The Recording of the month highlights a particularly good recording and may be a new release or from the choir's existing catalogue.

Recording of the month: May 2013

John Rutter: The Tewkesbury Collection

Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum directed by Benjamin Nicholas

Delphian DCD34107

This final recording by Benjamin Nicholas, before taking up his post as Director of Music at Merton College, Oxford, is a programme of John Rutter's music includig some of his most familiar pieces but also including some less well known.   The singing by Schola Cantorum is beautiful in the excellent acoustic of Tewkesbury Abbey.  A recording which is highly recommended.

Recording of the month: April 2013

The Genius of Cavaillé-Coll

Fugue State Films FSF DVD007

http://www.fuguestatefilms.co.uk/cavaille-coll/

This massive undertaking comprises 3 DVDs and 2 CDs setting out the story of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, one of the greatest organ huilders of all time.  The first DVD is a documentary explaining how Cavaillé-Coll designed and built superb oirganswhich were played bu Widor, Franck, Guilmant and Vierne.  It explains the clever 'Barker lever'pneumatic action and the new ventil system enabling players to prepare and select combinations of stops. On the second and thrid DVDs there are superb perfomances by today's top French organists Olivier Latry, Daniel Roth, Michel Bouvard and many others on fifteen different instruments dating from 1849 to 1894 in 5.1 surround sound.   There are more performances on the two CDs of this magnificent set which is a must for any organ lover.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if Fugue State Fims now start work on a similar set of the wonderful instruments of that other genius Father Willis.

Recording of the month: March 2013

Haydn:  Nelson Mass

Choir of New College Oxford & New Century Baroque directed by Edward Higginbottom

Novum NCR 1385

A fine liturgical performance of Haydn's Missa in Augustiis, composed during the Napoleonic wars.  The soprano solos 

are sung by a fine boy treble with the atmospheric acoustic of the College Chapel.

Recording of the month:  February 2013

A year at Winchester

Winchester Cathedral Choir (boys, girls and lay clerks) directed by Andrew Lumsden

Regent REGCD 572

This CD is a delight from every angle.  The choir is superb and the recording excellent.

The programme is an appealing mix of music that does exactly what te title leads you to expect.

Highly recommended

Recording of the month: January 2013

Britten: The Sacred Choral Music

The choir of New College, Oxford directed by Edward Higginbottom

Novum NCR 1386

New College Oxford choir was one of the first to recognise the quality of Britten's sacred choral music from the mid 20th century.

This newly recorded 2 CD set was recorded to mark the centenary in 2013 of Britten's birth.

It contains well known favourites such as the Hymn to Saint Cecilia and Rejoice in the Lamb, together with a number lesser known gems.

Recording of the month: December 2012

Christmas from Hereford

The choir of Hereford Cathedral directed by Geraint Bowen

Regent REGCD 388

Another disc of Christmas Carols and a very good one. The informed choice of carols and the quality of the singing on this new disc from Hereford make it well woirth hearing.

Recording of the month: October 2012

The Psalms of David: nos. 20-36

The choir of Salisbury Cathedral directed by David Halls

Priory Records PRCD 1058

This recording by the boys and men of Salisbury Cathedral takes us from the fourth morning to the seventh morning. One of the stated aims of this new series is to use chants not previously recorded and, in doing so, have a 'local slant' on the selection. Accordingly on this disc there are several chants by composers who have been associated with Salisbury Cathedral including a delicghtful one by the present Director of Music, David Halls and an equally gorgeous one by Sir Walter Alcock. The singing is of an impressively high standard.

The Grand Organ of Salisbury Cathedral (DVD)

David Halls

Priory Records PRDVD 8

In this the eighth Priory DVD, Salisbury's Director of Music, David Halls, plays a delightful programme, each piece having links to the cathedral or its county and demonstrating the distinctive qualities of this magnificent, unaltered 1877 'Father Willis' organ. On the bonus tracks this organist reveals an ability to entice us to love this organ as much as he does, and in his guide to the console and the stop-list he holds our attention as he unpacks it all.. Any organ lover viewing this DVD will want to rush down to the cathedral to hear this vintqage Father Willis organ live and feast their eyes on the pure Early English Gothic architecture (1220), superbly shown in the cutaways, all built in the same style and, like the organ, unaltered,

Recording of the month: July 2012

A year at Truro

The choir of Truro Cathedral directed by Christopher Grey

Regent REGCD 377

Recording of the month: May 2012

Illumina - Music of Light

The Choir of New College, Oxford with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, directed by Edward Higginbottom

In 'Illumina' you will find some of our best loved choral classics: gems such Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and Mozart's Laudate Dominum are presented alongside contemporary works in the great Anglo-American choral tradition with composers such as John Rutter, Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre. You will also discover brand new arrangements of Franck's famous Panis Angelicus and Mahler's Adagietto from his Fifth Symphony.