Choir Of St John's Elora, Noel Edison - Faire Is The Heaven
STYLE: Choral RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 11832- LABEL: Naxos 8557037 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RRP: £4.99
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
On paper the Choir of St John's Anglican Church, Elora (near Toronto) may sound like a typical church choir but on disc they are superb. Many of the members are music students or graduates and also members of the Elora Festival Singers, a 24 strong professional choir directed by Noel Edison who also conducts the church choir. Even the church organ, played by Paul Halley, sounds better than the norm. The music featured on this budget priced collection reflects the Anglican tradition of hymns and anthems that developed under the influence of the Oxford Movement and through the collection 'Hymns Ancient And Modern'. Not all the composers are Anglican, most noticeably Mozart but his "Ave Verum Corpus" sits comfortably alongside more predictable choices, including Howell's "Te Deum", Samuel Wesley's "O Thou Who Camest From Above", Monk's "Abide With Me" and Scholefield's "The Day Thou Gavest". But please do not assume that these are just more of the same as some beautiful descants have been added and the arrangements and singing are exceptionally good. The Canadian connection is maintained through four songs by Healey Willan and each of the 16 tracks on this generous CD deserve full consideration.
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