Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This is the first in a new series from Regent Records doing something similar to what they did so well with their English Cathedrals series of organ music. In that earlier series the cathedral organist would select and play music appropriate for the instrument and reflecting something of the history and traditions of the cathedral. In this new series we travel through the church year at the selected cathedral including festivals specific to the location and composers and compositions that connect with the cathedral and all allowing the choir to shine. So we travel from Advent with Edward Naylor's "Vox Dicentis: Clama" through to All Souls and a debut recording of Gabriel Jackson's "Justorum Animae". High Days for York include 11th February on which Caedmon of Whitby is remembered and here is represented by "Caedmon Of Whitby's First Hymn", a premiere recording of a work by Philip Moore. On 20th May St Alcuin of York is celebrated and for this recording we get yet another debut, "A Prayer Of Alcuin Of York" by Humphrey Clucas. St William of York's Day is 8th June and his music is provided by John Taverner's "O Wilhelme Pastor Bone". Of course there are all the other Holy Days that are familiar to all who follow the ecclesiastical calendar and the Easter sequence is particularly strong with John Blow's "Salvator Mundi" for Lent, Charles Stanford's "Magnificat In G", featuring Isabel Suckling ("The Choirgirl") for Annunciation, "The Lamentation (as sung in York Minster)" by Edward Bairstow for Passiontide and, amazingly, this too is a first recording - my surprise being because it is so good that I cannot believe no one has recorded it before - and then we have my personal favourite from the 76 minutes, Francis Jackson's glorious "Alleluia, Laudate Pueri Dominum". There are 20 tracks in all, sung by different combinations of the boy or girl choristers together with the Songmen under the direction of Robert Sharpe and with some featuring David Pipe on the organ. Everything is worth hearing and some pieces will be treasured by all who love fine choral music.

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