Hymns to Saint Cecilia

A new choral compendium from the highly regarded Choir of Royal Holloway, comprising twentieth- and twenty-first-century works written in honour of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

In many ways it was Britten’s Hymn to Saint Cecilia—first performed on the radio in 1942—that rekindled musicians’ interest in celebrating their patron saint. The Musicians Benevolent Fund revived the tradition of an annual service of celebration for St Cecilia in 1947, and has marked the occasion with a new commission almost every year. Many of the pieces on this recording are the result of those commissions. Also included is a new work by Gabriel Jackson, one of the most popular choral composers of today, featuring Dame Felicity Lott.

CDA68047  70 minutes 24 seconds
‘Gough has an exceptional group of singers here. They are impressively responsive, shifting from the rich homophony of Howells’s A Hymn for St Cecilia (anchored always in the bass), to the fidg ...
‘The performances by the fine mixed choir of choral scholars are superb’ (American Record Guide)
‘I regard this as a recording of the greatest interest and significance, a ‘must’ for any serious enthusiast’ (Cathedral Music)