Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Click cover art to view larger version
Track(s) taken from CDA67853

Te Deum 'St Mary Redcliffe'

composer
1965; SATB + organ; composed for service of thanksgiving in October 1965 and first performed in St Mary Redcliffe by the church choir plus singers from Bristol Cathedral, with Garth Benson at the organ
author of text
Book of Common Prayer

Winchester Cathedral Choir, Andrew Lumsden (conductor)
Recording details: March 2010
Winchester Cathedral, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: June 2011
Total duration: 12 minutes 2 seconds

Cover artwork: Golden Days. Lee Campbell (b1951)
Private Collection / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘The performances of Winchester Cathedral Choir are so good you hardly register the need to 'assess' them—exactly as it should be in devotional music. That's a huge tribute to the state of the singing at the cathedral, and to Andrew Lumsden, who directs it. A marvellous CD, beautifully planned and executed’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Howells's later works have failed to find their way into the regular repertoire but this recording by a radiant Winchester Cathedral Choir urges a thorough reappraisal. The long, fluid lines, startling cadences and massive chords which are so unique to Howells are all here in 'their' service’ (The Observer)

‘These are uniformly excellent performances and the recording quality is detailed yet superbly spacious. It's the first release from a renewed relationship between Winchester and Hyperion and, although I will hope for more rare Howells, I look forward to whatever else is on the cards. I highly commend this disc’ (International Record Review)
When the great church of St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, planned a service of thanksgiving in October 1965 to mark the completion of major restoration work, Howells was commissioned to write a Te Deum. This setting makes no concessions at all to amateur voices, and the choir that gave the first performance with its organist, Garth Benson, was augmented by singers from Bristol Cathedral. The writing is chromatic, harmonically complex and on a big scale, the tone for the whole work set by its arresting and dramatic opening. The tessitura is extremely wide for all the voice parts. The organ part, too, demands an exceptional player, no doubt written with Benson in mind.

from notes by Paul Andrews © 2011

En octobre 1965, Howells se vit commander un Te Deum par la grande église St Mary Redcliffe de Bristol, désireuse de célébrer un service d’action de grâces pour marquer la fin d’une importante campagne de restauration. Cette œuvre ne fait aucune concession aux voix d’amateurs et les chanteurs de la cathédrale de Bristol vinrent appuyer le chœur qui la créa, accompagné par son organiste Garth Benson. L’écriture, chromatique et harmoniquement complexe, est à grande échelle, le ton de l’œuvre étant donnée par la saisissante et dramatique ouverture. La tessiture est extrêmement large, pour toutes les parties vocales. La partie d’orgue exige, elle aussi, un interprète exceptionnel—sans doute fut-elle écrite en pensant à Benson.

extrait des notes rédigées par Paul Andrews © 2011
Français: Hypérion

Als die großartige St Mary Redcliffe Kirche in Bristol im Oktober 1965 einen Dankgottesdienst plante, um den Abschluss der Restaurierungsarbeiten zu feiern, wurde Howells mit einem Te Deum beauftragt. Diese Vertonung macht keine Zugeständnisse an Laiensänger und der Chor, der die erste Aufführung zusammen mit seinem Organisten, Garth Benson, gab, wurde von Sängern der Kathedrale zu Bristol verstärkt. Der Satz ist chromatisch, harmonisch komplex und groß angelegt; der fesselnde und dramatische Beginn gibt den Ton für das gesamte Werk an. Der Tonumfang ist für alle Stimmen ungewöhnlich weit und auch der Orgelpart stellt hohe Ansprüche an den Ausführenden und war sicherlich für Benson gedacht.

aus dem Begleittext von Paul Andrews © 2011
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Waiting for content to load...
Waiting for content to load...