Westminster Mass

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Despite the Westminster Mass's specific origin--it was commissioned in honor of Britain's Catholic leader, the late Cardinal Basil Hume--Roxanna Panufnik (b. 1968) has written her Mass with a view to having it performed in a variety of contexts. The vocal writing is therefore pitched deliberately within the limits of amateur choirs, and alternative orchestrations exist--for organ or harp accompaniment--allowing for flexibility in performance. As recorded here, it's an attractive and accessible work with easily digestible tunes that don't come across as facile or pall on repeated listening. Particularly striking is the celebratory Sanctus (the texts are in English) with its joyous repetition of Hosanna. The other lengthy work on the disc is Rubbra's Missa in honorem Sancti Dominici, a four-part a cappella setting written in 1948 that employs modern harmonies but simultaneously looks back over its shoulder at the choral works of Tallis and Byrd. None of the other pieces on the album are without interest, but undoubtedly the selling point is Panufnik's Mass, and it's that piece the listener will return to most often. The Westminster Cathedral choir, singing on home ground, are persuasively eloquent throughout. --Mark Walker

Westminster Mass, Music, Panufnik, Westminster Cathedral Choir, O'Donnell, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Classical Vocals

Kodaly: Missa Brevis; Laudes Organi / Janacek: Mass in E Flat
Average customer rating:

An interesting showcase

Kodaly: Missa Brevis; Laudes Organi / Janacek: Mass in E Flat
Leos Janacek , Zoltan Kodaly , James O'Donnell , Choir of Westminster Cathedral , and Andrew Reid
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Janácek, Leos | ( J ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Langlais: Missa Salve Regina / Messe Solennelle

Handel: Messiah, Israel In Egypt - Andrew Parrott/Taverner Choir & Players (4 CD's)

Schnittke: Piano Concerto/Requiem

Dvorak: Mass in D; Biblical Songs Op99

Vierne: Messe solennelle; Widor: Messe à deux choeurs et deux orgues; Dupré: Quatre motets

ASIN: B00004R61P
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

Missa Brevis: Introitus
Missa Brevis: Kyrie
Missa Brevis: Gloria
Missa Brevis: Credo
Missa Brevis: Sanctus
Missa Brevis: Benedictus
Missa Brevis: Agnus Dei
Missa Brevis: Ite, missa est
Laudes Organi: Introduction
Laudes Organi: Audi chorum
Laudes Organi: Musice! milites
Laudes Organi: Gravis chorus
Laudes Organi: Nunc per voces
Laudes Organi: Tali modulo
Laudes Organi: Huius artis
Laudes Organi: Fiat amen
Mass In E Flat: Kyrie
Mass In E Flat: Credo
Mass In E Flat: Sanctus
Mass In E Flat: Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

To the average secular humanist, Zoltán Kodály's Missa Brevis can be a bewildering experience. It's an erratic expanse of music, ranging from deep-throated organ runs to angelic boys-choir arrangements--all over, one might say, God's green earth. The familiar "Gloria in excelsis Deo," sung solemnly by a solo male voice, blossoms instantly into full-bodied polyphony; the brief but elaborate organ works that bookend the mass proper threaten to smother its memory. Pairing Kodály with Leos Janácek makes more sense as concept album than as seamless listening experience. Both wrote church music in the early 20th century, but the differences between these works are more striking than are their similarities. Janácek's vocal settings are highly sophisticated, concerned less with the specific words of God than with their haunting spirit. He favors shifting vocal parts, in contrast with Kodály's formal rounds; when Janácek's voices do align, it's for stark dramatic effect. The choir is remarkable in its enunciation and ensemble, but the volume levels on this recording vary so widely as to unnecessarily complicate the selection of an appropriate listening level. Paul Wingfield's opinionated liner notes remind us that the Lord's work is fraught with human ego. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews:

An interesting showcase.......2000-07-06

This is the last recording made for Hyperion by Westminster Cathedral Choir under James O'Donnell. It is quite an interesting combination of works to say the least.

Most of the programme is given over to the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly. The opening "Missa Brevis" is a remarkable work - it has a fine sense of melody and a tonal language that is at times unpredictable but nonetheless bearable if you're used to Mozart or Haydn or Schubert. There are some really haunting moments here - the austere and lyrical opening of the "Kyrie" gives way to a passage for trebles and high organ accompaniment of the most radiant quality, including some unbelievably quiet top Cs! By contrast, such movements as the "Gloria" and "Credo" manage to be joyful but at the same time rather staid. As the work draws to a conclusion, the contemplative and ethereal mood returns. It is not hard to imagine this in liturgical performance.

