Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This album is the debut recording for Scott Farrell as Director Of Music at Rochester Cathedral, the second most ancient diocese in England. It is a varied collection with some favourite anthems as well as newer pieces that may well become favourites, and with several pieces with strong associations with Rochester. Frankly, the favourites present the reviewer with a problem. Because they are indeed favourites there is little more to be said - unless the choir falls into one of two errors by either making a pig's ear out of the anthem or by trying to put a new twist on classic material. Thankfully, neither mistake is made but we are left wondering if we really need yet another recording of, say, "Zadok The Priest" or "God So Loved The World". So perhaps we should turn our attention to the less familiar. "It Was In That Train" is an unaccompanied anthem by Barry Ferguson (born 1942) who is a former organist and Master Of The Choristers at Rochester. It is a setting of words by Mother Teresa as she recounted her call to go and live amongst the poor of Calcutta in 1946, written for the Kent Youth Choir and deserving to become an established part of the choral repertoire. Robert Ashfield (1911-2006) was Ferguson's predecessor at Rochester and he contributes "The Fair Chivalry" from 1949, another charming piece. The opening and closing tracks have coronation associations: Parry's "I Was Glad", composed for Edward VII and Stanford's "Gloria In Excelsis" from George V's Coronation. In between these two classics we get an interesting selection, all sung very well by different combinations of boy choristers, girl choristers, and lay clerks with good organ accompaniment from Roger Sayer. All who enjoy traditional cathedral music will appreciate this release.

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