Joseph Wicks (Orgel) - Christmas With St John's on CD

Description

Product Description Christmas presents a golden opportunity to present brand new music to wide audiences, and the role played by St John s College Choir in this area has been significant, as demonstrated by this new recording of contemporary choral works. Featuring two works commissioned by the choir Judith Bingham s 'The Clouded Heaven' and Michael Finnissy s 'John the Baptist'. The programme begins with Bob Chilcott s 'The Shepherd s Carol' commissioned by Stephen Cleobury (a former St John s organ scholar) for King s College Choir, and ends with 'Creator of the Stars of Night', composed by another former St John s organ scholar, John Scott. The Choir of St John s College, Cambridge is one of the finest choirs of men and boys in the world, known and loved by millions from its recordings, broadcasts and concert tours. A cornerstone of the great English choral tradition since the 1670s, the Choir is recognised for its distinctive, rich and expressive sound and is today directed by Andrew Nethsingha. Review Throughout this programme the choral singing is marvellous. Andrew Nethsingha inherited a choir with a great tradition of excellence going right back to the days of George Guest but he s clearly put his own stamp on the choir, which he s directed since 2007. All sections of the choir sing really well and the balance between the sections is excellent. I must single out the trebles for particular praise. The sound they produce is keen and very well focused ... a highly enjoyable and superbly performed Christmas collection. It respects the traditions of Christmas music but provides plenty of examples of how composers are developing that tradition in exciting ways. --John Quinn MusicWeb International, 9th November 2016 'classy and successful ... They choose the right (as in, least naff) Bob Chilcott works and invest John Rutter s Dormi Jesu with the throbbing glow for which this ensemble and its acoustic is famous.' --Andrew Mellor Gramophone, December 2016 Under Nethsinga, St John s Choir rides high among the Cambridge colleges. Its Christmas collection begins with the Shepherd s Carol, by a former King s (!) chorister, Bob Chilcott, but Nethsinga s programming is eclectic while retaining a traditional core. Alongside classics The Holly and the Ivy (arr Walford Davies), I Saw Three Ships (Simon Preston) and Cornelius s Three Kings (Ivor Atkins) there are superb 20th- and 21st-century carols by William Mathias, John Rutter, Michael Finnissy and Elizabeth Poston. --Hugh Canning - The Sunday Times, 18th December 2016