Worcester Cathedral Choir - Tudor Chuch Music Vol 2
STYLE: Choral RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 29374- LABEL: Alpha 957 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Simon Carpenter
Nineteen gems from a particularly bejewelled era in English Church music, complementing Volume 1 (Alpha 943), but equally enjoyable on its own. By using a loose interpretation of the term Tudor' Donald Hunt, the Worcester organist, has been able to include music by Gibbons, Weelkes and Thomas Tomkins, one of his predecessors in the Worcester organ loft, who all had their most fruitful years in the Stuart reign. Tomkins even survived until the Commonwealth. The result is an amazing 69 minute musical tour taking in all the composition developments that occurred during that time, not least because of the liturgical reform brought about by the Reformation. From John Taverner's superb high polyphonic "Dum Transisset Sabbatum" to 17th century verse anthems, they are all here and given very atmospheric performances by the extremely capable Worcester Cathedral Choir. The highlight for me is Blitheman's "In Pace", but then I am always a sucker for a bit of well sung plainsong...
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