Victoria: O Quam Gloriosum; O Quam Gloriosum

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Victoria's potential was such that while still a teenager he was sent from his home in Spain to study music in Rome. There he encountered an incredibly rich musical environment that included many of Europe's finest musicians, including Palestrina. Although Victoria wasn't one of the more prolific composers of his time, many of his masses and motets stand among the greatest and most beautiful masterpieces of the late Renaissance. Rather than relying on elaborate structures or unusual harmonies, Victoria mastered the smaller details of melodic shape and the use of contrasting homophonic and polyphonic textures to create and resolve tension and to set and maintain mood. Examples of these techniques abound on this award-winning recording--just listen to the intensely emotional Agnus Dei of the O Quam Gloriosum mass and the effective changes of mood in the Credo of the Ave Maris Stella mass. --David Vernier

Tracks:

Sicut Cervus
Ave Maria
Justorum Animae
Jesu Rex admirabilis
Exultate Deo
Exultate Justi
Jesu,Dulcis Memoria
Ave Verum Corpus
Psalm 90
Psalm 96
Hodie Christus Natus Est
O Maria Virgo Pia
Tu Pauperum Refugium
O Sacrum Convivium
If Ye Love Me,Keep My Commandments
Hosanna To The Son Of David
O Quam Gloriosum
Selig sind die Toten
Heu Nos Miseros
Exaltabo Te
O Sing Joyfully
O Magnum Mysterium
Laudate Nomen
Cantate Domino

Amazon.com

Go right to the first track and prepare for one of the most masterful and stylish performances of Palestrina that you'll ever hear. It's not flashy music nor is the singing especially virtuosic, but the unified phrasing, ideal balance among sections, and overall ensemble technique is impressive, and Palestrina's little motet simply opens and displays itself like a beautiful flower. The rest of the program, which includes a variety of beautiful flowers from composers such as Josquin, Sweelinck, and Tallis, maintains the same standard. Anyone looking for an introduction to Renaissance sacred choral music will find much here to encourage further exploration--standards like Byrd's "Ave verum corpus" and Victoria's "O magnum mysterium"-- and lesser known tiny masterpieces such as Victoria's "Jesu, dulcis memoria." The Voices of Ascension ranks with the world's finest choirs, and this recording reflects both the highest standard of choral singing and the highest standard of choral composition during the Renaissance. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Great literature... but thats about it.......2007-06-17

This cd was mildly dissapointing, to say the least. The literature is fantastic. Some of the greats are featured on here with some of their best works. No doubt a great taste of the Renaissance, especially for someone new to it. However, I'm sorry to say that the performance is second-rate, at best. Dennis Keene apparently is either unaware, or just simply understudied when it comes to the Renaissance. He shows an incredible lack of messa di voce, which was what drove the counterpoint of the Renaissance. His interpretations rob this music of its deeply personal purpose. I would suggest the Hilliard Ensemble over any ensemble for Renaissance literature, and find it dissapointing that so many people praise such emotionless, understudied Renaissance ensembels such as the Voices of Ascension, the Tallis Scholars, and the Oxford Camerata, just to name a few. Very good literature... But always pick the Hilliard Ensemble or Anthony Rooley's Consort of Musike when you have the option. It seems like Paul Hillier and Anthony Rooley are the only two true Renaissance scholars currently conducting ensembles.

Essential listening........2007-03-05

This was my first CD of Renaissance choral music, as it undoubtably has been for a great many people. It offers the best possible introduction to the genre for 2 main reasons: 1. No other CD of Renaissance choral music contains such a varied cross-section of early to late Renaissance sacred music styles. 2. The performance and recording quality are fabulous.

Keene uses a variety of different voicings and numbers of singers according to the needs of each particular piece, sometimes with only 2 on a part. The ensemble heard on this recording is a select professional core of The Voices Of Ascension, one of the best choral groups in the country. The voices are all very rich and resonant, and the intonation through the entire CD is unquestionably on par with the best in the world. The singing is, for the most part, completelly vibratoless and extremely smooth, which creates a gorgeous purity that allows this music to shine. However, it does become strident at times, which may put off some choral conductors who are strongly against straight-tone singing.

Of particularly high quality and beauty are the Viadana "Exultate Justi", Byrd's "Ave Verum Corpus", Tallis' "O Sacrum Convivium", and the Victoria and Sweelinck pieces. Another extraordinary track is Leonardo Leo's "Heu Nos Miseros", a late Baroque piece included because of its influence from earlier styles. It is a 9 part double choir piece full of extravigant dissonances and emotion, performed breathtakingly.