The centre of the programme is taken up by an unusual cantata, "Laudes Organi," in which Kodaly sets an ancient Latin poem extolling the use of instruments (especially the organ) in worship, as well as offering praise for the makers of such instruments. The harmonic language of the Mass is also evident in this much more exuberant work, although for some reason I find myself taking it with a pinch of salt; it doesn't come across as convincingly as the Mass, although in its own right it is well-written.

The disc concludes with a very special 'new' work: the "Mass in E flat" by Leos Janacek. This has often been referred to as the "Unfinished Mass" and has been a topic of interest to musicologists and Janacek scholars for many years - it is known that he wrote it as a study model for his composition pupils who sought to write short mass settings, and that the work was a prototype for the celebrated "Glagolitic Mass." There have now been at least two attempts to reconstruct the original sketches of the "Unfinished Mass," and the version recorded here is the most recent, made by musicologist Paul Wingfield (who describes the process in an informative booklet note). This is an interesting glimpse at Janacek's style: he had no religious convictions whatsoever and it certainly shows in places (the lack of a "Gloria" and the formal, almost stiff construction of the "Agnus Dei" are obvious examples). Nonetheless, like the Kodaly, one can imagine parts of this being performed in liturgical offerings, and it appears that Westminster Cathedral Choir are the first to try it out in that way.

This is certainly an interesting showcase of the now-legendary musicianship at the Cathedral. The daunting expressionism of the Kodaly Mass is ably met by the boys, a testament to James O'Donnell's choir training abilities, and the balance of voices throughout the rest of the programme is admirable. What is particularly arresting about the programme, however, is the performance of the Cathedral's sub-organist Andrew Reid. Each of the three works includes substantial passages for organ: the Kodaly Mass begins and ends with movements for organ alone; "Laudes Organi" naturally takes an opportunity to milk the resources of the organ (and test the stamina of its player!) and the Janacek Mass calls for some remarkably flambuoyant playing, particularly in the "Sanctus." Because of this, I feel that the disc is more of a presentation of the Westminster Cathedral organ that of the choir - not that there's anything wrong with that...

Tracks:

Great Is The Lord, Op. 67
Sanctus And Agnus Dei
Omnes gentes, plaudit manibus: Omnes gentes, plaudite manibus
Super flumina Babylonis
O sacrum convivium
Sanctus
Deus, Deus meus
Ave verum corpus
Agnus Dei
Ave verum corpus
Hei mihi, Domine
Nunc dimittis
Ave Maria, Op. 23, No. 2
Magnificat For Double Choir, Op. 164

Customer Reviews:

Stupendous majesty and awe.......2007-03-21

Westminster Cathedral Choir is one of the finest Catholic Choirs if not in the UK. Anyone who has never visited the building would be blown away by the sheer size of it with a long nave and fine Willis Organ facing the West end position. This collection of delights are a delight for any listener who appreciates the old masters to the more contemporary. The Britten is a revelation and the longest work is the double magnificat by Charles Stanford. Notice how the Choir stay perfectly in tune on the note and never tired of such a work which is unaccompanied. A real treat.

A Definitive Collection.......1999-09-28

This disc is ideal for anyone who is curious about the Roman Catholic Cathedral just down the road from Westminster Abbey. It features music from all ages, all of which is brilliantly sung. Of course, since it covers such a broad range of styles, it is what I like to call a "buffet" CD- there's always a firm favourite item, rubbing proverbial shoulders with something less appealing. For instance, I am very taken by the Panufnik work "Deus meus es tu" but find such items as the Palestrina quite dull (although other works from that period such as the Byrd "Ave verum" are most arresting). On the whole, this disc is the definitive "voice" of Westminster Cathedral Choir, and it will be interesting to see what happens when director James O'Donnell takes over at Westminster Abbey in the new year. A broad mix of music that is good value for money.

Average customer rating:

stunning masterpieces of faith
Beautiful, Fantastic!
Utterly recommended
The Next Face of Church Music
Wonderful 21st Century setting of the Mass

MacMillan: Mass and other sacred works
Choir of Westminster Cathedral
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cantos Sagrados: Choral Music by James Macmillan
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James Macmillan: A Scotch Bestiary; Piano Concerto No. 2
MacMillan: Veni, Veni Emmanuel

ASIN: B00005AULF
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

A New Song
Mass: Kyrie
Mass: Gloria
Mass: Alleluia
Mass: Sursum Corda and Preface
Mass: Sanctus and Benedictus
Mass: Eucharistic Prayer and Acclamations
Mass: Agnus Dei
Christus vincit
Gaudeamus in loci pace
Seinte Mari moder milde
A Child's Prayer
Changed

