HAVPCD364 – The Organ of Chichester Cathedral

This eclectic musical experience is evident in his organ music, which also demonstrates a technical ability acquired from his composition lessons with Ralph Vaughan Williams. The Allegretto and Scherzo share a whimsical humour; the Andante tranquillo has a wistful, Elgarian quality and Folk Tune a haunting melody which is heard three times with different registrations. Paean is a Greek title for a choral hymn of praise to Apollo, but has come to denote an exulting musical piece. It is a ‘Tuba tune’ and was written for his then fiancée Edna May Kingdon.

You can now type a fragment or partial word into the “Search for:” section on the top-right of the website page. The search will now display results for all of the Album Titles and Track information, including Disk Number, Composer, Location, Conductor and Choir.

Examples -
305 – to display details for the Herald album HAVPCD305.
Chichester – to display all the Herald CDs and recordings in Chichester.
Silent Night – to display Herald CDs and Recordings of “Silent Night“.
Quilt – to display all the tracks composed by “Roger Quilter”

We are really pleased that Chichester Cathedral Choir directed by Sarah Baldock gained the accolade of “Gramophone Critics Christmas Choice 2009″ and “BBC Music Magazine Christmas Choice 2009″ for the recent HAVPCD350 “Carols from Chichester Cathedral” recording.

We gained a very good review from the Gramophone magazine (December edition) for HAVPCD346 ‘Ave Virgo Sanctissima’ sung by the Choir of the London Oratory directed by Patrick Russill which was sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need.

We have many other exciting new projects for 2010 including two new CDs featuring Wakefield Cathedral Choir and Organ, a new recording from the Temple Church of Music by the Nights Templar sung by the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge directed by Jeremy White, this recording has been specially made in Memory Dr Mary Berry.

HAVPCD350 – Carols from Chichester Cathedral

“Gramophone Critics Christmas Choice 2009” to be announced in the December issue.

“BBC Music Magazine Christmas Choice 2009” announced in the December issue.

Christmas is a special time for Chichester Cathedral Choir. In addition to a run of concerts at the Festival Theatre and services for radio and local organizations, the Choir sings the traditional services on Christmas Eve and Day, and three Cathedral services of lessons and carols.

The selection of music for Carols from Chichester Cathedral is intended to capture the spirit of these services, which are popular with the young and old alike. Some of the usual congregational carols, with the familiar David Willcocks descants, sit alongside other Christmas favourites such as In the bleak mid-winter and Tomorrow shall be my dancing day. Mark Wardell’s Rocking was specially written for the Choristers for this CD, and like David Hill’s Away in a manger demonstrates the power of a good tune in the hands of a skilful arranger.

“The English Cathedral tradition at its very finest”
– Five Stars for Recording & Performance.
- BBC Music Magazine, December 2009

The Lay Vicars sing one to a part in Brian Kay’s version of Gaudete, and at the other end of the spectrum is the atmospheric full choir work Lux aurumque by the contemporary American composer, Eric Whitacre. The Sussex Carol is particularly appropriate for Chichester Cathedral Choir: the melody is reputed to have been collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Cecil Sharp in the West Sussex village of Monk’s Gate. The Cathedral Choir is accompanied on the Hill organ by Mark Wardell, who also plays three contrasting settings for solo organ of In dulci jubilo and J.S. Bach’s Chorale Prelude Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her – ‘From heaven above, to earth I come’.