Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Although the subtitle of this collection is 'Sacred Music by John Rutter' it would be more accurate - if less memorable - to call it 'The Best Of John Rutter And The Cambridge Singers Excluding Christmas Music'. We have 21 pieces taken from four albums recorded between 1983 and 2002. The most heavily raided with seven offerings is the earliest, 'Gloria', and 'Hail! Gladdening Light' and 'Requiem' supply just one each. As with all compilations, you, the potential buyer, have to decide if what is on offer is better than what you already have. Writing as one who likes Rutter's work without numbering him as one of my favourites I am happy to recommend this CD. Outside of the Christmas material I cannot think of any Rutter songs that are missing from what is obviously a 'Best Of' collection. In an ideal world his "Requiem" could feature more but it is difficult to extract pieces from the context of one extended piece. "A Gaelic Blessing", "As The Bridegroom To His Chosen", "A Prayer Of Saint Patrick", "Lord, Make Me An Instrument Of Thy Peace", "A Clare Benediction"; all my favourites are present and correct. I hope yours are too.

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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