compositions in university I knew of his quality and flavor. To my surprise and complete amazement this piece and this particular recording was an incredible salve on the deepedst of open wounds. To this day, 10 years later, this is one of my top ten favorite albums. I have heard other renditions of Rutter's Requiem, however, none have had the intensity that this one has had, conducted by John Rutter, himself.

I feel this is the greatest of Rutters compositions and as of now , this is the best production of his Requiem I have heard yet. IMHO

Average customer rating:

Enjoy it very much

Music to Die For

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Orff: Carmina Burana
Górecki: Symphony No. 3 ("Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"); Three Olden Style Pieces
Glass: Violin concerto
Barber: School for Scandal/Symphonies 1 & 2
An Ancient Muse

ASIN: B0000DD78R
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Tracks:

O Fortuna - Slovac Philharmonic Chorus
Dies Irae - Hungarian State Opera Choir
Brides - Cracow Philharmonic Chorus
Moonlight Sonata - Jeno Jando
Second Movement - Adele Anthony
Adagio For Strings - Marin Alsop
Sanctus - Oxford Schola Cantorum
The Ring - Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Lacrymosa - Slovak Philharmonic Chorus
Tranquillisimo - Zofia Kilanowicz
Pie Jesu - Clare College Choir, Cambridge

Customer Reviews:

Enjoy it very much.......2007-03-27

I really enjoy classical music. I heard one of the pieces on the radio and had to have it.

Average customer rating:

Hallelujah: 35 Great Sacred Choruses

Manufacturer: Sparrow
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration
Hallelujah! & Other Great Sacred Choruses
Oxford Church Anthems
Choral Masterpieces
The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics

ASIN: B0001KL4OU
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Tracks:

Gloria In Excelsis Deo - Vivaldi
Ave Verum Corpus - Mozart
And Then Shall Your Light Break - Mendelssohn
If Ye Love Me - Tallis
Hallelujah - Beethoven
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - J.S. Bach
The Heavens Are Telling - Haydn
Panis Angelicus - Franck
Magnificat - J.S. Bach
Ave Verum Corpus - Byrd
How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place - Brahms
Miserere Mie, Deus - Allegri
Hallelujah, Amen - Handel
How Lovely Are The Messengers - Mendelssohn
For Unto Us A Child Is Born - Handel
Lacrimosa - Mozart
Laudate Dominum - Mozart
Hallelujah Chorus - Handel

Tracks:

Zadok The Priest - Handel
Sanctus - Gounod
He, Watching Over Israel - Mendelssohn
O, Sacred Head, Sore Wounded - J.S. Bach
Thine Be The Glory - Handel
Ave Maria - Rachmaninov
Gloria - Haydn
God So Loved The World - Stainder
Rejoice In The Lord Always - Purcell
I Was Glad - Parry
O Taste And See - Vaughan Williams
O Clap Your Hands - Vaughan Williams
Song For Athene - Tavener
The Old Hundredth - Vaughan Williams
Thou Knowest, Lord - Purcell
Ode To Joy - Beethoven
A Gaelic Blessing - Rutter

Average customer rating:

Great Bliss for Your Buck!

Peace: Pure Classical Calm

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Peace -- A Choral Album for Our Times
The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II
The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony
The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever!

ASIN: B00070EBR6
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

Agnus Dei - National Youth Choir Of Great Britain
Gollum's Song - Nic Raine
II. Adagio - Julia Thornton
In Trutina - Janice Watson
Gnossienne No.1 - Anne Queffelec
Eddie - Michael Nyman
Puer Natus Est Nobis - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo, Silos Ismael Fernandez De La Cuesta
Meditation - Paul Tortelier
Agnus Dei - Winchester Cathedral Choir, David Hill
II. Andante - Diana Ambache
Air 'On The G String' - English Chamber Orchestra
The Swan - Susan Tomes
II. Adagio - Sharon Isbin
Requiem - Stephen Farr
Venus, The Bringer Of Peace - Sir Charles Mackerras

Tracks:

II. Largo - Christopher Warren-Green
Canon In D - Halle Orchestra
II. Largo Ma Non Tanto - Alison Bury
Lascia Ch'io Pianga - Fabio Zanon
Guitar Concerto In D - Sharon Isbin
Aria - Maggie Cole
Ombra Mai Fu - Gerard Lesne
II. Andantino - James Galway
Liebestraum No.3 - Kun Woo P aik
Bailero - Arleen Auger
Gabriel's Oboe - Ennio Morricone
Pie jesu - Edward Saklatvala
Variation 18 - Mikhail Pletnev
Song For Athene - Winchester Cathedral Choir, David Hill
II. Andante - Dmitri Alexeev
Benedictus - National Youth Choir Of Great Britain

Customer Reviews:

Great Bliss for Your Buck!.......2007-01-13

Wonderful combination & range of classical music from both centuries past and current day. Included are two disks of soothing, relaxing bliss.

