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Track(s) taken from CDA67970

Summae Trinitati

composer
2009; SATB choir, brass, timpani & organ; composed for the installation of Vincent Nichols, to whom the work is dedicated, as Archbishop of Westminster on 21 May 2009
author of text
Responsory for the Solemn Reception of an Archbishop

Westminster Cathedral Choir, London Brass, Martin Baker (conductor), Peter Stevens (organ)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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Recording details: July 2012
Westminster Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: June 2013
Total duration: 4 minutes 54 seconds

Cover artwork: Angels Supporting a Dial which Indicates the Hours of the Different Scenes of the Passion, an illustration for The Life of Christ. James Tissot (1836-1902)
Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘The combination of Westminster Cathedral Choir and MacMillan is irresistible. We are drawn immediately into their complicity by the jaw-dropping Tu es Petrus … its simultaneous celebratory character and clear rootedness in liturgical tradition make it far more than a one-off firework. Quite different are the extraordinary Tenebrae Responsories … the sound of the Westminster choristers adds something unique and the building's resonance buoys up MacMillan's arching lines (carefully shaped under Baker's direction) and dazzling, often bitingly dissonant choral pillars … the performances throughout are outstanding, and beautifully recorded’ (Gramophone)

‘James MacMillan creates a magnificent effusion of sound, over which the trebles of the Westminster Cathedral Choir soar dramatically … the three movements of Tenebrae Responsories are remarkable for different reasons … this is an intensely concentrated sequence visiting dark, lonely places of the spirit. Of the nine shorter pieces, the ebullient Edinburgh Te Deum is particularly valuable, further attesting to MacMillan's reputation as one of the finest living composers of ecclesiastical music. Martin Baker's direction is masterly’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘MacMillan is proof that Catholic composers need not be conventional … the three Tenebrae Responsories are an excellent example of that … this is honesty not often heard in sacred music … it's hard not to be impressed by the committed and well-disciplined singing of the Westminster Cathedral Choir, particularly by its boys, who negotiate MacMillan's difficult melismatic writing with confidence’ (International Record Review)

‘MacMillan has a close relationship with Westminster Cathedral, seeing it as a beacon of musical professionalism to which other Catholic churches should aspire. The performance is correspondingly electric: a perfect balance of voices, topped with a searing, steely treble tone, delivering such perfectly consonant harmonies it’s often goosebump-inducing. An additional draw is the cavernous acoustic of Westminster Cathedral itself—particularly in the joyful noise that is Summae Trinitati, you could be standing in its late-Victorian splendour as the brass and percussion reverberate around you. It's glorious’ (Sinfini.com)
Summae Trinitati was written for Westminster Cathedral, for the installation of the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols as Archbishop of Westminster in May 2009. Like Tu es Petrus it is scored for voices, brass, timpani and organ and has Coronation service ‘wow’ factor. The text is the Responsory for the Solemn Reception of an Archbishop, and the fanfare with which it begins made a huge impression as the new Archbishop entered the great west doors of the cathedral. There are three sections, the central one gentler and using MacMillan’s familiar ornamental chant.

from notes by Paul Spicer © 2013

Summae Trinitati fut écrit à l’intention du chœur de Westminster, pour l’installation du Révérendissime Vincent Nichols comme archevêque de Westminster, en mai 2009. À l’instar de Tu es Petrus, cette œuvre est pour voix, cuivres, timbales et orgue et a tout le «grandiose» d’un service de couronnement. Le texte est un répons pour la réception solennelle d’un archevêque et la fanfare inaugurale fit sensation quand le nouvel archevêque franchit les imposantes portes occidentales de la cathédrale. Il y a trois sections, la centrale étant la plus douce, avec un recours au plain-chant ornemental cher à MacMillan.

extrait des notes rédigées par Paul Spicer © 2013
Français: Hypérion

Summae Trinitati entstand für die Westminster Cathedral anlässlich der Einsetzung des Most Reverend Vincent Nichols zum Erzbischof zu Westminster im Mai 2009. Ebenso wie Tu es Petrus ist es für Stimmen, Blechbläser, Pauken und Orgel angelegt und spiegelt den besonderen Effekt eines Krönungsgottesdienstes wider. Der Text ist das Responsorium für den heiligen Empfang eines Erzbischofs und die Fanfare zu Beginn sorgte für großen Eindruck, als der neue Erzbischof die Kathedrale durch das große Westportal betrat. Das Werk ist dreiteilig angelegt, wobei der mittlere Abschnitt sanfter gehalten ist und von MacMillans bekanntem ornamentalen Cantus planus Gebrauch macht.

aus dem Begleittext von Paul Spicer © 2013
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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