HASTE

The art of "pointing"--or setting--psalm texts has been essayed by many English composers, from William Croft through the Wesleys and William Boyce in earlier times to the great flowering in the late 19th century under Stainer and Barnby, with further contributions from Parry, Stanford, Elgar, Howells, and a host of choirmasters and organists, including Sir David Willcocks and John Scott himself. All are represented here. Recorded throughout in the vast acoustic of their cathedral, the St. Paul's choristers enunciate the words precisely, backed by inventive though unobtrusive organ accompaniment. Taken individually, it's possible to isolate moments when the choir seem to drag their feet or fail to give due weight to the words (Psalm 125, "They that put their trust in the Lord," seems far too subdued, for example), and the massive Psalm 119 is awkwardly split across discs 10 and 11, but overall this set is nothing less than a document of invaluable cultural and musical significance. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant Recordings.......2007-06-11

In our view the changes in pointing, and excellent selection of chants, give deeper meanings to the Psalms than those achieved in the "standard?" Parish Psalter.

We found great Spirituality and a wonderful sense of Worship whilst listening to this set. This is often sacrificed for brilliance of musical performance in other recordings.

Unfortunately the "St.Paul's Psalter" is not available (June 2007) but we are told that a new print run may happen within 12 months. This would be a most valuable companion to the recordings when and if it becomes available.

A- for effort.......2006-02-23

This grand undertaking deserves high praise, and I'm struck, listening to chant after chant, how much Anglican chant as it used to be until the changes of the 70s was one of the great Victorian contributions to English life and art. For anyone who wants to hear almost the entire repertoire of Anglican chant deployed in singing the whole book of Psalms, this is an unrivalled source. It is wonderful, too, to hear the Coverdale translation: you realize what the churches have lost by abandoning the proper & regular singing of the Psalms. So one is immensely grateful to Hyperion for putting out this recording. It's not perfect, though.

The rhythmic pacing, though a little slow for my taste, is steady and sensitive, the diction clear, and the organ accompaniment superb (Providing an expressive accompaniment to a choir singing in 4-part free rhythm, and improvising descants to the melody at the same time, isn't easy). And of course there's the cavernous acoustic of St. Paul's, very impressive in the more thunderous psalms. Unfortunately, though, the "forward" style favored for the St. Paul's boys produces a sound that's unpleasantly chesty in the lower registers and reedy in the higher ones. The poorly integrated choral sound caused by this kind of voice-production can be downright unpleasant for anyone used to, or trained in, the classic English choral style. In fact, one has to wonder why this choir was chosen for such a huge project: even allowing for the near-universal decline in standards of vocal training for boys in England, better sounds than this can still be heard.

What can you say?.......2003-01-03

I almost hate to criticize this terrific thing. After all, where else can you get all 150 Psalms in a single collection sung by one of the world's great choirs?

How much do I like it? I bought it *twice*. I originally bought all the CDs separately, before they came out with a single boxed set. They were stolen from my car (and, God willing, maybe they converted some poor thief to Anglican Cathedral Music and got him into church). After they were stolen, I immediately bought them again.

One of the great pleasures of life is listening to the Morning and Evening Psalms while driving to and from work, and making listening a regular feature of Morning and Evening Prayer.

So what's the criticism? The sound is a bit muddy, so the words can be rather difficult to understand without reading along (which is a real problem when driving), and personally, I prefer the Psalter from the 1979 BCP instead of the old one, from the Great Bible. But that's unreasonable. They ARE a British choir after all. Those are the only criticisms.

Tracks:

Masterpiece Theatre Series Music, Television Version
Theme One from Upstairs, Downstairs - Studio Orchestra
Theme Two from Upstairs, Downstairs - Studio Orchestra
Theme from Poldark - Studio Orchestra
Theme from I, Claudius - Studio Orchestra
Theme from Love for Lydia - South Bank Orchestra
Theme from the Duchess of Duke Street
Theme from the Citadel
Theme from to Serve Them All My Days
Theme from the Irish R.M.
Theme One from the Jewel in the Crown
Theme Two from the Jewel in the Crown
Theme from by the Sword Divided
Theme from on Approval - David Ralph
Theme from a Town Like Alice
Theme One from the Flame Trees of Thika
Theme One from the Flame Trees of Thika (Love Theme)
Theme One from Prime Suspect: The Lost Child
Theme Two from Prime Suspect: The Lost Child
Masterpiece Theatre Series Music, Complete Version

Customer Reviews:

Its awesome but HELP!!!!!!.......2007-05-25

This is defintely a very fine soundtrack of a classic television series.

