Blest Cecilia - Britten Choral Works I / The Sixteen

$18.99
Added to Cart! View cart or continue shopping.

Fans of Benjamin Britten and of The Sixteen will rejoice at this reissue of material from the choir's acclaimed three-volume Britten series originally recorded for the now-defunct Collins label. (Presumably all of the music from the complete set eventually will appear under the Sixteen's new Coro emblem.) If you know the earlier recordings, you'll quickly notice that the program here is different from the original configurations: there are five selections from Collins' Vol. 3--Hymn to the Virgin, A Hymn of Saint Columba, Hymn to Saint Peter, Jubilate Deo, Festival Te Deum; three from Vol. 2--Rejoice in the Lamb; Antiphon; Te Deum in C; and the Hymn to Saint Cecilia from Vol. 1.

Recorded performances of Britten's choral music don't get any better than this. No one will argue that this choir was/is capable of singing anything, and singing it as well as or better than anyone--and these Britten pieces are made for exuberant, exultant, exacting singing that the Sixteen can do without a blip, a glitch, or the slightest faltering step. From the fawning, devotional A Hymn to the Virgin to the wild and glorious Rejoice in the Lamb, this is music most perfectly created and most grandly and emphatically presented. A first-class effort; a classic.

--David Vernier

Works:
Hymn to the Virgin
A Hymn of Saint Columba
Hymn to Saint Peter
Antiphon
Te Deum in C
Jubilate Deo
Hymn to Saint Cecilia
Festival Te Deum
Rejoice in the Lamb


Product Description:

  • Release Date: April 01, 2002


  • Catalog Number: COR16006


  • UPC: 828021600623


  • Label: CORO


  • Number of Discs: 1


  • Composer: Benjamin Britten


  • Conductor: Harry Christophers


  • Orchestra/Ensemble: The Sixteen


  • Performer: Caroline Trevor, Carys-Anne Lane, Deborah Miles-Johnson, Libby Crabtree, Margaret Philips, Nicola Jenkin, Philip Daggett, Ruth Dean, Simon Berridge, Simon Birchall



Works:

  1. Hymn to the Virgin

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  2. Hymn of St Columba

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Margaret Philips (Organ)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  3. Hymn to St Peter, Op. 56a

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Ruth Dean (Soprano), Carys-Anne Lane (Soprano), Margaret Philips (Organ)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  4. Antiphon, Op. 56b

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Libby Crabtree (Soprano), Ruth Dean (Soprano), Carys-Anne Lane (Soprano), Margaret Philips (Organ)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  5. Te Deum in C major

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Libby Crabtree (Soprano), Margaret Philips (Organ)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  6. Jubilate Deo

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Margaret Philips (Organ)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  7. Hymn to St Cecilia, Op. 27

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Simon Birchall (Bass), Philip Daggett (Tenor), Ruth Dean (Soprano), Nicola Jenkin (Soprano), Caroline Trevor (Alto)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  8. Rejoice in the Lamb, Op. 30

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Simon Berridge (Tenor), Simon Birchall (Bass), Carys-Anne Lane (Soprano), Deborah Miles-Johnson (Alto), Margaret Philips (Organ)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers


  9. Festival Te Deum in E major, Op. 32

    Composer: Benjamin Britten

    Ensemble: The Sixteen

    Performer: Ruth Dean (Soprano), Margaret Philips (Organ)

    Conductor: Harry Christophers