Music for Seafarers – Review by RSCM (Church Music Quarterly)

“The choral sound is young, vibrant and energetic”

1st May 2013

Music for Seafarers – Review by RSCM (Church Music Quarterly)

“The choral sound is young, vibrant and energetic”

1st May 2013

Music For Seafarers

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They that go down to the sea in ships begins this CD, not the Sumsion setting but Grayston Ives. So begins a sequence of maritime anthems and songs – familiar and less so. At first sight, there is a curious mix: hymns and folk-songs such as I the Lord of sea and sky, I am sailing again across the sea and blow the wind southerly mingle with anthems with a marine theme such as Jonathan Dove’s Vast Ocean of Light which has an electrifying performance. Malcolm Archer has provided and effective setting of Eternal Father, strong to save.

This is a spacious recording in Portsmouth Cathedral’s resonant and rather difficult acoustic; occasionally diction suffers but, that said, the choral sound here is young, vibrant and energetic. Released as a fundraiser for seafaring charities, I daresay it’ll find its way onto iPods of those sailors manning the night watch far from home.

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They that go down to the sea in ships begins this CD, not the Sumsion setting but Grayston Ives. So begins a sequence of maritime anthems and songs – familiar and less so. At first sight, there is a curious mix: hymns and folk-songs such as I the Lord of sea and sky, I am sailing again across the sea and blow the wind southerly mingle with anthems with a marine theme such as Jonathan Dove’s Vast Ocean of Light which has an electrifying performance. Malcolm Archer has provided and effective setting of Eternal Father, strong to save.

This is a spacious recording in Portsmouth Cathedral’s resonant and rather difficult acoustic; occasionally diction suffers but, that said, the choral sound here is young, vibrant and energetic. Released as a fundraiser for seafaring charities, I daresay it’ll find its way onto iPods of those sailors manning the night watch far from home.

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