Here is something new – American choral music recorded by English choirs. Dan Locklair is a prominent composer who has written numerous works for nearly every medium: orchestral, chamber, instrumental, dramatic, choral, piano and organ. This is a selection of his sacred choral pieces, both a capella and accompanied, with the large-scale Gloria for choir, brass and percussion as the centerpiece of the program.

The Winchester and Portsmouth choirs are composed of high school age students and handle the technical and musical demands with ease. Sospiri is a professional ensemble directed by Christopher Watson and is heard in five of the selections. The writing ranges from the virtuosic and contrapuntal in the Gloria to the touching simplicity of the opening ‘Lord Jesus, think on me’ and concluding ‘The Lord bless you and keep you’. The music is beautifully written, deeply expressive of the texts; and the choirs give superlative performances. Extensive notes on the music and texts are included.