Amazon.com

This recording of James MacMillan's Mass is an intense, emotionally charged 70 minutes reflecting the composer's deeply held religious beliefs. These are beliefs that, as he has said in commenting on the mood of his Mass, are not immune to doubts and fears and an awareness of the "tragedies and uncertainties of our age." So don't expect an easy listen. The music featured on this album unfolds slowly, patiently, seeming to exist outside time, and yet is colored by extremes of pitch and dynamic requiring great virtuosity and control. The Mass, which is written in Latin and incorporates priest and congregation in liturgical use, could have been written for the singers of the Westminster Cathedral Choir featured here, who know its contours intimately. The traditional hard-edged sound of the Westminster Cathedral trebles cut through the vast acoustic like a knife, right up until the wonderfully imaginative hold-your-breath ending of the "Agnus Dei." A range of other British cathedrals and churches that boast connections with MacMillan's works are included, among them St. Paul's Cathedral and King's College Chapel, Cambridge. The Scottish accents of "A New Song" beguile and bewitch, while the moving "A Child's Prayer" commemorates the 1996 Dunblane tragedy. Among the soloists, treble David de Winter provides some breathtaking moments in "Christus Vincit." --Andrew Green

Customer Reviews:

stunning masterpieces of faith.......2002-07-08

This is liturgical and religious music at its best. Macmillan is grounded in modern atonal music and in the long tradition of music in the church - plainsong, antiphonal singing, up to and including the great performance masses. This grounding in the music of the Church is in the context of faith not musical history. The result is music for the great cathedrals - music that soars to the heights, that is not muddled by the stone acoustics.

The cd contains a Wallace Stevens poem set for choir "Changed"; that Macmillan recognizes this poem as essentially religious attests to the depth of his faith. The Seinte Mari moder milde which was commissioned for a Lessons and Carols service should become standard Advent/Christmas repetoire.

Great music; great performance ... what more can one ask?

Beautiful, Fantastic!.......2002-03-25

This is some of the most beautiful vocal music I have ever heard (and I have heard a lot!). Actually, I should remove the qualifiier: this is some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. I was surprised by this CD as I had only previously been aware of MacMillan as the composer of some thorny, albeit interesting, instrumental works. There remains some evidence of his more challenging modernistic aspect especially in some of the organ parts but this music is ageless/timeless in its spirit and character. MacMillan manages to use familiar elements: plainsong, common chords and grounded tonality to achieve wonderfully fresh effects and textures-no easy feat in this day and age when this approach has been "picked over" by many lesser composers. No less an achievment is MacMillan's ability to use very modern quasi-atonal elements and blend them convincingly with "older", more familiar musical elements. In short, this is a stunning triumph of vision and imagination and a wonderful fusion of ancient and modern.
The religious underpinnings of these pieces should not dissuade you from buying and enjoying this CD. The music certainly has a very strong and sincere spiritual quality but one can enjoy this music on its purely musical terms: imagination, craft, beauty of sound, inspiration and ability to connect emotionally with the listener.
Kudos are also in order for the performers. The Westminster Choir sounds absolutely wonderful as does the organist. Hats off to their director for pulling this challenging music (from a performance standpoint) in a seemingly effortless manner. The recording also gets high marks as does absolutely everything about this CD.

Music of the highest order-my highest recommendation!

Utterly recommended.......2001-12-18

James MacMillan has become acknowledged as one of the powerful voices amongst composers of today. His music combines a strong sense of spirituality with genuine earthly passions, and feels true to its time whilst being accessible. This disc brings together some of MacMillan's finest sacred music, by which he is most favourably represented.

Since the departure of James O'Donnell in January 2000, Westminster Cathedral Choir have been under the direction of Martin Baker, formerly Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey. He is clearly every bit as capable as O'Donnell in bringing out the best from his forces: from the first to the last, the singing of the boys is enchanting and that of the men is very robust indeed!

The centrepiece of the programme is of course MacMillan's "Mass," a setting of the modern vernacular text commissioned by Westminster Cathedral. The liner notes describe it as "extraordinarily complete" - it is indeed difficult to think of any composer who has gone as far as to provide music for the Gospel Acclamation and Eucharistic Prayers in addition to the usual sections of the Ordinary. In this work, MacMillan demonstrates beyond any doubt his vision of God: seething with power over our world, yet adorable and approachable by us. Certain moments are extremely gritty, especially the "Sanctus" which conveys this image more strongly than any other section. The work also owes something to the inspiration of Westminster Cathedral itself; one can almost see the edifice against the ever-bristling background of London in the dark and subtle musical colours of the "Agnus Dei." MacMillan also acknowledges the archaic splendours of plainchant, particularly in his settings of the tropes accompanying the familiar "Kyrie" text and in the Eucharistic Prayer. This is a Mass like no other - deeply felt and gripping, a challenge for any good choir (with some virtuosic organ writing to boot!) that is astonishingly well-met by the Westminster Choir.