Captivating!.......2006-04-12

I was christened as a choral music fan once, as a college student, I heard the music of the Cambridge Singers. Inundated with classical music for years, how could I never have heard such music?! It was as if my musical senses were born anew: for it was with the same awe as a child encountering the world for the first time, that I discovered this novel and fascinating world of a cappella choral music. There were landmark discoveries along the way: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge; Concordia Choir; St. Olaf Choir; the Dale Warland Singers; the Kansas City Chorale; Kantorei; the West Coast Mennonite Chamber Singers...and (as you expected!) I must end with the Voices of Ascension. The clarity of their pure voices can only be paralleled by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge. Chant haters, do not avoid this CD - you will find no chants here! Chants hold absolutely NO intrigue for me and I cannot endure listening to them for long periods of time. By contrast, this music, aptly named "Beyond Chant," truly does uncover hidden musical treasures of the Renaissance for those who would ordinarily avoid such music. The intricately woven a cappella harmonies are captivating and satisfying. I highly recommend this CD to all choral music fans.

Lofty music.......2005-10-14

Some of the earliest pieces of Christian music are the various kinds of chant. These hearken back to synagogue singing; there were various kinds of chant, including Gregorian, Old Roman, Mozarabic, Cistercian and Anglican chant. These tend toward the monophonic, singing with a single 'tune' or lone. They are generally without regular beats or set meters. However, in the Renaissance, monophonic chant grew into a polyphonic form, and this is one of the most glorious eras of music. (My shelves at home are filled with CDs of this sort.) Composers in this era include many represented on this disc - Palestrina, Desprez, Victoria, Lassus, Byrd, Gibbons and Tallis were some of the leading lights of the time. Lesser known but still glorious include Tye, Viadana, Sweelinck, Hassler, Batten and Schutz.

One of the interesting features of this disc is that it includes three pieces by Sweelinck, two psalm settings and 'Hodie Christus Natus Est'. (Sweelinck is very under-represented in recording and performance today). Some pieces are very well known - Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' is perhaps one of the most familiar pieces from this period, as is Palestrina's 'Exultate Deo'. This is a collection that draws from the breadth of the Western Christian tradition of music from this time, with composers from Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Spain.

The composers here wrote liturgical music for Masses and other worship services, as well as other pieces - motets and other kinds of new music. This disc represents music that is two or three steps removed from plainsong and basic forms of chant - some are quite a bit distant. Viadana's composition for 'Exultate Justi', for example, was actually composed later, and despite being done in a more Renaissance style, shows decided influences of the Baroque (this might also be part of the performance of the Voices of the Ascension that gives this impression).

The Voices of Ascension, under the direction of Dennis Keene, grew out of the choir of the Church of the Ascension in New York City. Many of the singers are active soloists in addition to being part of this group (whose numbers vary, but often around 40). Keene is a conductor, organist and teacher (not an uncommon combination). Trained at Juilliard, he has led the Voices of Ascension through many outstanding recordings and performances.

This is a performance that is definitely uplifting, and a good collection of music in its breadth to introduce the glories of Renaissance polyphony to those who with little exposure to it. The recording quality is very good, and the choir is quite full and well suited for the music. Some have commented upon the tempo, but this was not a concern for me, and did not stand out as unusual or a problem upon listening (indeed, there were a few points at which I might wish for it to be a bit faster, rather than slower).

A collection that soars!

Slow down Maestro !.......2004-01-04

Another reviewer writing about another album by Dennis Keene wrote:

"Yet the performance is not the slowly flowing honey usually served up by, say, the Tallis Scholars (as good as that is). Particularly in the Gloria and Credo of the Mass, Dennis Keene deliberately de-emphasizes the rise and fall of the different voices' lines in favor of a more naturally speech-like declamation of the long Latin texts. This means a surprisingly fast tempo--and some rhythmic spring and syncopation one might not expect in Palestrina. Some (not all) of the motets get a similar treatment: it works well in joyous pieces like the Pentecost motet Dum complerentur, but listeners might miss that melodic rise and fall in some of the slower works. The singers of Voices of Ascension are quite skillful, and the slight edge in their tone helps make the different melodies unusually audible. Very worthwhile, but not your father's Palestrina."

