Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Although the Diocese of Manchester was established in 1847 there has been a Christian witness there for much longer and today Manchester Cathedral continues to stand as something of an oasis in the ancient heart of a bustling modern city. This recording, the seventh in Regent's 'A Year At' series and the first from Manchester Cathedral Choir on the label, documents some of the music performed during the year at the Cathedral and covers the church year from its beginning in Advent (Mendelssohn's "I Waited For The Lord") to the Feast of Christ the King at the end of November ("Festival Te Deum" by William Matthias). The wide-ranging and unusual programme covers music from the 16th to 21st centuries and includes four first recordings of works written by the Cathedral's Director of Music, Christopher Stokes; Assistant Organist, Jeffrey Makinson; and renowned local Manchester composer, Sasha Johnson Manning. Manchester Cathedral Choir is unusual in being one of only two in the UK that has a treble line made up of both boys and girls aged between eight and 14. The choristers are all educated at the famous Chetham's Music School, which is next door to the Cathedral. My favourites were two of the older pieces: "In Ieiunio et Fletu" by Thomas Tallis for Lent and William Byrd's "Haec Dies" for Easter but if these do not whet your appetite it is, as I said, a wide-ranging collection and you are sure to find something of interest. The singing is uniformly good and as a mid-price release this is well worth investigating.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.