The disc opens with the spell-binding anthem "A New Song," with a hauntingly memorable Gaelic-flavoured tune, ethereal drones from the basses and the organ, and some powerful moments involving everyone in a fugue-like outburst that is at once joyful and wistful. The coda for organ is very exciting. Other works in the programme have similarly been adopted as anthems in the repertoires of the 'elite' church and cathedral choirs around the world: "Christus vincit," with its breathtaking and demanding treble solo; "A Child's Prayer," a stark and moving piece written in memory of those who were killed at Dunblane Primary School in 1996; the wonderful carol "Sainte Mari, Moder Milde," commissioned for the 1995 Nine Lessons and Carols Service at King's College Cambridge and giving everyone in the choir (and, again, the organist) something to sink their teeth into. The programme is capped by two works that fall outside of the regular repertoire: "Changed," a setting of secular text with sacred overtones that presents some astonishing choral sonorities, and "Gaudeamus in loci pace," MacMillan's first major solo organ work which is essentially a plainchant antiphon harmonised in slowly unfolding chords and embellished with Messiaen-like bird motifs.

Everything about this disc is utterly commendable: the artwork, the performance, the sound quality, and by all means the music. An incomparably stunning experience!

The Next Face of Church Music.......2001-12-04

James MacMillan is without a doubt the most profound composer of church music writing today. His music is deeply joyous, but without shouting at you. There is tenderness, pathos and in the Mass, an almost otherwordly sense of the Eucharist. Imagine a mixture of Herbert Howells, Messiaen, and Scottish Music and you may get an idea of the effect of this profoundly beautiful music. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the revival of modern liturgical music, and anyone interested in recovering the sense of mystery in worship.

Wonderful 21st Century setting of the Mass.......2001-10-19

James MacMillan has done a great thing in composing this Mass for Westminster Cathedral. Since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Roman Catholic church music has suffered greatly. Much of post-Vatican II sacred music is trite and banal. Thankfully, the choir of Westminster Cathedral has shown us that this need not be so.

They have commissioned 20th (and now 21st century) works for use in the liturgy. James MacMillan's setting of the Mass is marvelous and example of what Roman Catholic church music could be. The setting is in English. Most Roman Catholics are far more likely to encounter the English Mass rather than the Latin. The music is faithful to the texts and enunciates them well.

Josquin des Préz: Missa Pange Lingua
Average customer rating:

Glorious

Absolutely first rate

Josquin des Préz: Missa Pange Lingua
Josquin des Préz , James O'Donnell , and Westminster Cathedral Choir
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Josquin des Prés: Missa Pange Lingua; Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi

Machaut: Messe de Notre Dame / The Hilliard Ensemble

ASIN: B000002ZRS
Release Date: 1994-01-12

Tracks:

Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie
Missa Pange Lingua: Gloria
Missa Pange Lingua: Credo
Missa Pange Lingua: Sanctus
Missa Pange Lingua: Benedictus
Missa Pange Lingua: Agnus Dei
Planxit Autem David
Planxit Autem David: ... Montes Gelboe
Planxit Autem David: ... sagitta Jonathae
Planxit Autem David: ... Doleo Super te
Vultum Tuum: Vulturn tuum (Introit Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Sancta Dei Genetrix (Gloria Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Intemerata Virgo (Credo Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Ave Maria (Offertory Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: O Maria (Sanctus Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Tu lumen (Elevation Motet)
Vultum Tuum: Mente tota (After Elevation)
Vultum Tuum: Christe, Fili Dei (Agnus Dei Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Ora Pro Nobis (Deo Gracias Substitute)

Customer Reviews:

Glorious.......2002-02-03

I bought this recording because I am desperately in love with the composer -- Josquin Desprez. For reasons I can't quite explain, his music moves me and inspires me as few other Renaissance composers can. I first became acquainted with him while singing his "Missa de Beata Virgine" with my own university choir a few years back. Since then I have acquired several recordings of his music, all by mixed choirs, and all of which I greatly enjoy. But I thought it would also be nice to hear his music performed by a choir of men and boys, as Josquin originally intended.

I was right; this is an excellent recording, and the Choir of Westminster Cathedral is superb. They are right at home with this music -- the intricate rythms and counterpoints that characterize Josquin's music are executed virtually flawlessly on every occasion. The balance of voices is also very good -- the trebles strong, but not too loud; the gentlemen powerful but not overbearing, including the very fine tenor and bass soloists in the "Benedictus." In addition to the Missa Pange Lingua, Josquin's best-known mass, the recording features over a dozen other Josquin pieces, including the very lovely "Ave Maria," and "Ora Pro Nobis," whose ending is so beautiful I had to close my eyes to soak it in.

There is not much else to say except that if you like Josquin Desprez in particular, Renaissance music in general, and/or Westminster Cathedral Choir, then there is no way this CD could disappoint you. Buy it, sit back, and enjoy.

