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SOMM Recordings

Light out of Darkness - Choral Music by Edward Elgar

$20.99

Details

Composer
Edward Elgar
Artist
Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Callum Knox
Format
CD
Label
SOMM Recordings
Released
Jan 16, 2026
Catalog #
SOMMCD 0714
UPC
748871071421

About

In January 2026 The Elgar Society marks it's 75th anniversary, and SOMM Recordings celebrates the event with several Elgar releases in gratitude for the society's generous support and encouragement from 1998 to the present day. Light Out of Darkness, Choral Music by Elgar was recorded in February 2025, with the support of The Elgar Society, and continues the inspired journey of the composer's musical development in a series of widely acclaimed releases by SOMM. This present release includes five world-premiere recordings. Light Out of Darkness features the Chapel Choir Of The Royal Hospital Chelsea conducted by their Music Director, the multiple prize-winning conductor and pianist William Vann. This follows their hugely successful first recording of Elgar's choral works for SOMM, The Reeds by Severn Side [SOMMCD 0278]. The featured organist is Callum Knox, an emerging talent from Australia. Edward Elgar (1857-1934) had an unorthodox musical education that turned out to be a fertile training ground for his evolution into one of the most important composers of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. He "learned on the job," so to speak, studying scores and instruction manuals in his father's music shop; assisting his father who played the organ at Worcester's St George's Church; and graduating to organist for St George's in 1885. From these early years come world-premiere recordings of the hymn Praise ye the Lord, 1878, and the first of Elgar's seven settings of Thomas Aquinas's O Salutaris Hostia composed c.1877. Two later versions-from c.1880 (dedicated "To my father - with affection") and 1882-are also included here. This last is another world-premiere recording, as is Elgar's a cappella setting of the Stabat Mater from 1886. In 1888, now aged 31, Elgar composed the dignified Ecce sacerdos magnus (Behold a great priest) for a visit to St. George's by the newly installed Bishop of Birmingham. This release includes three anthems extracted from Elgar's oratorios. Light out of darkness and Light of the World, we know Thy praise are taken from his first oratorio, The Light of Life (Lux Christi). The third is The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, the opening chorus from his penultimate oratorio, The Apostles. Elgar's part songs, or "choral songs" as he later preferred to call them, contain some of his greatest music. Amongst the six included here are Byron's Deep in my soul from The Corsair; O wild West Wind! Inspired by Shelley's Ode to the West Wind; and Go, Song of Mine after the Italian 13th century poet, Guido Cavalcanti, translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The programme closes with Elgar's rousing 1902 arrangement of God Save the King, heard here in the version for organ accompaniment.

Tracklist 18 tracks

  1. 1 The Light of Life, Op. 29: Light out of darkness (version for voices, choir and organ) 05:14
    Track
    1
    Title
    The Light of Life, Op. 29: Light out of darkness (version for voices, choir and organ)
    Duration
    05:14
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  2. 2 The Apostles, Op. 49: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me 07:12
    Track
    2
    Title
    The Apostles, Op. 49: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
    Duration
    07:12
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  3. 3 Psalm 51 05:35
    Track
    3
    Title
    Psalm 51
    Duration
    05:35
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  4. 4 Praise ye the Lord 02:22
    Track
    4
    Title
    Praise ye the Lord
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  5. 5 Psalm 48, Op. 67, "Great Is the Lord" (version for voice, choir and organ) 09:43
    Track
    5
    Title
    Psalm 48, Op. 67, "Great Is the Lord" (version for voice, choir and organ)
    Duration
    09:43
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Tristan Hambleton, Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  6. 6 No. 2. Deep in my Soul 04:44
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 2. Deep in my Soul
    Duration
    04:44
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  7. 7 No. 3. O wild West Wind! 03:24
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 3. O wild West Wind!
    Duration
    03:24
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  8. 8 No. 1. Love's Tempest 03:02
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 1. Love's Tempest
    Duration
    03:02
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  9. 9 No. 2. Serenade 02:10
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 2. Serenade
    Duration
    02:10
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  10. 10 Go, song of mine, Op. 57 04:31
    Track
    10
    Title
    Go, song of mine, Op. 57
    Duration
    04:31
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  11. 11 How Calmly the Evening 03:10
    Track
    11
    Title
    How Calmly the Evening
    Duration
    03:10
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  12. 12 Stabat mater 03:03
    Track
    12
    Title
    Stabat mater
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  13. 13 Ecce sacerdos magnus (version for choir and organ) 03:07
    Track
    13
    Title
    Ecce sacerdos magnus (version for choir and organ)
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  14. 14 O salutaris Hostia in G Major 04:13
    Track
    14
    Title
    O salutaris Hostia in G Major
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Rosemary Clifford, Callum Knox
  15. 15 O salutaris Hostia in E-Flat Major 03:54
    Track
    15
    Title
    O salutaris Hostia in E-Flat Major
    Duration
    03:54
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  16. 16 O salutaris Hostia in E-Flat Major (arr. W. Vann for voice, choir and organ) 04:00
    Track
    16
    Title
    O salutaris Hostia in E-Flat Major (arr. W. Vann for voice, choir and organ)
    Duration
    04:00
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Angus McPhee, Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
  17. 17 The Light of Life, Op. 29: Light of the World (version for voices, choir and organ) 04:48
    Track
    17
    Title
    The Light of Life, Op. 29: Light of the World (version for voices, choir and organ)
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann
  18. 18 Great Britain [God Save the King (God Save the Queen), "God save our gracious King…"] (arr. E. Elgar for voices, choir and organ) 03:06
    Track
    18
    Title
    Great Britain [God Save the King (God Save the Queen), "God save our gracious King…"] (arr. E. Elgar for voices, choir and organ)
    Duration
    03:06
    Composer
    Anonymous
    Performer
    Leah Jackson, Eloise Irving, Lorna Price, Jonathan Hanley, Jack Comerford, Callum Knox
    Ensemble
    Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
    Conductor
    William Vann