As a matter of fact, I used to like this album quite much although it was certainly not my favorite. That was until I listened to Robert shaw's "O Magnum Mysterium", which is amedley of Renaissance, negro spiritual, Russian and Western contemporary religious music. I was struck by Shaw's profoundly spiritual interpretation of the pieces by Victoria and Tallis that are also recorded on "Beyond Chant".

From then on I could no longer listen to this cd without feeling feeling increasingly dissatisfied. I tried to find a precise reason and not being a music specialist I was quite at a loss until I found the review above. Maybe the quick tempo is the key to my dislike.

I definitely feel that Dennis Keene and his singers do not have the depth of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers although the booklet accompanying the cd claims that the audience was spellbound by their performance, which took place in a cathedral in New York.

Tracks:

Motet O Quam Gloriosum
Missa O Quam Gloriosum: Kyrie
Missa O Quam Gloriosum: Gloria
Missa O Quam Gloriosum: Credo
Missa O Quam Gloriosum: Sanctus
Missa O Quam Gloriosum: Agnus Dei
MISSA AVE MARIS STELLA: Kyrie
MISSA AVE MARIS STELLA: Gloria
MISSA AVE MARIS STELLA: Credo
MISSA AVE MARIS STELLA: Sanctus
MISSA AVE MARIS STELLA: Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

Victoria's potential was such that while still a teenager he was sent from his home in Spain to study music in Rome. There he encountered an incredibly rich musical environment that included many of Europe's finest musicians, including Palestrina. Although Victoria wasn't one of the more prolific composers of his time, many of his masses and motets stand among the greatest and most beautiful masterpieces of the late Renaissance. Rather than relying on elaborate structures or unusual harmonies, Victoria mastered the smaller details of melodic shape and the use of contrasting homophonic and polyphonic textures to create and resolve tension and to set and maintain mood. Examples of these techniques abound on this award-winning recording--just listen to the intensely emotional Agnus Dei of the O Quam Gloriosum mass and the effective changes of mood in the Credo of the Ave Maris Stella mass. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

heavenly choral music........2007-04-02

if you were to have only one choral music recording in your life, this would be a fine choice (though once hearing this stirring work, i can't imagine one not seeking out more of this stuff). on this gramophone award-winning recording, the choir of westminster cathedral has made a thing of wonder from the music of tomas luis de victoria (1548-1611). heavenly, mesmerizing, completely enchanting. this is one of the first discs of choral music that i purchased. it got me hooked and i've been an avid fan of this genre ever since. my highest recommendations. a masterpiece.

Singing as no other.......2006-01-29

All Hyperion productions are of the highest level. This one is no exception. Excellent, atmospheric sound with David Hill, a master of post renaissance music, leading the Westminster Cathedral Choir in an great performance of some of Victoria's best known music. The excellence of the production was awarded with a Gramophone award. If you listen to it you will know why.

One of a Series of Victoria CDs by Hill and the Westminsters.......2005-02-14

Over the years, from the mid-1980s, beginning (I believe) with 'O Magnum Misterium' and 'Ascendens Christus in Altum,' David Hill and the Westminster Cathedral Choir have recorded a good number of Victoria's motets and masses. All of the performances I've heard, including this CD of 'O Quam Gloriosum' and 'Ave Maris Stella,' some of Victoria's most beloved music, are stunningly sung and recorded. The Westminster Choir's boy trebles give these performances an ethereal quality that raises these performances above the usual level. This is astonishingly beautiful music in remarkably effective performances by these forces. I would also heartily recommend the others in the series.

This is music and these are performances that people who don't ordinarily like classical music, or people who aren't particularly religious, can listen to and enjoy endlessly.

Highly recommended.

Scott Morrison

Absolutely Wonderful.......2000-07-12

This is my favorite of all the Westminster Cathedral Choir CDs. It is the only one I know of that has earned an award, and it certainly deserves it. I have several CDs of Victoria's masses by this choir, but this one is the best! The music is just magnificent; the melodies are wonderful; the blending of voices absolutely delightful, etc etc. Listen to the samples above and you will see ..uhh, that is, hear for yourself!

Heavenly........1999-10-26

"Our family plays this CD almost daily. It's a taste of heaven on earth. A surge of bliss shoots through our spine each time we play it.Victoria, the composer, could well be a member of the choir of angels in heaven. Definitely a must in any sacred music collection."