Absolutely first rate.......2001-06-26

There has been quite a few mixed-choir versions of this music recorded in the intimatacy of smaller churches, but this music really comes to life with trebles and in a cathedral setting. James O'Donnell gives a direct, unembellished view of Missa Pange Lingua. It is easy to take the refinement of the choir for granted, and the recording is up to the standard of other Westminster recordings on Hyperion. For those who want an up-to-date version with trebles, this is the CD to buy.

Stravinsky:Symphony of Psalms/Mass/Canticum Sacrum

Average customer rating:

Stravinsky's Byzantine Style
Miraculously Well-Prepared Choir
Special and Sacred

Stravinsky:Symphony of Psalms/Mass/Canticum Sacrum

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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Rossini: Otello

ASIN: B000002ZO4
Release Date: 1993-11-17

Tracks:

Symphony Of Psalms: Psalm XXXIX
Symphony Of Psalms: Psalm XL
Symphony Of Psalms: Psalm CL
Pater Noster
Credo
Ave Maria
Mass: Kyrie
Mass: Gloria
Mass: Credo
Mass: Sanctus
Mass: Agnus Dei
Canticum Sacrum: Dedicatio
Canticum Sacrum: Euntes in mundum
Canticum Sacrum: Surge - aquilo
Canticum Sacrum: Diliges Dominum
Canticum Sacrum: Qui confident
Canticum Sacrum: Crededi - propter quod locutus sum
Canticum Sacrum: Jesus autem ait illi
Canticum Sacrum: Illi autem profecti

Amazon.com

Here's a Symphony of Psalms that successfully captures the spirit and letter of the work--reverence, jubilation, and celebration, as well as specifics of orchestral color and texture. Boys' voices--supposedly Stravinsky's original choice--contribute their share to the bright choral timbre, an effect that works very well. We also get first-rate performances of the Mass and the rarely recorded Canticum sacrum. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Stravinsky's Byzantine Style.......2005-07-07

One aspect of the founder of modernism that gets little press is his deep faith rooted in the Russian Orthodox Church. Stravinsky's ballets use the savage irregular rhythms and epigrammatic melodies of Russian folk song. The sacred choral works featured on this disc are "Russian", too, but theirs is the Russianism of icons, mosaics, and the Byzantine liturgy. The liner notes speak of the miraculous suspension of time in the slow final section of the SYMPHONY OF PSALMS; indeed, it could be described as an icon in sound. The Mass for chorus and winds is pseudo-medieval and incantatory, while Canticum Sacrum shows Stravinsky moving confidently into serial technique. The Westminster Choir and the London Sinfonia give all this music justice with warm, rich, and committed performances in a resonant, churchy acoustic. (The performance of the PSALMS is a perfect complement to more overtly "concert" renditions.) An extraordinary sampler of Stravinsky's sacred music.

Miraculously Well-Prepared Choir.......2003-04-21

I agree with Mark Swinton here, that both the choir and the orchestra are brilliant in the Symphony of Psalms. I prefer this recording to the recent-ish Boulez recording, partly because the choir maintains MUSICALITY (sorry for the all-caps there, but there are a couple of near-shrieks in the Boulez which still haunt me) through the whole piece, partly because the wonderfully-voiced chords sound so terrific. This is one of those pieces which, in order to bring forth true excellence in performance, requires a conductor who understands both choir and orchestra; and this is where O'Donnell outpaces Boulez.

The closest thing I have to a quarrel with the chorus is, the tenors are a little hesitant when they come in with "Ne sileas" (which is a shade ironic, since the text means, "Be not silent" ....) But that is a small moment; overall, the choir are fantastic.

One should mention in passing that the treble parts are sung by boys, which accords with the composer's wishes. The score bears the legend: "The choir should contain children's voices, which may be replaced by female voices (soprano and alto) if a children's choir is not available."

(Which makes me wonder if, when Koussevitsky premiered the piece in Boston, he made use of a boys' choir ... certainly the Archdiocese of Boston has an excellent choir school.)

Like Boulez, O'Donnell does not take the coda to the last movement as slowly as Stravinsky's revision demands ... but O'Donnell makes less of a rush of it than does Boulez. (But then, of course, since Stravinsky's own recording of the Symphony of Psalms disregards his own revised tempo marking there, the composer himself set a doubtful precedent.)

Excellent notes by Ivan Moody (himself a fine composer) explore the complex interrelation of Stravinsky's return to the Russian Orthodox faith, his composerly predilection for setting the Latin language, and the decision to set the Catholic Mass (since he wanted to write a liturgical piece, accompanied by instruments).

