The school choir on this CD was actually set up simply to contribute to the weekly school mass on Wednesdays. It didn't stop there, as evidenced by its busy concert schedule with performances in Britain and far beyond. Everyone has probably heard the choir before, thanks to the soundtracks of Harry Potter and Life of Pi. This CD - the Schola's second - contains an anthology of British choral music
… that is as predictable as it is beautiful. Benjamin Britten's popular Rejoice In The Lamb is based on a text by the 18th-century poet Christopher Smart. The poet wrote the song while in an asylum for the insane. Hence the strange associations with mice and a cat, flowers, the letters of the alphabet and all kinds of musical instruments. Pure beauty can be found in Beati Quorum Via, the third of Stanford's Three Motets op.38. The programme opens with Parry's grand anthem I Was Glad for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. Since then the motet has been sung at every 'coronation' and similar royal occasions. (HJ)more