Average customer rating:

Beautiful music - Deo gratias!
Wonderful
Good, but a lot to be desired
Ignacio is Right, This is Excellent and a Good Buy
Excelente disco

Victoria: Masses

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Desprez-Palestrina Motets/Masses

ASIN: B0000013U9
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Ave Maria
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
O Magnam Mysterium
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
O Quam Gloriosum
Ardens Est Cor Meum
Alonso Lobo: Versa Est In Luctum

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful music - Deo gratias!.......2007-02-27

This is an excellent CD with the best Kyrie I have ever heard (track 2, the Kryrie for the Missa O magnum mysterium). Clear voices, good direction, beautiful music.

Wonderful.......2005-10-23

I purchased this to use in training for a choir that I am in, and fell in love with it for it's own merits. The cantors are amazing, and the balance and production flawless. Enjoy.

Good, but a lot to be desired.......2005-04-22

I love Victoria and his masses. Having done the Gloria, Sanctus, Kyrie, and Agnus Dei in my college choir from his parody mass ("Missa O Magnum Mysterium"), I found that, while the recording had perfect accuracy of notes and cut-offs, the overall shaping of vowels was somewhat that of a boychoir, which I'm guessing the director wanted. However, certain performance practices relevant to Victoria's time weren't employed, and this was a bit of a disappointment. That is, the messa di voce of notes over two beats, and half-notes in the middle of measures, or a quarter-note tied to another quater-note over a barline wasn't present, nor was the tapering of the quarter-and-a-half note before the eighth-note to show the bounce, nor the crescendo in rising lines and decrescendo in falling ones, nor the lilt in a part's half-step movement down, then up. These are all esoteric things to be noticed, but that's why I give it three stars instead of five. Still, it's a great recording for lovers of Victoria and his masses, but there's a lot of room for improvement.

Ignacio is Right, This is Excellent and a Good Buy.......2003-04-21

This review has something of the gratuitously autobiographical about it.

The short of it is, on this disc you will find lovely repertory, and will find it sung both capably and sweetly by the Oxford Camerata.

It was in tenth grade, I think, that I first sang O magnum mysterium. Since seventh grade, I had been playing the clarinet in our school band; and the bits I had heard of the occasional school chorus concert did not give me the impression, either that the human voice is a musical instrument, or that the stuff written for lots of voices together was anything I should ever take any interest in. And yet, somehow, I allowed myself one afternoon to be dragged into the music room when there was a chorus rehearsal, and I found myself trying to sing.

One of the first things the director had us read, was this Victoria motet; and I was enthralled from the start.

Now, I will not hide from you that there is plenty of music which, back in school, I thought the most enduringly great literature imaginable, but of which now, after years of education and experience, I cannot in good conscience entertain anywhere near so exalted an opinion.

But the Victoria is one of a few pieces I met and loved back in school, which has worn marvelously well over the years.

The parody Mass based on the motet, is absolutely new to me (the term "parody" here possesses nothing of the, but means that the musical material for much of the Mass's polyphony comes from an outside source); and for anyone who is familiar with the motet, the aural hunt for the gestures and motifs which come from the motet is a most pleasant puzzle. The beginnings of both the Kyrie and the Sancus make use of the descending fifth of the motet's opening, though it is a little "masked" among other voices. The music both of this Mass, and the Missa O quam gloriosum, are a wonderful mixture of the serenely fluid vocal polyphony typical of (say) Palestrina, and episodes of dance-like rhythm which are more like Spanish madrigals.

Excelente disco.......2002-08-29

Muy buena interpretacion de la misa O quam Gloriosum. El Ave Maria a 4 voces esta a un tempo un poco rapido a mi gusto, pero igualmente delicioso. Una muy buena compra.

Blessed Spirit: Music of the Soul's Journey

Average customer rating:

Soothing, Relaxing and Fulfilling
"Journey to Heaven"

Blessed Spirit: Music of the Soul's Journey
Peter Abelard , William Byrd , Gregorian Chant , Sir Henry Walford Davies , William H. Harris , Hildegard of Bingen , Gustav Holst , Sir Charles H.H. Parry , Heinrich Schutz , John Sheppard , John Tavener , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , American Traditional , Russian Traditional , Spiritual Traditional , Tomas Luis de Victoria , Elin Manahan Thomas , Vanessa Huntly , Alexander Jupp , and Timothy Brown
Manufacturer: Collegium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004YYQ9
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Tracks:

Requiem Aeternam
Kontakion Of The Departed
Selig Sind Die Toten
Blessed Are They
Funeral Ikos
Domine Jesu Christe
O Quam Gloriosum
Psalm 121/Requiem Aeternam
The Evening-Watch
Steal Away
There Is An Old Belief
O Quanta Qualia
Justorum Animae
Deep River
In Paradisum
O Felix Anima
Audivi Vocem De Caelo
Faire Is The Heaven

Customer Reviews:

Soothing, Relaxing and Fulfilling.......2005-11-17

As I was driving home one evening, I was tuned into National Public Radio as "Faire is the Heaven" was played. The emotional outburst that followed immediately caused me to purchase this recording. It is simply heavenly. The tone quality and blend of these singers is amazing. Even on average computer speakers, the sounds will take you to a different place.