This is a wonderful performance of the Mass, which (for all its very different sound world) is actually on about the same temporal scale as the Palestrina Miss Papae Marcelli. The accompaniment (an ingenious double quintet, of double reeds and cylindrical-bored brass -- no smooth clarinets, nor any sweet-toned horns) is masterfully written, and pure Stravinsky ... there are moments which recall the Symphonies of Wind Instruments (which, considering that the closing chorale of the Symphonies was written in honor of Debussy on that composer's death, has something of a solemn, quasi-religious character).

Where the Symphony of Psalms is clearly a concert work, and the Mass is designed for liturgical use (i.e., as music to accompany an actual celebration of the Mass -- designed for this, though such use of the piece has been exceedingly rare) ... the wonderful Canticum Sacrum is somewhere in between. It is impractically monumental for ordinary church use, yet its ingeniously assembled text is more of a sermon than it is a concert statement. The Canticum has striking points of contact with Stravinsky's ballet, Agon -- as we should perhaps expect, from the circumstance of Stravinsky's writing the ballet in the period from December 1953 to April 1957 (the Canticum Sacrum was composed in 1955 and published in 1956).

Perhaps the surprising thing is, for all its being a serial composition (though Stravinsky's adoption of serialism was free, and highly personal ... he uses several series in the Canticum, for example, and not all of them are "atonal", twelve-note series ... some are modal pitch-collections), Stravinsky's harmonic ear makes itself everywhere evident, and for all its being a good deal stranger, in terms of pitch organization, than the Firebird, there is a sense in which the textures and harmonies are often very close to early Stravinsky in spirit.

In fact, it sounds more tonal than it is (if this does not seem an absurdity). It is harder to sing right, than the ease with which this choir negotiates the work, would suggest. This is an extraordinary disc.

Mark Swinton is also perfectly correct, that these performances are superior to the documents Stravinsky himself managed to leave. This may well be the definitive performance of the Canticum Sacrum for some time to come; and it is a work which deserves greater recognition.

Special and Sacred.......2000-05-02

Stravinsky's sacred music marks him out as a true original, and on this CD the Westminster Cathedral Choir (as is so often their way) make a strong case for some of his better known cantatas and miniatures in the genre.

The "Symphony of Psalms" opens the recording: this is a very palatable introduction and the unique sound of the Westminster Cathedral Choir is absolutely perfect for the nuances set out in the work.

This is followed by the Latin versions of "Three Sacred Choruses." These are lovingly rendered, and in listening to them one can well imagine them being sung in candlelit, austere Orthodox chapels. The "Mass" is a fine liturgical work on the order of the motets, and here the City of London Sinfonia shines just as brightly as in the "Symphony." Closing off the disc is the serial composition "Canticum Sacrum," one of the most unusual and yet powerful religious statements Stravinsky made through music- not the easiest piece to listen to perhaps, but certainly full of intriguing symbolism and brilliantly crafted.

Tracks:

Come Down, O Love Divine
O Taste And See
We've Been A While
Te Deum
Wither's Rocking Hymn
For All The Saints
Valiant-For-Truth
Prayer To The Father Of Heaven
Easter Hymn
Christmas Hymn
Whitsunday Hymn
Sanctus
Festival Te Deum

Customer Reviews:

What? Turn it up!!.......2001-03-09

What a pity! This is a lovely collection of Vaughan Williams' choral works and hymns. Unfortunately, Chandos strikes again. The sound quality is very poor. One must have the volume up to a high level to hear this CD pleasantly. The fault with this CD is not its subject or the artistry of the performers. It lies soley with Chandos. I believe this is a common problem with their recordings.

Martin: Mass, Passacaille; Pizzetti: Requiem / O'Donnell, Westminster Cathedral Choir

Average customer rating:

Winner of the 1998 Gramophone Award for Record of the Year
Surely earned its Gramophone award on all counts
Worth every last penny, and more
Worth every last penny, and more
Stunning 20th Century Church Music

Martin: Mass, Passacaille; Pizzetti: Requiem / O'Donnell, Westminster Cathedral Choir
Frank Martin , James O'Donnell , Westminster Cathedral Choir , and Ildebrando Pizzetti
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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ASIN: B0000063BQ
Release Date: 1998-02-10

Tracks:

Mass For Double Choir: Kyrie
Mass For Double Choir: Gloria
Mass For Double Choir: Credo
Mass For Double Choir: Sanctus
Mass For Double Choir: Agnus Dei
Passacaille: Passacaille: For Organ
Messa Di Requiem: Requiem aeternam
Messa Di Requiem: Dies irae
Messa Di Requiem: Sanctus
Messa Di Requiem: Agnus Dei
Messa Di Requiem: Libera me
De profundis

