The chief difference between this release and other John Rutter collections on the market lies not in the music but in the performances. The program resulted from a decision by then Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum director Benjamin Nicholas, who issued a series of recordings featuring this venerable men-and-boys choir in a variety of repertory. The selection of Rutter pieces is commendably broad, with limpid folkish carols like "There is a flower" (track 14) juxtaposed with harmonically adventurous pieces, at least by Rutter's standards, like "Lord, thou has been our refuge," which sounds a bit like Leonard Bernstein's Jewish-oriented works. Both a cappella and ...
The chief difference between this release and other John Rutter collections on the market lies not in the music but in the performances. The program resulted from a decision by then Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum director Benjamin Nicholas, who issued a series of recordings featuring this venerable men-and-boys choir in a variety of repertory. The selection of Rutter pieces is commendably broad, with limpid folkish carols like "There is a flower" (track 14) juxtaposed with harmonically adventurous pieces, at least by Rutter's standards, like "Lord, thou has been our refuge," which sounds a bit like Leonard Bernstein's Jewish-oriented works. Both a cappella and accompanied pieces are represented. But the main news is that while most Rutter recordings feature the composer conducting his hand-picked Cambridge Singers, this one gives a different sound to his music. Choirs with children can have an impersonal, affectless (some would say sexless) sound, but the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum is a different story: rapt, a bit ragged in some of the soprano lines, but with enthusiasm coming through most of the time. The effect is to make the music more, not less, personal than in the Cambridge Singers recordings. The acoustic of Tewkesbury Abbey, and the accumulated, passed-on knowledge within the choir of how to work with it, is perhaps the biggest attraction; the album is sonically gorgeous. As with most Rutter albums, your attitude toward the composer's pieties is going to determine what you think of this one, but it's very likely that confirmed Rutter fans will be delighted to find a new take on his sound.
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Editorial Reviews
All Music Guide - James Manheim
The chief difference between this release and other John Rutter collections on the market lies not in the music but in the performances. The program resulted from a decision by then Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum director Benjamin Nicholas, who issued a series of recordings featuring this venerable men-and-boys choir in a variety of repertory. The selection of Rutter pieces is commendably broad, with limpid folkish carols like "There is a flower" (track 14) juxtaposed with harmonically adventurous pieces, at least by Rutter's standards, like "Lord, thou has been our refuge," which sounds a bit like Leonard Bernstein's Jewish-oriented works. Both a cappella and ...