BUT..... Aaaargh I'm looking for the opening theme not of Masterpiece Theater but of MOUSEterpiece Theater, the Disney show from the 80s, you know?

If ANYBODY has info on the name/composer of the theme plase let me know!!!

It is very similar to the opening theme of this cd, but its not the same...

HELP!!!

Dido and Aeneas / de Los Angeles, Glossop, Harper, ECO, Barbirolli

Average customer rating:

Dido and Aeneas / de Los Angeles, Glossop, Harper, ECO, Barbirolli
Henry Purcell , Sir John Barbirolli , John McCarthy , Victoria de Los Angeles , Peter Glossop , English Chamber Orchestra , Heather Harper , Patricia Johnson , Raymond Leppard , Ambrosian Singers , Sibyl Michelow , and Elizabeth Robson
Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00002585D
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Tracks:

Ov - ECO/Sir John Barbirolli
Act One, Scene One: Shake The Cloud From Off Your Brow - Heather Harper
Act One, Scene One: Banish Sorrow, Banish Care - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene One: Ah! Belinda, I Am Prest With Torment - Victoria De Los Angeles
Act One, Scene One: Grief Increases By Concealing - Heather Harper/Victoria De Los Angeles
Act One, Scene One: When Monarchs Unite - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene One: Whence Could So Much Virute Spring? - Victoria De Los Angeles
Act One, Scene One: Fear No Danger To Ensure - Heather Harper/Elizabeth Robson/Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene One: See, Your Royal Guest Appears - Heather Harper/Peter Glossop/Victoria De Los Angeles
Act One, Scene One: Cupid Only Throws The Dart - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene One: If Not For Mine, For Empire's Sake - Peter Glossop
Act One, Scene One: Pursue Thy Conquest, Love - Heather Harper
Act One, Scene One: To The Hills And The Vales - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene One: The Triumphing Dance - ECO/Sir John Barbirolli
Act One, Scene Two: Wayward Sisters - Patricia Johnson/Clare Walmesley
Act One, Scene Two: Harms's Our Delight And Mischief All Our Skill - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene Two: The Queen Of Carthage, Whom We Hate - Patricia Johnson/Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene Two: Ruin'd Ere The Set Of Sun? - Clare Walmesley/Sybil Michelow/Patricia Johnson/Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene Two: But, Ere We This Perform - Clare Walmesley/Sybil Michelow
Act One, Scene Two: In Our Deep Vaulted Cell - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act One, Scene Two: Echo Dance Of Furies - ECO/Sir John Barbirolli
Act Two: Ritornelle - ECO/Sir John Barbirolli
Act Two: Thanks To These Lonesome Vales - Heather Harper/Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act Two: Oft She Visits This Lov'd Mountain - Elizabeth Robson
Act Two: Behold, Upon My Bending Spear - Peter Glossop/Victoria De Los Angeles
Act Two: Haste, Haste To Town - Heather Harper/Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act Two: Stay, Prince! And Hear Great Jove's Command - Sybil Michelow/Peter Glossop
Act Three: Come Away, Fellow Sailors - Robert Tear/Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act Three: Sailors' Dance - ECO/Sir John Barbirolli
Act Three: See The Flags And Streamers Curling - Patricia Johnson/Clare Walmesley/Sybil Michelow
Act Three: Our Next Motion Must Be To Storm Her Lover - Patricia Johnson
Act Three: Destruction's Our Delight - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act Three: Witches' Dance - ECO/Sir John Barbirolli
Act Three: Your Counsel All Is Urg'd In Vain - Victoria De Los Angeles/Heather Harper/Peter Glossop
Act Three: Great Minds Against Themselves Conspire - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy
Act Three: Thy Hand, Belinda - Victoria De Los Angeles
Act Three: When I Am Laid In Earth - Victoria De Los Angeles
Act Three: With Drooping Wings - Ambrosian Singers/John McCarthy