Cover: The Herbert Howells Memorial Window, Gloucester Cathedral (1992) by Caroline Swash (b1941)
Hyperion CDA67914 · April 2012
Howells - Requiem & other choral works
The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Stephen Layton (conductor)
- WINNER - GRAMOPHONE AWARD 2012
- THE MAIL ON SUNDAY - CHORAL DISC OF THE YEAR
- GRAMOPHONE CHOICE
- GRAMOPHONE - CHORAL DISC OF THE MONTH
- BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE - CHORAL AND SONG DISC OF THE MONTH
- MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL - DISC OF THE MONTH
- CLASSIC FM - DAVID MELLOR - DISC OF THE WEEK
- THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - 5*
- BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE CHORAL CHOICE
Press
BBC Music Magazine2012In a work intended to console, it's important that the actual sound the choir makes is warmly consoling. It certainly is in this new Trinity College recording of Howells's 1932 Requiem: the tonal blend drawn from the choir by…Read the review 
BBC Music2012Herbert Howells' Requiem must be one of the most beautiful and searingly moving works in the entire English sacred musical canon. Written in the early 30s but not released until 1980, it is inextricably linked to untimely…Read the review 
blog.codaex.de2012Der englische Komponist Herbert Howells (1892-1983) war eine überaus interessante Persönlichkeit in der englischen Musiklandschaft, dessen Œuvre hierzulande leider viel zu selten beachtet wird. vielleicht weil sein umfangreiches…Read the review 
Choir and Organ Magazine2012This is a fine programme for Howells fans, eschewing the 'Coll. Reg.' canticles and the organ works, and including the lesser-heard Salve Regina and the Hymn for St Ceciliaas well as the 'Gloucester' canticles. The Requiem…Read the review 
Classical Music Sentinel2012I may not always like the music, but never has a recording of choral music conducted by Stephen Layton failed to move me. This one is no exception, and in this particular case, the music happens to be admirable. The choral works…Read the review 
Gramophone Magazine2012Will only male choirs do for Howells's sacred music? So previous commentators have insisted, though only the most rigid epigone would say the same for the cantatas of Bach. By the same token, well-enunciated American English…Read the review 
Music Web International2012I’d scarcely sent off my review of the fine recording of the Howells Requiem by Paul McCreesh than this new Hyperion disc arrived on my doormat. By an odd coincidence both works were recorded in the same venue: the Lady Chapel of…Read the review 
The Buffalo News2012The Choir of Trinity College, a group going back to the 14th century, brings a luminous, beautifully balanced sound to a range of music by Herbert Howells (1892-1983). The dynamics are carefully sculpted. Crescendos and even…Read the review 
The Daily Telegraph2012Herbert Howells (1892-1983) perfectly understood the way that liturgical music could stir the spirits. His two Services for Gloucester and St Paul’s Cathedrals, magnificently exploit ecclesiastical acoustics while bringing to the…Read the review 
The Guardian2012The death from polio in 1935 of Herbert Howells' nine-year-old son Michael left a permanent mark on his music. Howells' most famous work Hymnus Paradisi was a memorial to his son that had its musical roots in the unaccompanied…Read the review 
The Mail on Sunday2012My Best Choral CD is from Hyperion and showcases music by the still underrated Herbert howells. Stephen Layton and his Trinity College Choir, Cambridge do wonders with Howells brief but eloquent Requiem, the Hymn to St Cecilia…Read the review 
Gramophone Magazine2012Even by the exalted standards of previous offerings from Stephen Layton and his gifted Trinity College undergraduates, this is an exceptionally fine release. Its rewarding contents span nearly five decades, from the exquisite…Read the review
Recorded: Various dates
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: April 2012
Total duration: 64 minutes 7 seconds
Track list
- A Hymn for St CeciliaHerbert Howells (1892-1983)3'07
- Salve regina (No 4 of Four Anthems to the Blessed Virgin Mary)Herbert Howells (1892-1983)5'00
- Gloucester Service: Magnificat My soul doth magnify the LordHerbert Howells (1892-1983)6'26
- Gloucester Service: Nunc dimittis Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peaceHerbert Howells (1892-1983)4'33
- Take him, earth, for cherishingHerbert Howells (1892-1983)9'01
- St Paul's Service: Magnificat My soul doth magnify the LordHerbert Howells (1892-1983)6'41
- St Paul's Service: Nunc dimittis Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peaceHerbert Howells (1892-1983)5'33
- Requiem: Salvator mundi O saviour of the worldHerbert Howells (1892-1983)2'38
- Requiem: Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherdHerbert Howells (1892-1983)2'43
- Requiem: Requiem aeternam IHerbert Howells (1892-1983)3'45
- Requiem: Psalm 121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hillsHerbert Howells (1892-1983)3'05
- Requiem: Requiem aeternam IIHerbert Howells (1892-1983)3'37
- Requiem: I heard a voice from heavenHerbert Howells (1892-1983)4'30
- All my hope on God is founded, MichaelSir John Rutter (b1945)3'28
Recording details from Hyperion Records.