In an exciting new collaboration, Oxford’s Christ Church Cathedral Choir, one of the world’s oldest and best-known cathedral choirs, joins forces with soloists from The Sixteen and Oxford Baroque on this new recording of Francesco Durante’s Requiem Mass in C minor. Despite its enduring popularity in the 18th century this beautiful and majestic work was never published but survives through over 50 manuscript copies scattered across Europe. It is a remarkable work which can justly be described as one of the most important orchestral Requiem settings of the 18th century. This is the premiere recording of Stephen Darlington’s new edition of the work which shows durante to be a composer of considerable skill and invention, who combined his mastery of counterpoint with an elegance of melody, a richness of harmony and an imaginative instinct for structure. This album also features Durante’s exquisite Organ Concerto in B flat major- a rare example of an Italian keyboard concerto of the period- performed by celebrated organist Clive Driskill-Smith. Although 500 years old, Christ Church Cathedral Choir is justly famous for the youthfulness of its sound and its daring and adventurous musical programming. Unique in the world as both Cathedral and college choir, the intimate acoustic of its musical home, Oxford’s 12th century Cathedral has given it a relationship with early sacred music and the rhythm and vigor of contemporary idioms which is second to none.

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REVIEW:

Francesco Durante’s never-before published Requiem in C minor is revealed in all its 18th-century glory. Darlington conducts the elegant, richly melodic score with unique understanding. The soloists are uniformly excellent, and the string playing crisp and alert.

­– The Observer (UK)

The result of a brand new collaboration between two of the finest modern day exponents of classical music, this exquisite disc brings fresh lifeblood to Fauré's peerless 'Requiem' and injects imaginative invention and poetic phrasing into two of Mozart's choral masterpieces. Recorded at the 2007 Mostly Mozart Festival at London's Barbican Hall, this disc reflects the unique live experience of a concert performance that captivated its audience. Conducted by Harry Christophers, The Sixteen and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields are joined by four soloists for this recording. '...the singers of The Sixteen evoked an unearthly expressiveness. Fauré once said: 'here it was as if we had stumbled upon some private memorial, and caught a haunting glimpse of paradise.'' - The London Independent

R E V I E W S:

"This is a live recording of a concert given at last year’s Mostly Mozart festival...Despite its title, Mozart’s pithy Solemn Vespers mostly bristle with a joyous, late-Haydn-like energy, though the lilting Laudate dominum is an expressive high point within the psalm sequence. The solemnity comes with Fauré’s Requiem and the curtain-raiser, Mozart’s late motet Ave verum corpus, which are expressive and both emotionally and spiritually profound. Harry Christophers, the Sixteen and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields straddle the styles and approaches impressively. Roderick Williams is an excellent, rich-toned baritone soloist, while Ruth Massey conveys just the right measure of fragility in her Pie Jesu."
-- Stephen Pettitt, Sunday Times (London) [3/9/2008]

Christophers elegantly mixes traditional carols, 20th century British standards, and contemporary works, and at every turn, there is something new.

The Sixteen contrasts traditional with contemporary in this choral feast of festive music. Bob Chilcott's sumptuous Advent Antiphons based on plainsong melodies anticipate the coming of Christmas and feature alongside Mykola Leontovich's much-loved Carol of the Bells, Richard Rodney Bennett’s stunning Susanni and Eric Whitacre’s shimmering Lux aurumque. Interspersed with the beautiful simplicity of traditional carols, this is a Christmas collection to savor.

Harry Christophers stands among today’s great champions of choral music. In partnership with The Sixteen, the ensemble he founded almost 40 years ago, he has set benchmark standards for the performance of everything from late medieval polyphony to important new works by contemporary composers. His international influence is supported by more than 150 recordings and has been enhanced by his work as Artistic Director of Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society and as guest conductor worldwide. The Sixteen’s soundworld, rich in tonal variety and expressive nuance, reflects Christophers’ determination to create a vibrant choral instrument from the blend of adult professional singers. Under his leadership The Sixteen has established its annual Choral Pilgrimage to cathedrals, churches and other UK venues, created the Sacred Music series for BBC television, and developed an acclaimed period-instrument orchestra. Highlights of their recent work include an Artist Residency at Wigmore Hall, a large-scale tour of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, and the world premiere of James MacMillan’s Symphony No. 5, ‘Le grand Inconnu’; their future projects, meanwhile, comprise a new series devoted to Purcell and an ongoing survey of Handel’s dramatic oratorios.

