Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This interesting collection samples choral music from the second half of the church year from Ash Wednesday to Trinity and thus gives us a full range of emotions from the reflective period of Lent to the joy of Easter and the excitement of Pentecost. The composers represented take us from the Renaissance with Jean L'Hertier (1480-1551), Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), John Sheppard (1515-1559) and William Byrd (1540-1623) through to the contemporary, represented by Ned Rorem (born 1923), Peter Hurford (1930), Grayston Ives (1948) and James MacMillan (1959). Some pieces are well known: examples include Edward Bairstow's "The Lamentation" or Benjamin Britten's "Festival Te Deum". Others are new to this reviewer, including Rorem's interesting setting of "Breathe On Me, Breath Of God" and MacMillan's spectacular "Sedebit Dominus Rex" from his 'Strathclyde Motets'. Interesting though the content may be the collection stands or falls on the performance and here we have no hesitation in applauding the various choirs of Jesus College Cambridge, namely the College Choir, the Chapel Choir and the Combined Choirs, all under the skilful direction of Mark Williams and accompanied where required by organ scholars Benjamin Morris (who gets a solo with Jean Langlais' "Incantation Pour Un Jour Saint") and Bertie Baigent. The audio quality, courtesy of producer Chris Hazell and engineer Mike Hatch, is outstanding. If you have any interest in choral music this is indispensable.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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