Choral Music from St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Denver
Donald Pearson, conductor
Eric Plutz, organ
St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir
St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral Boys’ and Girls’ Choir
A festival of choral music
“Accomplished church music organizations like St. John’s help to preserve the traditions of the choral art in our country. Many thanks to Delos for bringing them to us. Make a joyful noise!” – American Record Guide
British review comment: “Whatever it is that subtly (or perhaps not so subtly) makes a difference between nations has been at work here, for though the Denver choir sing, as the introductory note says, ‘In the English Cathedral tradition,’ and though a large part of the programme itself is English, one may doubt whether singing quite like this is ever to be heard from the choirstalls of Salisbury or Winchester; King’s College, Cambridge; or New College, Oxford. And the difference is not accounted for by the use of women’s or girls’ voices; the sopranos sing with pure, firm, ‘treble’ tone, and, while it is true that the altos can hardly be mistaken for male altos, they form a perfectly natural part of the finely blended choral sound, which in turn has no alien, or markedly national, characteristic. The distinction lies in the feeling for rhythm, and in the sense, communicated throughout the recital, of frank, unequivocal enjoyment in taking part.” – Gramophone
program
Sing We Merrily unto God Our Strength – Campbell
For the Beauty of the Earth – Rutter
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence – Bairstow
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day – Gardner
There is a Green Hill Far Away – Sumsion
O Hear Us, Lord – Piccolo
Greater Love Hath No Man – Ireland
Loch Lomond – Vaughan Williams
Jubilate Deo – Britten
A Song to the Lamb – Susa
The Lord Is My Light – Hallock
Warm-up – Bernstein
What Sweeter Music – Fink
Agnus Dei (trans. from Adagio for Strings, Barber)
Advent Procession – Pearson
Easter Anthem – Baker
And All in the Morning – Near
Epiphany Alleluias – Weaver
