Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir, Stephen Shellard - Rise Heart
STYLE: Choral RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 119318- LABEL: Regent REGCD369 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
This is the second release on Regent Records by the Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir and the first thing that catches our eye is just how nicely presented it is with some evocative watercolour portraits of the featured composers and the cathedral itself. The release was timed to coincide with the centenary of the first performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Five Mystical Songs" in the 1911 Three Choirs Festival at Worcester. The disc frames that popular work with others by Edward Elgar, Hubert Parry and C V Stanford along with some rarities including Elgar's charming setting of Poet Laureate John Masefield's "Memorial Ode For Queen Alexandria" and three versions of "O Salutaris Hostia". This release will clearly appeal to collectors of Elgar and his contemporaries and may also be of interest to choir leaders looking to extend their repertoire. Director Stephen Shellard leads a near flawless performance from his choir and we applaud Baritone Ben Cooper and Organist George Castle for their contributions. Thus there is much to appreciate here but the downside is that some of it is, like so much Victoriana, worthy but dull. I doubt if I would want to play this all the way through again but I am confident that I will refer to it , both to further my understanding of Elgar and if ever I am asked to suggest suitable repertoire for one of our local choirs.
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Posted by Liz Chase in Warwick @ 17:14 on Nov 9 2011
“Elgar's Memorial Ode for Queen Alexandra of 1932,
practically unknown until its recent revival, emerges under
Shellard's direction as much more than an exercise in
nostalgia. Choir, conductor and organist also tease out
turbulent emotions from below the elegiac surface of the
same composer's The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.”
Classic FM Magazine, November 2011
“Elgar's Memorial Ode for Queen Alexandra of 1932, practically unknown until its recent revival, emerges under Shellard's direction as much more than an exercise in nostalgia. Choir, conductor and organist also tease out turbulent emotions from below the elegiac surface of the same composer's The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Classic FM Magazine, November 2011