Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, The Choir Of St Mary's Cathedral Edinburgh, Matthew Ow - Sacred Choral Works
STYLE: Choral RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 20751- LABEL: Delphian DCD34037 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
In the 1960s few would have predicted that Peter Maxwell Davies would one day be knighted and that he would write a set of Evening Canticles. But religious texts have always interested Maxwell Davies who is no conventional believer but who is also aware of the importance of the Christian liturgy to the Arts. This beautifully presented disc opens with the world premiere recording of "The Edinburgh Service", a setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. Matthew Owens and the Choir of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, give us a superlative performance. Next is the turn of Michael Bonaventure on the organ, with three of Maxwell Davies' Organ Voluntaries, looking back to David Preebles (c 1530-1579), his contemporary, Sir John Fethy, and the anonymous composer of "All Sons Of Adam". The closing sequence, "O Magnum Mysterium", takes us back to the 1960s and the composer's time as a teacher at Cirencester. The theme is the awe and wonder, mingled with terror, which the Christmas story tells and inspires and the music looks back to plainsong and the medieval mystery plays. Once again the choir rises to the musical challenges that the composer has set and this release will be of great interest to all who enjoy contemporary choral music.
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