Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) was a child prodigy and his youthful setting of the Magnificat (not to be confused with a more mature attempt shortly before his death) was one of his first major works for full choir and orchestra. He took inspiration from settings by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) to give us a splendid Baroque Magnificat. On this disc we can make our own judgment as to how well Mendelssohn succeeded as we are given Johann Sebastian's own "Magnificat In D Major" as well as two short pieces by Mendelssohn, a "Fuga" from his "String Symphony No. 12 In G Minor" and his popular setting of "Ave Maria". The musicians are from Yale in the USA. The Schola Cantorum is a twenty-four voice chamber choir, founded and conducted by former King's Singer Simon Carrington. We also hear the Yale Collegium Players, an ensemble specialising in early music played on period instruments, as well as the Yale Voxtet. The music is sublime, the playing first rate, and the disc represents excellent value for money.

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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