Gramophone Award - Howells: Requiem & other works

Hyperion Recording

Gramophone Award Winner 2012
Gramophone Choice
BBC Music Magazine Choral Choice

The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge

Recording details: Various dates
Various recording venues
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: April 2012
Total duration: 64 minutes 7 seconds

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The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge sing the Gloria from Howells' St Paul's Service during Hyperion recording sessions in Lincoln Cathedral (July 2011)

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The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge sing an extract from Howells' A Hymn to St Cecilia during recording sessions

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Selected Reviews

"The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge is ideally pure and full in tone. The grand hymns and canticles are extroverted and focused, the intimate supplications such as Take him, earth sung with great poise… In a recital of many highlights, I have returned again and again to the St Paul's Nunc Dimittis: spaciously paced and… directed towards a ritardando of almighty breadth… This is a perfect disc of its kind." Gramophone Magazine

"The tonal blend drawn from the choir by conductor Stephen Layton, suffused by the acoustic of the Lady Chapel in Ely Cathedral, is glowing … In tutti sections, the clear, youthful timbre of the Trinity choir … intensifies the sense of loss that permeates Howells's composition. It's as though a sad tale is rendered somehow sadder when recited by the voice of fresh, untarnished innocence … A superb one-stop introduction to Howells's choral music." BBC Music Magazine

"Howells's two Services for Gloucester and St Paul's Cathedrals magnificently exploit ecclesiastical acoustics while bringing to the canticle text a fluid lyrical gift, an imaginative harmonic spectrum and a sense of occasion… Trinity College Cambridge brings clarity of words and superb singing." The Daily Telegraph

"A glorious celebration of Howells' sacred output, creating a highly sympathetic musical picture of a composer deeply affected by death (three of the works on this disc are linked in some way to his son), but also capable of much joy. Gorgeously sung throughout, this is repertoire perfectly suited to Trinity Choir's pure, chorister-like sound." bbc.co.uk

"Serenly beautiful… Layton's performances have exactly the poise and careful moudling that this rather fragile, deeply felt music needs." The Guardian

"This is a fine progamme for Howells fans… Layton elicits a gentleness of tone from sopranos which casts such muscular writing as found in 'Take him, earth, for cherishing' in a new, mature light." Choir and Organ Magazine

"... Trinity finds the heart of this work and gives a strong, committed reading." International Record Review

Award Ceremony

 

Stephen Layton's Gramophone Award acceptance speech

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