Judith Weir, Choir of Gonville & Caius, Cambridge, Geoffrey Webber - Choral Music

Published Tuesday 10th January 2012
Judith Weir, Choir of Gonville & Caius, Cambridge, Geoffrey Webber - Choral Music
Judith Weir, Choir of Gonville & Caius, Cambridge, Geoffrey Webber - Choral Music

STYLE: Choral
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 122775-
LABEL: Delphian DCD34095
FORMAT: CD

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

In 2009 Judith Weir had a composition included in 'Into This World This Day Did Come', a collection of medieval pieces and contemporary responses to them recorded by the Choir of Gonville And Caius College and reviewed elsewhere on this site. Geoffrey Webber, director of the choir both then and now, enjoyed working with Judith and hoped one day to record an album devoted entirely to her choral music. That day has come, although to be strictly accurate we have to point out that there are two organ solos included: "Wild Mossy Mountain" and "Ettrick Banks", both played by Matthew Fletcher. Elsewhere Annie Lydford accompanies the choir on "Illumine, Jerusalem" but most of the singing is acappella or employs unusual accompaniment to great effect, for example Matthew Knight's trombone on a setting of Psalm 148 and Jude Carlton's marimba on "Little Tree". As is to be expected from a well compiled retrospective we are able to follow the composer's growth from her earliest liturgical commission to the most recent, which was premiered in 2009. The athleticism, intensity and clarity that are hallmarks of the choir's singing are ideally suited to Weir's strikingly original, approachable and fascinating music.

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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