Illumina: Choral Music by Rautavaara, Rachmaninov, Byrd, Hildegard, Tallis, Rutter, Holst, Grechaninov, Tchaikovsky, Palestrina, Ligeti, and others

Average customer rating:

A beautiful ensemble tone
heavenly
Unbelievably beautiful

Illumina: Choral Music by Rautavaara, Rachmaninov, Byrd, Hildegard, Tallis, Rutter, Holst, Grechaninov, Tchaikovsky, Palestrina, Ligeti, and others
Cambridge Choir of Clare College , Timothy Brown , William Byrd , Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov , William H. Harris , Hildegard of Bingen , Gustav Holst , Josquin Desprez , Gyorgy Ligeti , and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Manufacturer: Collegium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000038I6G
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

Lumen
Bring Us, O Lord God
Ehtoohymni (Evening Hymn)
Nyinye otpushchayeshi (Nunc dimittis)
O Lux beata Trinitas
O coruscans lux stellarum
O nata lux
Te lucis ante terminum
Hymn To The Creator Of Light
Hail, Gladdening Light
Christe, qui lux es et dies
Nunc dimittis
Christe, qui lux es et dies
Nunc dimittis
Svyetye tikhii (Hail, Gladdening Light)
Svyetye tikhii (Hail, Gladdening Light)
Lucis Creator optime
Lux aeterna

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful ensemble tone.......2002-09-07

Most people who are used to the boy-treble sound of Kings College, wince at the thought of women-sopranos as members of the choir for English church music. But this Clare College performance would win over the most die-hard traditionalist. The program is a collection of familar and more interesting works spanning several centuries of the genre. The performances are measured, controlled and have a true ensemble tone. Although it would be unfair to treat this disc as just background music, it can be a wonderful oasis of calm after a busy day.

heavenly.......2002-02-13

I didn't think there was a group out there that could outshine the Cambridge Singers, but this group has done it. (Their shared history with John Rutter could have something to do with it!) "Bring Us, O Lord God" and "Hymn to the Creator of Light" are among the all-time great choral moments. Their sound is a shade warmer than the Cambridge Singers, which is an asset when moving outside Renaissance choral literature. The choir can sing with the pristine purity needed for Palestrina and the warm lushness needed for Rachmaninoff and Rautavaara. Every track on this album is stunning. This is now the first CD I send to people looking to start or augment their choral music collection. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Unbelievably beautiful.......2000-10-29

With this disc, their first recording for John Rutter's Collegium label, the Choir of Clare College in Cambridge prove themselves worthy to stand alongside the best in this country - and then some...

At the outset, I have to admit that I'm not wholly impressed by the programme. The title "Illumina" treads on ground that countless choirs have covered over the last ten years, and the music includes several items that fit in with that title, despite having been 'done to death' on other choral compilations: I have already come across dozens of CDs with "O nata lux" by Thomas Tallis, "Hymn to the Creator of Light" by John Rutter and "Hail, gladdening light" by Charles Wood, for instance, and it is as if having yet another recording of each detracts from the value of the others in my collection. The programme also includes a number of excerpts from Russian masterworks: specifically, canticles from the Vigil settings of Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Gretchaninov all appear (indeed, the last two composers are represented by their different settings of the same canticle!). In a similar vein is the inclusion of the Evening Hymn from Rautavaara's "Vigilia," sung in Finnish. Dense and rich polyphonic works of the Renaissance and late Romantic schools nestle side by side (cantus firmus motets by Thomas Tallis and Robert Whyte are paired off with soupy and familiar anthems by William Harris and Gustav Holst); these are contrasted by monodic plainchants and a hymn by Hildegard of Bingen. A Nunc Dimittis by Josquin also makes an appearance (it is the third setting of that particular text on the disc!) before the programme ends with Gyorgi Ligeti's striking and ethereal "Lux Aeterna."

