Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Although we have reviewed music from Blackburn Cathedral we have not previously come across Josef Rheinberger (1839 - 1901).  He was born in Liechtenstein and worked in Germany where he was well respected as a teacher and composer, mainly of organ music.  He did, though, write eighteen complete mass settings that deserve to be heard.  In his lifetime Rheinberger never became very fashionable: he was not modern enough to stand comparison with the romantics such as Brahms or Liszt but neither was he sufficiently in tune with the work of Bach or Pergolesi to bring him into favour with traditionalists.  So we are in the debt of Richard Tanner, the director, and Greg Morris, the organist, who have brought us four examples of Rheinberger's work.  Three of Blackburn Cathedral's choirs are represented on this CD: the Cathedral Choir of boys and men, the Cathedral Girls' Choir, and the adult Renaissance Singers.  This is an interesting programme with a nice contrast in choral styles and should interest any listener who likes discovering neglected composers.  All Cross Rhythms' Liechtenstein readers will, of course, be particularly thrilled by this release.

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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