I highly reccomend this album.

"Journey to Heaven".......2000-12-20

The theme of this CD, "Blessed Spirit" is the music of heaven & our journey to heaven. You can tell John Rutter had a part in producing this beautiful music. It's an imaginary voyage, of course, with 18 selections presented here, and it is some of the most peaceful & beautiful music you might ever hear performed by the wonderful Clare College Choir. It's a inspiring collection of music from different eras and traditions. It's great to sit back, relax, and just let go and enjoy the music and beautiful voices of this choir. This is a follow-up to "Ilumina" , another great choral CD, and this marks the second appearance of the Choir of Clare College on this label. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Word Incarnate

Manufacturer: Pro Organo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Average customer rating:

A fine collection
Tell the rock band at your church to pack their bags!

Oxford Church Anthems

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration

ASIN: B0000037G2
Release Date: 1995-09-05

Tracks:

O Thou, The Central Orb
Almighty and Everlasting God
My Eyes for Beauty Pine
Where Thou Reignest
Locus Iste
Lord, I Trust Thee
Holy Is the True Light
Solus ad Victimam
God Be in My Head
Pray that Jerusalem
When To the Temple Mary Went
Thou Knowest, Lord
Ave Verum Corpus
Awake, Thou Wintry Earth
O Quam Gloriosum
Nolo Mortem Peccatoris
Crux Fidelis
Evening Hymn

Customer Reviews:

A fine collection.......2002-03-14

The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, present on this disc a survey of music from the "New Church Anthem Book" - new, at least, in 1996 - which contains some of the most accessible and well-crafted music in the repertoire of the English Church. Since the book was designed for use by parish church choirs, it follows that most of the music is quite simple, and the Christ Church Choir make it sound easily achieved, but it is still enormously effective and makes a good sequence of music. The extremely close acoustic of Christ Church Cathedral (the driest cathedral acoustic in England, I believe) lends an impression of what such music might sound like in the parish church context.

Some of the all-time favourites are here, as one might expect: Charles Wood's magnificent "O Thou, the central orb"; "Locus iste," arguably the most famous of Bruckner's motets; Purcell's solemn funeral sentence "Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts"; William Byrd's poised yet anguished setting of "Ave verum corpus"; John Rutter's gem-like and highly effective setting of the beautiful Sarum Primer prayer "God be in my head." These are certainly to be heard from time to time at all the great cathedrals in England, but are no less at home in English parish churches and make for absorbing listening.

Other items fit more obviously into the cathedral tradition. Orlando Gibbons, whose career ended with a brief tenure as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, enriched the worship there and in other great houses of prayer with his anthems and music for the liturgy, and his motet "Almighty and everlasting God" is a noble example of his calmer polyphonic writing. Also from the Tudor period is the dignified account of Simeon witnessing the Christ-child in the temple and declaring his faith and readiness to die in that faith in Johannes Eccard's "When to the temple Mary went." Thomas Morley produces an intense restraint in "Nolo mortem peccatoris" with its weaving vocal lines. The Renaissance is well represented in the lush motets of Victoria (his evocative setting of "O quam gloriosum") and King John IV of Portugal (the popular "Crux fidelis," often to be heard during Passiontide).

Two interesting items are extracts from baroque cantatas, sung in English: "Awake thou, wintry earth" comes from Bach's Cantata 129 and features a chorale (with unmistakable harmonies) set above a continuous organ part that makes colourful use of trumpet stops; meanwhile, "Lord I trust thee" is adapted from Handel's lesser-known oratorio "Der für die Sünde der Welt" - this also has a busy organ part with flowing chordal statements by the choir above it. In like manner, Stanford's anthem "Pray that Jerusalem" consists mainly of organ, with the choir singing the verses of a hymn broken into two-line fragments, sometimes left unaccompanied to provide relief and contrast from the otherwise continuous tone colours. Meanwhile, Schubert's "Where thou reignest" is an adaptation of a partsong, of which the composer was an acknowledged master, with lyrical if at times angular melodies and soft, warm harmonies.