Amazon.com

It's tempting to describe the extraordinary works on this disc as "neo-Palestrina". That wouldn't really work for Martin's Mass, as it might for Vaughan Williams's Mass in G Minor. Where Vaughan Williams stays rooted in a single tonality, Martin skitters from one to another, liberally sprinkling chromaticism and dissonance in a very 20th-century manner. Yet Martin conveys austerity, joy, and even some romantic emotionalism. The sinuous melodies and modal counterpoint of Pizzetti's Requiem are more obviously indebted to the Renaissance. His scoring is richly varied--ranging from striking two-part writing in the Dies irae, where the traditional chant melody supports a keening countermelody, to three four-part choirs in the dazzling Sanctus. The Choir of Westminster Cathedral (in a vocally secure, gripping performance) nicely captures and balances every element in this mix. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Winner of the 1998 Gramophone Award for Record of the Year.......2006-11-27

The finest cathedral choir in the UK, the Choir of Westminster Cathedral has never sounded better than it did during the 1990s under its then Master of Music, James O'Donnell, and does now during the 2000s under its present Master of Music, Martin Baker. The Westminster Cathedral Choir's outstanding recording of Frank Martin's Mass for double choir and Ildebrando Pizzetti's Messa di Requiem won Gramophone Awards for "Best Choral Recording of the Year" and "Record of the Year" in 1998. And deservedly so.

Surely earned its Gramophone award on all counts.......2006-01-08

For a cappella music, there are now two "ultimate choral" albums: Laurence Equilbey's "Accentus Transcriptions," also available on Amazon, and this release. It'd be tough to have to choose between the two albums -- thank goodness I don't have to.

1922 was apparently a very good year for a cappella mass writing. Swiss composer Frank Martin's reputedly Calvinistic Mass hails from that year (the Agnus Dei notwithstanding), as does Pizzetti's Catholic Requiem Mass. The Martin work is beautiful, powerful, and reaches for the heavens. The Pizzetti work is also a very strong work, coming from a different stylistic universe. The performances are astonishing -- note, for just one example among many, the ending of the Dies Irae movement in the Pizzetti. It just doesn't seem possible that those measures are being sung by human beings, the carefully-balanced texture is so eerily ethereal and unexpected -- you're thinking, "Did instruments join the singers?" even though you know that's not the case.

There are other 20th century a cappella masses of note (Paul Hindemith's 1963 Mass, his very last work, as well as R. Scott Sandmeier's 1982 Mass), but none performed and recorded so sumptuously as these two on the Hyperion label. One pays a premium for Hyperion recordings of up to 50%, which would be enough to raise an eyebrow if you weren't accorded the highest quality product in return. So far, Hyperion hasn't disappointed me yet: the Holst Choral Symphony and complete Saint-Saens piano concertos are both top-notch productions, and THIS recording of the Martin & Pizzetti works is no exception.

There are two non-Mass works on this disc as well: a passacaglia for organ by Martin, and a brief choral work by Pizzetti based on Psalm 130, "De Profundis." Pizzetti and Malipiero simultaneously wrote works based on Psalm 130 to commemorate their reconciliation after a Pizzetti-initiated spat. As for the passacaglia, it follows the great Bach C Minor passacaglia 3/4-time pattern, but uses 11 of the 12 chromatic pitches to craft the theme (which is notated in the CD booklet for reference). Programming an album is a dicey thing: how do you keep things interesting? Interposing the organ work between choral numbers seems to make superficial sense, but I came away thinking the organ piece really didn't fit with the rest of the album. Perhaps I'm influenced by the purity exemplified by the Accentus recording, the other contender for "ultimate a capella choral album."

Worth every last penny, and more.......2002-06-17

Everything positive that you have heard or read about this recording is absolutely true! It deserved its prestigious Gramophone award and it deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it. I am an experienced choral singer and can attest to the superb quality of the singing you will find here -- it's all accurate and oh-so beautiful. I certainly cannot think of any choral group that can out-perform Westminster Cathedral Choir as they are on this recording!

My personal CD collection is made up of about 250 choral music recordings of all types (including around 60 cathedral/collegiate choir recordings), and this one immediately took its rightful place as one of my favorite CDs, of any type, period. The Martin mass is a sublime piece of music, with soul-stirring moments of reverence, prayerfulness, sadness, and joy. It is a challenging work and must have been quite difficult to sing - but rest assured, Westminster Cathedral Choir was very up to the task. I had heard the work before on another recording (Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford recorded it nicely in 1989), but this rendition greatly overshadowed that one and brought new life into the music. The experience when I first put it on was enough to keep me spell-bound for several hours afterward - and this from someone who is not always fond of 20th century choral music. The singing is so hauntingly precise and pure that I wonder what kind of magic James O'Donnell was practicing when this recording was made. The Pizzetti is a little less emotionally stirring but also very lovely and, of course, beautifully sung.

