Thompson: The Peaceable Kingdom & other choral works

For the past half century the music of Randall Thompson has remained a staple in the choral repertoire. These delightful works are marked by skilful craftsmanship, a pervasive singability and uncommon beauty. This new recording features Thompson’s The Peaceable Kingdom, based upon texts from the book of Isaiah, as well as his Mass, The Last Invocation and Fare Well. Also included is one of Thompson’s most popular works, his Alleluia, written at the request of Serge Koussevitsky and premiered in July 1940, and today a beloved and time-honoured contribution to the choral repertoire.

The informative booklet notes are by one of Thompson’s most constant admirers, the fellow-American composer Morten Lauridsen.

CDA67679  76 minutes 56 seconds
‘The Schola Cantorum under James Burton radiates in performances that could not be bettered’ (Gramophone)
‘A vivid response to words is paramount in the 1936 sacred motet sequence The Peacable Kingdom … the performances do full justice to this little-known repertoire’ (Choir & Organ)
‘This superb recording … the performances are first rate, Thompson's lucid yet never naïve word-painting realised with great sensitivity to both the musical and verbal fabrics … the overall ...