Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Our 60-minute journey through the last week of the life of Christ starts with Palm Sunday. The music chosen to illustrate this is "Lift Up Your Heads", a setting of Psalm 24 by William Mathias. This is usually associated with Ascension Day but the question "Who is this King of Glory?" is appropriate for Holy Week as well. After this exciting opening we get the more reflective "Tantum Ergo" by Déodat de Séverac and "Ubi Caritas" by Maurice Duruflé. Next we have the title track, a setting of "It Is A Thing Most Wonderful", a hymn by the first bishop of Wakefield, William Walsham How. I found the next three pieces very moving: Byrd's "Civitas Sancti Tui", Casals' "O Vos Omnes" and Bairstow's "The Lamentation". Beautiful music sung beautifully. Now we reach the climax of Holy Week with Lotti's "Crucifixus Pro Nobis", "Easter" by Vaughan Williams from his 'Five Mystical Songs' and "Blessed Be The God And Father" by Samuel Sebastian Wesley. "Now The Green Blade Riseth" is an old French melody, here arranged by the Cathedral's director of music, Andrew Bryden and we conclude with Leighton's "Easter Sequence". This album has been put together with a great deal of thought and the musicianship and sound quality are excellent throughout.

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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