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.
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The Magnificat was commissioned by Francis Grier for the choir of Christchurch, Oxford, in 1982 with funds provided by the Southern Arts Association. It is a unique setting of very familiar words and has become a classic work in the choral catalogue. The Magnificat canticle forms a central part of both Vespers and the Anglican office of Evensong and this setting for double choir in Latin delights in the daringly unconventional interpolation of zulu warrior chant interwoven between ‘Stravinskian’ ostinati-dominated polyphony. Swayne’s distanced approach to specific textual nuance shares a similarity with the great Magnificat settings of the sixteenth century (Victoria, Palestrina, Vivanco, Ortiz, etc.), but the pointillist dabs of colour, the ostinati and increasingly wide-leaping lines place this very firmly in its contemporary milieu.
from notes by Jeremy Filsell © 2003
Recordings
 Evensong Live 2015Studio Master: KGS0011Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available  A generous cross section of the music-making that happens at King’s, capturing the atmosphere and acoustic of the Chapel and presenting Evensong as a living and breathing part of our national heritage.» More |
 Hail! Queen of HeavenCSCD508Download only  This recording gathers together twenty-one examples of the extraordinary wealth of choral music inspired by the Virgin Mary, from Gregorian chant to the 20th-century sounds of Gustav Holst, Herbert Howells, Pierre Villette, Igor Stravinsky, Giles ...» More |
 Tavener: Mother and childSIGCD501Download only  Signum Records is delighted to announce the release of Tenebrae's second album, 'Mother and Child'. Tenebrae has, in its short existence, made a considerable impact with fresh and vital re-interpretations of classic works in the choral repertoire. ...» More |
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