By Special Arrangement

Info & track listings

Why a CD of instrumental music sung by a choir? Well, why not? The easy traffic between instrumental and vocal music that exists in this recording is not as new as it might seem. It was only in the late 18th century that the practice of vocal-instrumental cross-fertilisation became ideologically suspect.

Fortunately, the situation has relaxed in recent years. A broad range of musical styles is represented on this recording, though none of the arrangements attempts to recreate the exact nuances of the original conception – but who can say what those nuances were, anyway? The business of composers’ intentions and performers’ responsibilities is full of uncertainty, and, ultimately, we are left with the unanswerable question: why not?

The Rodolfus Choir was founded in 1983 as a youth choir, whose members, aged up to 25, are chosen from past and present students of the Eton Choral Courses. Each year these four summer courses attract some 250 young singers, and of these a dozen or so of the very best are invited to join the Rodolfus Choir.

Many of the singers are choral scholars, several are at music college, some are still at school, and many hope to make a career in music. They come from all over the country to sing for a few intensive days during the holidays.

The choir is well-known for its imaginative programmes and for its presentation of new music, always receiving glowing comments after any performance. These are partly due to the immense vitality, precision, musicianship, and commitment of the singing, and partly to the choir’s inspirational director, Ralph Allwood, who must be regarded as one of the finest choral conductors in the country today.