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Track(s) taken from CDA68089

I was glad

composer
Sir Hubert Parry (1848-1918)
1902, for the coronation of Edward VII; revised 1911, for the coronation of George V
arranger
Grayston Ives (b1948)
brass and organ arrangement
author of text
Bible
Psalm 122: 1-3, 6, 7

Onyx Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor), Daniel Cook (organ)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
Recording details: June 2014
Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: September 2015
Total duration: 7 minutes 25 seconds

Cover artwork: Heraldic tile from the floor of the Chapter House at Westminster Abbey.
Copyright © Dean and Chapter of Westminster
 

Reviews

‘The Choir of Westminster Abbey give solid, well-crafted performances … Onyx Brass play very well, with a wide range of dynamics, and many listeners may welcome their contribution … certainly, listeners can enjoy the dignity and grandeur of the sounds of choir, organ and brass ringing around the historic spaces of Westminster Abbey’ (Gramophone)

‘It's difficult to resist the spine-tingling monumentalism of the performance’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING

‘Throughout, the artistry of James O'Donnell with his excellent choir, sub-organist Daniel Cook and Onyx Brass make an indelible impression, and Cook's virtuosic performance of the Fantasia & Fugue in G shows that he is at one with the Abbey's magnificent instrument’ (Choir & Organ)» More

‘This seems to me a highly rewarding release of the highest quality, deserving investigation by all interested in cathedral music. It’s a testament to the long experience and fine music-making James O’Donnell has brought to London audiences, from Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral and the Proms, and from his recitals around the UK and the rest of the world. It has certainly given me enormous pleasure over the past three weeks’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)» More

‘The work that truly sends shivers up and down the spine in this programme is the anthem 'I Was Glad', written for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902 and sung at every coronation since It is not merely the grandeur of the piece that is so impressive but also the fact that Parry’s choral part-writing and his glorious shifts of harmony create such a stirring, vibrant, awesome majesty of sound, enhanced here by both organ and Onyx Brass’ (The Telegraph)» More

‘The performances on this disc achieve the highest standards. The sound is excellent; the choir is well focussed and ‘present’ while the organ is reported thrillingly … a magnificent disc’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Here is brainpower in abundance: supreme choral singing, combining beauty and power of tone with a sense of line and direction that comes from an intelligent awareness of what the music is all about. No mere going through the motions here, and the trebles, in particular, display a similar maturity of music thought that belies their young ages. Quite outstanding in every way’ (Elgar Society)» More

‘The choir performs as if born to this music and an excellent solo quartet for the Magnificat emerges from its ranks, including a treble solo of great clarity by the young Alexander Kyle’ (The Whole Note, Canada)» More

'Het Westminster Abbey Choir brengt de hymne naast andere befaamde koorwerken van Parry' (Kerknet.be, Belgium)» More
I was glad (from Psalm 122), arguably the greatest ceremonial anthem ever written, was commissioned for the Coronation of Edward VII in 1902. Very much with the choreography and pageantry of the monarch’s arrival at Westminster Abbey in mind, it was experimentally conceived to incorporate the opening processional march of the king and queen and their substantial entourages up the nave, the vivats (shouted traditionally by the scholars of Westminster School) at their appearance beyond the screen into the ‘theatre’, an interlude of prayer (‘O pray for the peace of Jerusalem’) and a final, dramatic climax in which the march is restored with even greater grandeur. Dissatisfied with the opening, Parry revised the introductory bars radically for the Coronation of George V in June 1911 so that it was much more arresting in its effect. Since then the anthem has been used in all subsequent coronations and for many royal weddings and state occasions.

from notes by Jeremy Dibble © 2015

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