In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument

Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge

Director: Stephen Layton

Mixed Choral Chorus from Cambridge, UK, England.

Recently voted the 5th best choir in the world in Gramophone magazine's '20 Greatest Choirs', The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge comprises around thirty Choral Scholars (all of whom are ordinarily undergraduates of the College) under Director of Music, Stephen Layton.

The College's long and distinguished choral tradition dates back to the fourteenth century, when former Chapel Royal choristers studied in King's Hall, which later became part of Trinity College. The Choir's main focus during term is the singing of the liturgy in the College Chapel, exploring a wide-ranging repertoire drawn from both Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Outside term the Choir enjoys a programme of high-profile performances and recordings, recently including Britten's A Ceremony of Carols and St Nicolas as part of Aldeburgh's commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Britten's death, Poulenc's Gloria with Britten Sinfonia in Norwich Cathedral, and Howells' Requiem in Trinity College Chapel. For the last two seasons, the Choir has performed and recorded with the Academy of Ancient Music in London and Cambridge, including Handel's Dettingen Te Deum and Chandos Anthems.

Recent additions to the Choir's extensive discography include Handel's Dettingen Te Deum, Poulenc's Gloria, and a cappella works by Polish composer Pawel Lukaszewski, all released on the Hyperion label. The Dettingen Te Deum was hailed as 'precise and exuberant ... wonderfully expressive ... elementally exciting' by the Daily Telegraph, and the Lukaszewski disc as 'magical and sophisticated' by International Record Review. The Poulenc Gloria was nominated for a Gramophone Award and described by Gramophone Magazine as 'a performance of real distinction'. The most recent release is a CD of music by David Briggs, described by Gramophone as "one of the finest CDs of sacred choral and organ music you'll ever hear".

An ambitious programme of tours has taken the Choir to destinations including the USA, Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Peru, as well as to many European cities. Most recently the Choir spent a month touring Australia, performing to sold-out halls and wide critical acclaim.

Discography

Displaying 1-3 of 3 items.

Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge : Beyond All Mortal Dreams

Review: On Beyond All Mortal Dreams, Stephen Layton and his acclaimed Trinity College Choir perform a magnificent selection of American a cappella choral works. The recording is a showcase of little-known American composers unearthed by Layton during his travels. These distinctive and luminous compositions illustrate the context in which better-known composers such as Lauridsen and Whitacre - already championed by Layton - learned their craft. The choir is in perfect voice here, and their purity of tone, flawless intonation and depth of feeling are truly exceptional. This wonderful disc is a must for all choral music fans.

Songlist: Tonight eternity alone, O admirable commercium, O sacrum convivium, O vos omnes, Sanctus, O vis aeiternitatis, Caritas abundat, O virtus sapientiae, Lux aeterna, Fair in face, I beheld her, beautiful as a dove, Rise up, my love, my fair one, How they so softly rest, The day is done, Pilgrims' Hymn, Hymn to the Eternal Flame, Mosella, Te vigilans oculis, Phoenix

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Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge : Baltic Exchange

Review: With choral music at the heart of the musical life of the Baltics it is not surprising that the medium has been a central preoccupation for many of their composers. A degree of isolation from international trends in new music (frequently turning into outright proscription) meant that the centre of gravity for composers in the west of the Soviet Union was very different from that of their colleagues beyond the Iron Curtain. And while there is certainly no such thing as a pan-Baltic style-this recording offers only a glimpse of the choral riches to be found in these three tiny countries-all the composers on the disc share a number of characteristics: a sure-footed handling of choral orchestration, lucidity of texture, a pragmatic use of 'avant-garde' effects (shorn of their ideological baggage), a fondness for cluster-chords and diatonically saturated harmony, and the frequent use of ostinatos.Stephen Layton has single-handedly brought many of these composers to the attention of audiences and choirs in the West-and through his sensitive and inspirational direction, has won many fans for this repertoire. Together with his brilliant young choir, who sing this repertoire with 'passion and purity', he is the ideal guide to this beautiful and enchanting music.

Songlist: Missa Rigensis, Kyrie eleison, Gloria, Gloria. Domine Deus, Gloria. Quoniam tu solus sanctus , Credo in unum Deum, Credo in unum Deum. Deum de Deo, Credo in unum Deum. Crucifixus, Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Vakars (Evening), Lugsana (Prayer), Debess (Heaven), Benedicto, Angelis suis Deus, Laudibus in sanctis, Pater noster

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Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge : Choral Music of Edward Elgar

Review: Richard Marlow's final recording as director of the Trinity College choir (Cambridge, England)! The choral works of Edward Elgar are gems of the English Romantic tradition. Under the direction of Marlow, the choir of Trinity College was the first mixed choir in a Cambridge college. As an adult mixed choir, they have the distinctive, clear English sound we admire, but with the power that only mature voices can produce. Highly recommended!

Songlist: Give Unto the Lord, Ave vernum, Ave Maria, Ave maris stella, Light out of darkness, Intende voci orationis meae, Good Morrow, Te Deum, Benedictus, I sing the Birth, Doubt not, Fear not, Light of the world, They are at rest, Great is the Lord (Psalm 48)

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