St John's Magnificat: Choral Works by Herbert Howells

- Paul Whelan (baritone)
- David Adams (violin)
- Alice Neary (cello)
- Thomas Last, Thomas Mullock (treble)
- Pablo Strong, Francis Williams (tenor)
- Gareth John, Dominic Kraemer (baritone)
This recording heralds the beginning of an exclusive recording contract between Chandos and the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge. All performances will be conducted by Andrew Nethsingha, the Choir’s Director of Music since 2007.
The disc of choral music by Herbert Howells includes two settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis: one setting was written for St John’s, where Howells was Acting Organist during World War II; the other for Gloucester Cathedral in the composer’s native county.
Andrew Nethsingha said, “We are delighted to be embarking on a partnership with such an excellent label as Chandos. With them, we will release a wide variety of repertoire. We have chosen to start with a disc of Howells’ music – Herbert Howells was closely associated with St John’s College for several decades. Two major works written for the St John’s Choir, including Sequence for St Michael will feature on the CD. The recording of By the waters of Babylon, a deeply moving psalm setting for baritone, violin, cello and organ will be another highlight of the disc.”
This is St John’s College Choir’s first long-term contract with Chandos. However, it has already made a number of recordings for the label, including Mozart’s Requiem and works by Charpentier and Poulenc (conducted by George Guest) and music by Tallis and Gibbons (conducted by Christopher Robinson).
Track list
- A Sequence for St Michael
- By the Waters of Babylon
- A Spotless Rose
- Gloucester Service
- Psalm 142
- A Grace for 10 Downing Street
- One Thing Have I Desired
- Like as the Hart
- Collegium Sancti Johannis Cantabrigiense
- Salve Regina
- Te Deum 'Collegium Regale'
Reviews
Terry Blain, BBC Music Magazine
Relf Clark, Choir & Organ
Jeremy Dibble, Gramophone
David Wordsworth, Classical Source
American Record Guide
International Record Review
Andrew Clark, The Financial Times
Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph
More about this release
Gramophone