From the Celestial Hills – Review by American Record Guide

“The youthful sounding choir of men and women sings with clarity and precision.”

31st July 2024

From the Celestial Hills – Review by American Record Guide

Listen or buy this album:

From the Celestial Hills – Review by American Record Guide

“The youthful sounding choir of men and women sings with clarity and precision.”

31st July 2024

cr088-fc-500

Listen or buy this album:

Here is a fine opportunity to hear little known Scottish choral pieces from the repertoire of the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir, some simple and others complex, some sublimely serene and others ruggedly stirring. Various hymns and liturgical texts are heard in new arrangements or in entirely new settings.

The program begins with Katy Lavinia Cooper’s arrangement of the 19th Century hymn, `Abbeville’, ending with luscious harmonization, which seems a fitting fulfillment of this prayer to the Holy Spirit to “Melt, melt this frozen heart …And form me all anew.” It is followed by arrangements of a 17th Century Christmas Carol by Kenneth Elliot, a 14th Century plainsong hymn by Sheena Phillips, and an 18th Century hymn by John Holden, `Lord, in Thy Wrath’ (Psalm 6). All are gently and sensitively performed.

What particularly caught my interest was `Ex Te Lux Oritur, O Dulcis Scotia’, a wedding hymn from 1281 for Margaret of Scotland and Eric of Norway, arranged by Kevin Bowyer and Katy Lavinia Cooper. After four of the 13 quatrains an exciting organ interlude is provided by Bowyer.

The program includes first commercial recordings of recent works:  Ronald Law’s `Balulalow’ with a text from Martin Luther, `Bow Thine Ear, O Lord’ (Isaiah: 64:9-10) by Janet Beat, `Like a Lost God’ by Cooper, `For a Thousand Years’ (Psalm 90:4) by James MacMillan, `O Sacrum Convivium’ by Rory Boyle, `Hymn to St Perpetua’ by Drew Hammond, and `Ave Regina Caelorum’ by Kenneth Tay.

Each of these pieces grabbed my attention. One of the surprises was finding American born composer Drew Hammond’s engaging setting of a most unusual text by Nortek the Stammerer, a 10th Century Benedictine monk, about Christ’s ladder of love to heaven for women.

Every selection has something worth hearing. What stands out as exceptional is Martin Dalby’s `Et Resurrexit’ with words from the Nicene Creed intertwined with part of George Herbert’s poem `Easter’.  I loved hearing `Be Glad Then, Ye Children of Zion’ by Alfred Hollins, Yorkshire organist, composer, and teacher, blind from birth. It sounds a lot like Stanford and it whets my appetite for more of his music. Some of his organ works have been recorded, but I can find no other recording available of his choral works. `The Sang of the Thrie Childrein’ (from the Benedicite) by 16th Century composer John Angus sounds like an ageless folk song.

The youthful sounding choir of men and women sings with clarity and precision. In two pieces the solo voices of Eve Harling and Sophie Boyd rise discreetly from within the choir. Cooper’s direction of these singers has produced rewarding results. Bowyer provides his discerning support where needed. The program notes indicate that much of this repertoire is little known. It is all new to me, and I have been savoring these new discoveries. The scant program notes give minimal information about these pieces and provide no texts or translations. I wrote to Convivium asking for texts and translations and with much appreciation received them promptly.

Review written by:

Review published in:

Other reviews by this author:

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Here is a fine opportunity to hear little known Scottish choral pieces from the repertoire of the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir, some simple and others complex, some sublimely serene and others ruggedly stirring. Various hymns and liturgical texts are heard in new arrangements or in entirely new settings.

The program begins with Katy Lavinia Cooper’s arrangement of the 19th Century hymn, `Abbeville’, ending with luscious harmonization, which seems a fitting fulfillment of this prayer to the Holy Spirit to “Melt, melt this frozen heart …And form me all anew.” It is followed by arrangements of a 17th Century Christmas Carol by Kenneth Elliot, a 14th Century plainsong hymn by Sheena Phillips, and an 18th Century hymn by John Holden, `Lord, in Thy Wrath’ (Psalm 6). All are gently and sensitively performed.

What particularly caught my interest was `Ex Te Lux Oritur, O Dulcis Scotia’, a wedding hymn from 1281 for Margaret of Scotland and Eric of Norway, arranged by Kevin Bowyer and Katy Lavinia Cooper. After four of the 13 quatrains an exciting organ interlude is provided by Bowyer.

The program includes first commercial recordings of recent works:  Ronald Law’s `Balulalow’ with a text from Martin Luther, `Bow Thine Ear, O Lord’ (Isaiah: 64:9-10) by Janet Beat, `Like a Lost God’ by Cooper, `For a Thousand Years’ (Psalm 90:4) by James MacMillan, `O Sacrum Convivium’ by Rory Boyle, `Hymn to St Perpetua’ by Drew Hammond, and `Ave Regina Caelorum’ by Kenneth Tay.

Each of these pieces grabbed my attention. One of the surprises was finding American born composer Drew Hammond’s engaging setting of a most unusual text by Nortek the Stammerer, a 10th Century Benedictine monk, about Christ’s ladder of love to heaven for women.

Every selection has something worth hearing. What stands out as exceptional is Martin Dalby’s `Et Resurrexit’ with words from the Nicene Creed intertwined with part of George Herbert’s poem `Easter’.  I loved hearing `Be Glad Then, Ye Children of Zion’ by Alfred Hollins, Yorkshire organist, composer, and teacher, blind from birth. It sounds a lot like Stanford and it whets my appetite for more of his music. Some of his organ works have been recorded, but I can find no other recording available of his choral works. `The Sang of the Thrie Childrein’ (from the Benedicite) by 16th Century composer John Angus sounds like an ageless folk song.

The youthful sounding choir of men and women sings with clarity and precision. In two pieces the solo voices of Eve Harling and Sophie Boyd rise discreetly from within the choir. Cooper’s direction of these singers has produced rewarding results. Bowyer provides his discerning support where needed. The program notes indicate that much of this repertoire is little known. It is all new to me, and I have been savoring these new discoveries. The scant program notes give minimal information about these pieces and provide no texts or translations. I wrote to Convivium asking for texts and translations and with much appreciation received them promptly.

Review written by:

Review published in:

Other reviews by this author:

No other reviews found

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