Four anthems represent the twentieth century in its subtlest colours. Herbert Howells is best known for his canticles, most of which are beyond the capabilites of a parish church choir, but in "My eyes for beauty pine" there is an example of his more straightforward writing - this is mostly unison, with the briefest of excursions into four-part harmony. Despite its simplicity it is no less distinctive than his more celebrated works; the same could be said for the wonderful setting of "Holy is the true light" by William Harris, in which (as the liner notes put it) he manages to condense the effect of his famous double choir motets "Faire is the heaven" and "Bring us, O Lord God" into a single choir piece lasting a little over a minute and a half. Kenneth Leighton's works are often difficult, his style being the most 'contemporary' of the composers presented here, but in "Solus ad victimam" (actually in English despite the Latin title!) he shows his ability to make that style accessible and open to singers (and listeners) even of only amateur standards. The programme ends with a real war-horse: Henry Balfour Gardiner's "Evening Hymn," which is sung here in Latin ("Te lucis ante terminum") but was also set with an English metrical translation. It has a quasi-Victorian brand of sweetness and gusto that may not be to everyone's taste, but it is perfectly poised, evocative of the text and leaves one feeling spiritually replete.

The Oxford Choir does itself and conductor Stephen Darlington credit: the trebles make a rich sound that easily complements the strength of the choral scholars and lay clerks (amongst whom, it appears, there were a few guest singers, including the tenor Andrew Carwood of Westminster Cathedral and the Finzi Singers). Stephen Farr, now Director of Music at Guildford Cathedral, accompanies with clarity and care, although his registrations are at times unimaginative. The brief but informative liner notes are by Lionel Dakers, a former Director of the Royal School of Church Music and editor of the "New Church Anthem Book."

This is an interesting slant on the "English Anthem" collections by St. Paul's Cathedral Choir on Hyperion and the "Great Cathedral Anthems" sung by a variety of English and American Cathedral Choirs on Priory, and is quite recommendable.

Tell the rock band at your church to pack their bags!.......1999-10-26

This is what church music SHOULD be. Buy this CD, and the book that goes with it, and present it to your church Choir Director and Pastor. If you're tired of all that "contemporary" TRIPE that is being shoved down your throat on Sunday mornings....buy them this cd and recreate the days when we tried to aspire to God's level......instead of bringing Him down to ours!

Victoria: Ave Maris Stella; O Quam Gloriosum

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Victoria: Ave Maris Stella; O Quam Gloriosum

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000CDVR5
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Average customer rating:

Agnus Dei: Classical Music for Reflection and Meditation

Agnus Dei

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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Similar Items:

Benedictus
Requiem
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Gloria: Classical Music for Reflection and Meditation
Salve Regina

ASIN: B00000JYOS
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Agnus Dei - Jeremy Summerly
Agnus Dei - Oxford Camerata
Agnus Dei - Oxford Camerata
Versa Est In Luctum - Oxford Camerata
Pavan - Rose Consort Of Viols
Agnus Dei - Oxford Camerata
Agnus Dei - Oxford Camerata
Agnus Dei - Oxford Camerata
Agnus Dei - Herve Niquet
Sinfonia - Hungarian Radio Orchestra
Agnus Dei - Faridah Schafer-Subrata
Lacrimosa - Magdalena Hajossyova
Ave Verum Corpus - Johannes Wildner
Pavane - Keith Clark
Agnus Dei - Jeremy Summerly
Agnus Dei - Beatrice Uria-Monzon
Agnus Dei - Oxford Camerata

Customer Reviews:

Agnus Dei: Classical Music for Reflection and Meditation.......2000-10-02

Make it your manifest destiny to own this compilation of music. These scores are given to us by the world's most gifted composers. Performing are "heavenly" choirs and instrumentalists demonstrating true virtuosity. Large choirs perform with such intonation qualities! There appears to be just one voice in each section. Your heart will pound when you are lifted so high you realize that you have stopped breathing; likewise, with the sudden timbre of the minor you allow yourself to remember tears. The emotional roller-coaster ride will affect your inner being. It is appropriately subtitled: Classical Music for Reflection and Meditation. It is a true gift to hear the genius of Byrd, Bach, Mozart, Faure, and others, performed so well.