Catalogue # CDA67650

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Composer and conductor Bob Chilcott (born 1955) has been steeped\nin the British choral tradition since he was a boy chorister. A\nformer member of The King’s Singers, he is now one of the UK’s most\nprolific and creative choral composers, writing appealingly direct\nand accessible music with memorable melodies reminiscent of John\nRutter at his best. Of his most recent large-scale work, his\nRequiem (2010), Chilcott says he was initially ‘terrified by the\nidea’ of writing a work with such a weight of history behind it,\nbut he has certainly risen to the challenge: his Requiem is\ncharacterized by a gentle, forgiving atmosphere clearly modelled on\nFauré’s Requiem, with a crystalline, reflective Pie Jesu for solo\nsoprano at the emotional heart of the work. This and the other\nworks performed here, all first recordings, are beautifully\nperformed by Wells Cathedral Choir and Matthew Owens, The Nash\nEnsemble and two superb young soloists.

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Chilcott:
\nRequiem
\nSalisbury Motets
\nDowning Service
\nPilgrim Jesus
\nThe Nine Gifts
\nJesus, springing

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Jonathan Vaughn (organ) & Alfie Johnson (tubular bell) Wells\nCathedral Choir, Matthew Owens with The Nash Ensemble Andrew\nStaples (tenor), Laurie Ashworth (soprano) & Jonathan Vaughn\n(organ)

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