REVIEW:

The title Carol of the Bells might suggest a greatest Christmas hits collection, and that Ukrainian standard is indeed present, but most of the material is a good deal less familiar. Christophers elegantly mixes traditional carols, 20th century British standards, and contemporary works, and at every turn, there is something new. Some of the traditional carols come from an old Oxford publication; Christophers notes that several, such as All in the Morning, have fallen out of use, and his case for their revival is persuasive. The Sixteen's reading of Eric Whitacre's much-recorded Lux aurumque is top-tier, and from the opening Pilgrim Jesus of Bob Chilcott, the program just flows unusually naturally. This is a holiday album that adds new subjects to the conversation even as it upholds some long traditions.

-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)

Opus 18 needs little introduction as Beethoven’s supremely confident first step in total mastery of the Classical String Quartet. From the opening bars of Quartet No. 1 which bristle with curiosity and possibility to the wit and humor of Quartet No. 2 and the suppressed energy and teasing harmonic uncertainty of Quartet No. 3, Opus 18 represents Beethoven’s only quartet contribution during his ‘first period’ and provides the listener with a tantalizing glimpse of the extraordinary music that was to follow. “The sound of the strings is warm but not overly vibrated or assertive; the articulation is clear but not didactic; the tempos are beautifully chosen, the ensemble perfect, and the intonation absolutely pure. This is music-making that reflects deeply human and attractive qualities… good humor, with, and invention.” (Tom Moore, Early Music America)

The Christmas Oratorio is one of Bach's greatest masterpieces and this recording is one of The Sixteen's finest. Mark Padmore is one of today's greatest 'Evangelist's', and this recording shows him at his very best. With an ever-swelling fan-base during the busiest media-quarter for the group with radio, broadsheet and music magazine coverage that will be the envy of competitors, this vivid and passionate Christmas release really should be on many shopping lists. 'Superlative...demonstrating all The Sixteen's familiar virtues.' BBC Music Magazine

There are certain texts which inspire composers more than others but there is one in particular that has provided us with sublime music ever since it appeared centuries ago—the Agnus Dei. This collection from The Sixteen celebrates some of the finest settings from the Renaissance through to the 20th century. Let time stand still whilst listening to the arching melismas and subtle imitation of settings by Tye and Sheppard; delight in the genius of Bach’s setting in the Mass in B minor; and revel in Poulenc’s soaring soprano solo at the opening to his Agnus Dei—so poignant, ethereal and effortlessly beautiful. Of course no collection of this type would be complete without Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei—probably one of the most famous settings ever written, certainly in recent times, and which rarely leaves a dry eye. From Tallis to Scarlatti and Rubbra to Britten, the variety of settings and musical language featured here is quite astounding and you may even discover an Agnus Dei that you haven’t heard before!

A collection of well-loved traditional Christmas Carols, perfect for creating a warm seasonal atmosphere and to sing along with.

Simple, sincere and thoroughly engaging -- American Record Guide

The haunting tones of Allegri's Miserere are unique and instantly recognizable even to those who know little sacred choral music. Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli is certainly his best known work. Along with his Stabat Mater it combines exquisite contrapuntal poise with a translucent setting of the words, whereby music and text complement each other to the detriment of neither. The chromaticism and blossoming cadences of Lotti's eight part Crucifixus have made it a work loved by both choirs and listeners.

Is there another composer who can match Handel's genius for writing choruses? He is quite simply the master of chorus and on this compilation of tracks, taken from The Sixteen's award-winning Handel back-catalogue, there is much rejoicing. Revel in the some of Handel's finest writing from the universally loved Hallelujah chorus to the exuberance of I will sing unto the Lord from Israel in Egypt and the longest of his choruses - the magnificent The Lord our enemy has slain from the first version of Esther. Sit back, turn up the volume and marvel at his brilliance! Whether performing a simple medieval hymn or expressing the complex musical and emotional language of a contemporary choral composition, The Sixteen does so with qualities common to all great ensembles. Tonal warmth, rhythmic precision and immaculate intonation are clearly essential to the mix. But it is the courage and intensity with which The Sixteen makes music that speak above all to so many people.

An Old Belief introduces Hubert Parry's emotional and heartfelt Songs of Farewell, which surely rank among some of the finest choral works ever written. Deeply affected by the First World War, Parry sought poetry that would reflect not only peace and unity and the search for a better world, but also an escape from the horrors of war. The poems Parry chose to set are sublime, be they metaphysical poetry by John Donne and Henry Vaughan or the aching beauty of Thomas Campion’s verse. Perfectly complimenting the rich sonority of Parry’s Songs are three short pieces by Campion, a selection of medieval carols and a new work by award-winning composer Cecilia McDowall.