£12.77 £10.64 Ex vat
ADVENT FROM DUBLIN. The Choir of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin directed by Stuart Nicholson
Description
This recording, made just before the pandemic-imposed lockdown began in March, includes beautiful Advent carols and anthems, interspersed with the traditional ‘O Antiphons’. There is a selection of well-established and more recent works for Advent, forming an approachable programme blending the familiar and the unfamiliar.
The recording was made in the radiant acoustic of The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, close to the choir’s home of St Patrick’s Cathedral – which was unavailable to record in, due to roof works taking place at the time.
Track List
Drop down ye heavens (The Advent Prose) – Judith Weir
1:43O come, O come Emmanuel – 15th Century French arr John Rutter
3:56Adam lay ybounden – Philip Ledger
2:06Antiphon: O Sapientia
0:47A Song of Wisdom – Charles Villiers Stanford
4:37Antiphon: O Adonai
0:55Hail to the Lord’s anointed – Traditional English Melody arr Ralph Vaughan Williams
3:44A tender shoot – Otto Goldshmidt
1:47Antiphon: O Radix Jesse
0:51Lo, how a rose e’er blooming – 14th Century German arr David Blackwell
3:33Jesus Christ the apple tree – Elizabeth Poston
3:33Antiphon: O Clavis David
0:59Come my way – David Cooper
3:06Never weather beaten sail – Richard Shephard
2:14Antiphon: O Oriens
0:52Hark what a sound – Richard Terry
2:23Antiphon: O Rex Gentium
0:52Tomorrow shall be my dancing day – Trad English arr Stuart Nicholson
2:54Antiphon: O Emmanuel
1:01There is no rose – Jack Oades*
2:54Antiphon: O Virgo virginum
1:01Magnificat (Gloucester Service) – Herbert Howells
6:49Antiphon: O Virgo virginum
1:03Lo! He comes with clouds descending – Thomas Olivers, Introduction Stuart Nicholson, V4 arr Martin J R How
5:21* Premiere recording
Total playing time: 58:37
Production credits
Recorded 11–13 March 2020 in The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Whitefriar Street, Dublin by kind permission of the Carmelite Fathers at Whitefriar Street.
Recording producer and engineer: Gary Cole. Session assistant: Pippa Cole
Photographs © Tristan Hutchinson
Sample audio extracts
Reviews
‘This CD is a real delight… The choir is very impressive indeed: excellent tone, diction and interpretation throughout. What a way to celebrate Advent! Very highly recommended.’ ★★★★ Organists’ Review March 2021
‘If only to rekindle the spirit of Christmas past, when spacious churches were filled to capacity, where everything glowed to the shimmering vigil light of votive candles, and the sound of the choir and organ up in the loft seemed to drift down from far away and long ago, this recording of Advent hymns and carols certainly impels these memories to resurface… As for the audio engineering itself, it’s exemplary in the sense that it sits you down in a pew situated in the center of the church, and simply allows the sound to reverberate through the building and wash over you, as if drifting down from far away and long ago, just like a fond and tender memory of Christmas past. Enjoy! ’ Classical Music Sentinel December 2020
‘The choir’s rich, vibrant, and colorful sound is infused with an energetic musical intelligence. ’ American Record Guide Jan/Feb 2022
‘…the musical timbre is most refreshing and well controlled, allowing successful performances of stylistically diverse pieces ranging from Poston’s Jesus Christ the apple tree to the large-scale resources required in Howells’s Gloucester Service. Perhaps the interpretation of the Magnificat reveals the choir at its finest: it showcases the work’s vast dynamic range within a style which requires sensitivity, excellent tuning and, basically, sheer musicality.’ Cathedral Music Magazine 2/22