The Tree

Name: The Tree
SKU: SIGCD691
Availability: InStock

£8.00 – £12.00

Andrew Nethsingha and The Choir of St John’s, Cambridge present a tribute album to two former directors, Christopher Robinson and David Hill, who celebrate their 85th and 65th birthdays respectively. Taking the idea of new growth as a starting point, the album develops from the seed of a single treble line, gradually adding organ, then lower voices, a second choir (Yale Schola Cantorum), 150 additional singers, and eventually combining nearly 500 voices together (former members and friends of the college choir). The programme spans Hildegard of Bingen to a new commission by James Long (b.1987) and also includes works by three ex-St Johnians: Herbert Howells, Johnathan Harvey and Christopher Robinson.

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and recordings. Founded in the 1670s, the Choir is known for its distinctive rich, warm sound, its expressive interpretations and its breadth of repertoire.

★★★★ Performance, ★★★★ Recording “An album of hope for recovery…well crafted and beautifully sung disc from The Choir of St John’s College” – BBC Music Magazine

★★★★★ “The outstanding quality of the singing and playing is the reason to buy this recording. Even something as straightforward as Stanford’s A Song of Wisdom is given a ravishing performance” – Choir & Organ

“It is a full programme taking us from the ancient to the modern and with many highlights along the way…Anyone with a connection to St John’s College will enjoy this collection as will all who appreciate Anglican choral singing” – Cross Rhythms

SKU: SIGCD691

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge

Andrew Nethsingha director

Release date: 19/11/2021

Catalogue number: SIGCD691

Barcode: 635212069127

“The whole thing’s a beautifully realised tribute to the history of the choir and its hope for the future” – BBC Radio 3, Record Review

“The intonation from the choir is faultless…The combined forces of St John’s and the Yale Schola Cantorum perform these with scrupulously blended tone…tremendous commitment and sensitivity…Highly recommended!” – Opera Today

“Overall, the recording leaves the listener full of admiration for all aspects of this compilation, which is exceptionally well balanced technically. However, perhaps a medal should be awarded to the trebles for their highly sensitive and superb performance of Stanford’s Song of Wisdom which is, without doubt, one of the highlights of a most inspiring disc.” – Cathedral Music Magazine

“The group release a recording that, from it’s title right through to it’s repertoire, participants and composers, is a celebration of the institution’s living and ever-growing tradition…Andrew Nethsingha shares conducting duties with his predecessors…whose massed forces help to create some spectacular sounds…The St John’s sound is showcased in all its flexibility, from sinewy directness in James Long’s arresting Sicut Aquilae, where the choir must match the forthright quality of Jack Ross’s solo trumpet, to a shimmering miasma in Jonathan Harvey’s The Tree” – Gramophone

[1] O pastor animarum – Hildegard of Bingen

[2] The Tree – Jonathan Harvey

[3] sicut aquilae * – James Long Preces and Responses – Herbert Howells

[4] The Preces

[5] The Responses

[6] The Spirit of the Lord – Edward Elgar

[7] A Hymn for St Cecilia – Herbert Howells

[8] A Song of Wisdom – Charles Villiers Stanford

[9] Jesu, grant me this, I pray – Christopher Robinson

[10] Hear my words, ye people – Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

[11] God so loved the world – John Stainer

[12] Hymn – Love Divine, all loves excelling