John Rutter’s Magnificat for soprano soloist, choir, and orchestra was written in 1990. The text, based on the prayer ascribed by St. Luke to the Virgin Mary on learning that she was to give birth to Christ, is extended by the interpolation of Marian prayers and poems chosen by the composer. This album is a re-issue of the original recording featuring The Cambridge Singers, the City of London Sinfonia, soprano Patricia Forbes, and John Rutter conducting. While the canticle Magnificat has often been set to music as it is a regular part of Catholic vespers and Anglican evensong, this particular work is one of a few extended settings- this work has seven movements. Rutter drew influence from J. S. Bach’s Magnificat, which also structures the text in movements of different character. Rutter’s Magnificat was composed on commission by MidAmerica Productions, a concert organization in New York performing in Carnegie Hall with a choir of 200 selected voices from all over the United States. The piece has a distinct Latin flair, as Rutter was also inspired by “jubilant celebrations of Mary in Hispanic cultures.”

John Rutter's latest major work Visions is a four-movement showpiece for solo violin, string orchestra, harp and choir of treble voices, based on the theme of Jerusalem, the Holy City of prophetic imaginations. It was composed at the invitation of the 2016 Menuhin Competition and premiered at a Festival concert in London's historic Temple Church by Kerson Leong, winner of the 2010 Junior Menuhin Prize, and the Choristers of the Temple Church. They are joined by the Cambridge Singers and the young and vibran tAurora Orchestra. Requiem, one of Rutter's most well-known and widely-performed pieces, was originally recorded by John Rutter in the 1980's. Rutter felt it would be interesting to give a new generation of the Cambridge Singers an opportunity to see what they could do with what is now a familiar choral work.

All the usual virtues of Rutter's music and recordings are here. He is an extremely adept selector of texts, with The Gift of Life moving from the Book of Common Prayer to New England hymnody to Rutter's own poetry, and making it seem effortlessly of a piece. His handling of his handpicked Cambridge Singers is exemplary. The music is warm and well-shaped, with great sensitivity toward text intelligibility and an even greater level of general accessibility than usual. The album is rounded out by a group of shorter pieces, all recent, and the limpid trio of Christmas works at the end goes nicely with everything else and makes the entire album a good seasonal choice.

­– All Music Guide (James Manheim)

The music on this album, was written by John Rutter for a variety of choirs and occasions, over a period of many years. From ceremonial and uplifting, to quiet and reflective, this album features 14 classic tracks from Collegium recordings, plus two previously unreleased tracks.

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REVIEW:

The Cambridge Singers and City of London Sinfonia have the lion's share of this disc. They present amazing performances: very clear diction, tuning and a great sense of blend within the choir, as well as very expressive playing from the orchestra. One thing that this compilation album highlights is the choir's consistency over nearly twenty years.

– MusicWeb International

The service of 'Compline' is the last of the seven daily services observed in monastic communities, taking place immediately before bedtime. It has over many centuries inspired incredibly beautiful compositions, and this release gathers together eighteen of the many lovely 'a cappella' choral motets, mainly from the Renaissance period, which were written to adorn the evening worship of the church. In addition, the 'Office of Compline', sung in English with its traditional chants, has been included in its entirety on a bonus CD. 'Lighten our Darkenss' sees John Rutter and his Cambridge Singers return to the austere surrounds and sumptuous acoustic of the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral, where many of their classic recordings from the 1980s and 1990s were recorded. It was, in all probability, the place where the monks of Ely sang Compline before the Reformation; its magnificent acoustics and architectural splendour and grace continue to make it the perfect setting for Compline today.

Includes work(s) by John Rutter.

This recording is dedicated to unaccompanied English church music, sung in the beautiful acoustic of the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral. The 23 motets and anthems are drawn from three key periods: the Reformation, in the sixteenth century; the Restoration, in the later seventeenth century; and the Anglican revival, in the mid-nineteenth century. "An individual record of exceptional warmth and delight." -- Gramophone

Another classic from the John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers, whose recordings have become a tradition of Christmas around the world.

REVIEW:

Christmas Star is an entertaining collection of familiar holiday tunes and carols, all professionally performed by the Cambridge Singers. This is good, straight a cappella holiday mus­ic and should satisfy fans of that style[.]

­– All Music Guide (Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

The theme of this album is the birth of Christ, reflected in the words and music of twenty-two carols spanning more than six centuries. Some of these carols have long been widely known and loved; others have become so thanks to the annual Christmas Eve Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge; a few are newly written. But all of them focus on the central event of the Christmas story – the birth at Bethlehem – and on the characters in that story: the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, and the mother with her child.

John Rutter writes: “This has always been my favorite among the Christmas albums I have devised and conducted, but digital sound restoration techniques have made huge advances in the years since it was recorded and it was time to give it a spring-clean. In remastering it, it has been possible to bring the sound of the choir and the orchestra to life, and I have been able to enjoy it anew. The Cambridge Singers in 1985 were at the top of their game, and the choir list includes at least two singers who are now internationally renowned as soloists. We hope you will enjoy this classic recording in its newly restored form.”

CONTENTS:

• In dulci jubilo
• Ord: Adam lay ybounden
• Christmas Night
• Once, As I Remember
• Howells: A Spotless Rose
• Darke: In the Bleak Midwinter
• Rutter: There Is a Flower
• The Cherry-Tree Carol
• Niles: I Wonder as I Wander
• Rutter: Candlelight Carol
• Tannenbaum
• Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
• A Virgin Most Pure
• Hadley, P: I sing of a maiden
• Ballet: Lute-Book Lullaby
• Cornelius: The Three Kings
• Richard R. Terry: Myn Lyking
• Bach, J S: O Jesulein süß, BWV493
• Ebeling: All my heart this night rejoices
• I Saw a Maiden
  
• Kirkpatrick: Away in a Manger
• Rutter: Nativity Carol

This collection draws together many of the much-loved and most-requested shorter choral works by John Rutter. Gathered from across the Collegium catalogue, 'Be Thou My Vision' includes all of the church anthems and other sacred pieces for which Rutter is justly famous, representing for the first time a handy compendium of the best-loved Rutter works in their definitive performances by the Cambridge Singers, directed by the composer. 'The recordings of Rutter conducting his own music with the Cambridge Singers remain gleaming beacons of irrepressible music-making.' - BBC Music Magazine

This Collegium double-disc set has been prepared to mark 30 years of the Cambridge Singers and to celebrate the 70th birthday of John Rutter.

The first disc highlights 30 years of the Cambridge Singers, through 30 selected tracks from classic Cambridge Singers recordings and features a variety of composers.

The second CD celebrates John Rutter as he approaches his 70th Birthday, with an host of music composed or arranged by the composer over the past 30 years, recorded on the Collegium label.