So, a very predictable programme that might not seem worth purchasing, particularly as choral music lovers are bound to have all these tracks on previous releases. However, when it comes to actually listening to the disc, one finds it definitely worth adding to a choral collection. The Choir of Clare College have made recordings in the past, but not one of them is nearly as stunning as this. Timothy Brown draws the most amazing quality of sound from the singers: every note is precise, every word is clear, every texture is sonorous to the right degree, the balance is superb, the dynamic control is exquisite... The choir was obviously having a good year in terms of basses, who negotiate the infernal notes in the Rachmaninov and Rautavaara tracks with incredible power and admirable precision. Similarly, the sopranos and altos (Clare College Choir is mixed rather than all-male as at King's College) have a beautiful tone in the high registers of their voices. Completing the package are the scintillating acoustics of the recording venue: the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral. This lends a wonderful glow to all the music, even the Ligeti (I've never heard it sung as well as this).

Tracks:

Symphonic Sketches: Noel
'The Vikings' (Edited Version)
Spaseniye sodelal
A CHORUS LINE: A Chorus Line Medley
Requiem: 'Lux Aeterna'
Sinfonietta: Finale
'Moten Swing'
'Dooji Wooji'
'Concerto For Clarinet'
'Moonglow' - Excerpt (Analogue Master To Sony 1630)
'Moonglow' - Excerpt (Analoque Master To HDCD )
Requiem: 'Lux Aeterna' - Excerpt (Analoque Master To Sony 1630)
Requiem: 'Lux Aeterna' - Excerpt (Analoque Master To HDCD)
Trittico: Finale (Sony - KOJ 701ES Digital Master)
Trittico: Finale (HDCD Digital Master)

Customer Reviews:

hdcd sampler 2.......2007-01-12

Sound is very good on the home stereo. Perfect if you have a hdcd player. Sounds really good on the discman as well. This disc has a longer playing time than the first.

HDCD adds sound value.......2002-07-15

I bought this CD to go shopping for high end speakers. Not knowing really what HDCD was or how it sounds. Well, I also took along regular 16/44 CDs as well.

Conclusion: huge difference in sound... I would say moderately improved dynamic range, but more importantly, the resolution of the sound. You can hear (on track 3) the chorus taking breaths... and on certain systems even individuals taking breaths at fractionally separate points in time during a rest beat.

With good electronics and your preferred selection, and I mean near reference quality electronics, the HDCD sound MOVES you. I don't know how SACD sounds, but when I get my new room together, HDCD is definitely going to be there.

FYI, I listened to HDCD on a mark levinson 390S... so HDCD had the benefit of excellent D/A.

My immediate favourites are tracks 2 and 3. I must go find more Russian vocal type stuff... very cool sounds. Track 2 (Vikings) is amazing... the pipe organ wants to bring down the house if you run it thru 350w/channel and Wilson Watt Puppies.

I Was Skeptical, but Hearing is Believing.......2001-04-06

I bought a Toshiba 5109 last year for the progressive component video capability. I knew that it had a HDCD decoder but that fact didn't make much of an impression at the time. I didn't buy it for that reason and it wasn't a factor in my evaluation of DVD players. I was wrong, it should have been.

Two months ago my interest in possibly buying a SACD and DVD-Audio player caused me to take a look at this older but more established 2-channel technology...

I bought a couple classical recordings of some favorite works (various Copland and the Bruckner 9th) that were well reviewed. I was stunned at how exceptionally good they sounded, as close to a live performance in a good hall in a good seat as I have ever experience in non-live setting, but was this the exceptional quality of the recoding engineering only or was the HDCD technology a factor, too?

The final proof was this sampler, which has comparisons of the same material in regular 16-bit format and HDCD. I can't begin to describe the incredible difference it makes. I hesitate to say it, but the words "profound difference" comes to immediately to mind.

I had always been skeptical about audiophile comments about how something was lost when the industry moved away from analog vinyl to CD format. I no longer am.

One caution if you play this CD, track 7 has exceptionally wide dynamic range. Luckily, I am cautious and my system can handle huge transients, but I think I may have melted the windows near one of my speakers -grin-, the brass sound is white hot.

I can see why Microsoft purchased this technology.

George

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