The aesthetic power of these two gorgeous choral works combined with the sheer excellence of the choir's singing make this recording one of the finest - if not THE finest - cathedral choir performances you are ever likely to hear. Do buy this CD -- you are in for a musical treat to be savored for many years to come.

Worth every last penny, and more.......2002-06-17

Everything positive that you have heard or read about this recording is absolutely true! It deserved its prestigious Gramophone award and it deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it. ... I am an experienced choral singer and can attest to the superb quality of the singing you will find here -- it's all accurate and oh-so beautiful. ...

My personal CD collection is made up of hundreds of recordings of all types (including numerous choral CDs), and this one immediately took its rightful place as one of my favorite CDs of any genre, period. The Martin mass is a sublime piece of music, with soul-stirring moments of reverence, prayerfulness, sadness, and joy. It is a challenging work and must have been quite difficult to sing - but rest assured, Westminster Cathedral Choir was very up to the task. I had heard the work before on another recording (Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford recorded it nicely in 1989), but this rendition greatly overshadowed that one and brought new life into the music. The experience when I first put it on was enough to keep me spell-bound for several hours afterward - and this from someone who is not always fond of 20th century choral music. The singing is so hauntingly precise and pure that I wonder what kind of magic James O'Donnell was practicing when this recording was made. And above all, the music itself is among the most beautiful I have ever heard.

The Pizzetti is not quite as emotionally stirring as the Martin but also very interesting, lovely and, of course, beautifully sung.

Stunning 20th Century Church Music.......2002-06-14

Frank Martin's Mass is one of the undiscovered gems of the 20th century choral repertoire. Written when Martin was 32, this work is a deeply felt spiritual testament by an underated composer. The work has one foot in the Renaissance and one foot in the modern world. Much of the melodic material is modal in character. The harmonies are decidedly chromatic, but chromatic in a Faure/Durufle sort of way. And the rhythmic vitality of the Gloria is astounding. This is a difficult but rewarding work and deserving of much more attention.

The remainder of the disc is filled with an organ piece by Martin in his more mature contemporary style and is rounded out by two piece by the Italian composer Pizzetti. Though the Pizzetti pieces are not as profoundly felt as the Martin Mass, they are quite beautiful and deserve a hearing.

I have listened to this recording perhaps 30 times now, and if the trebles are terribly out of tune I don't hear it. Perhaps the recording engineer decided to forgo the autotune feature which has promoted the unrealistic expectation of scientifically precise intonation on many modern choral recordings. If so, I applaud him or her. This choir sounds beautiful and natural...not clinical. I agree with one of the other reviewers in saying that there is a lack of fundemental in the recording, but I'm not sure if highly chromatic works are always well served by so much bass partial. Tends to muddy the sound.

Tracks:

The Bells Of Westminster Abby
The Preces
Psalm 115
Te Deum In C
Jubilate
The Responses
Missa Trinitatis Sanctae
Missa Trinitatis Sanctae
Missa Trinitatis Sanctae
Missa Trinitatis Sanctae
Psalm 107
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis 'Westminster Service'
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis 'Westminster Service'
I Saw The Lord
Fantasia & Toccata In D Minor, Op 57
Fantasia & Toccata In D Minor, Op 57

Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera

Average customer rating:

Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | 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
Similar Items:

Tomas Luis de Victoria: Missa 'Vidi Speciosam'
Victoria: O Magnum Mysterium; Ascendens Christus in altum
O Quam Gloriosum

ASIN: B000002ZPG
Release Date: 1993-11-19

Tracks:

Palestrina: Aeterna Christi munera - Hymn
Palestrina: Kyrie
Palestrina: Gloria
Palestrina: Credo
Palestrina: Sanctus And Benedictus
Palestrina: Agnus Dei I And Agnus Dei II
Palestrina: Sicut cervus desiderat
Palestrina: Super flumina Babylonis
Palestrina: Vidi turbam magnam
Palestrina: Quae est ista
Palestrina: Duo ubera tua
Palestrina: Nigra sum, sed formosa
Palestrina: Surge, amica mea
Palestrina: Magnificat Primi Toni

Amazon.com

If you're looking for one disc that most generously opens the door to Palestrina's art, this one from the Choir of Westminster Cathedral would be an excellent choice. Here are top-notch performances of several of his finest motets, among them "Sicut Cervus," "Super Flumina Babylonis," and, from the collection Canticum Canticorum (Song of Songs), "Quae Es Ista" and "Duo Ubera Tua." The mass Aeterna Christi Munera is an outstanding example of Palestrina's ability to create a work of sublime beauty with astonishing economy of materials. The pure, warmly resonant treble voices of the Westminster choir suit Palestrina's gently flowing lines especially well, preserving a perfect ensemble balance even in the brilliant upper-register passages. --David Vernier