The Choir of the Queen's College, Oxford & Owen Rees - The House of the Mind (2018) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

The Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford celebrate the works of choral music icon Herbert Howells in a disc that sets his works alongside pieces that they inspired and influenced – such as Nico Muhly’s Like as the Hart for choir, solo violin and percussion – as well as works that in turn influenced him. The disc features two world premiere recordings by David Bednall: settings of two Marian antiphons Alma redemptoris mater and Ave regina caelorum that ‘complete’ the partly-lost set of works that Howells wrote for Westminster Cathedral. Led by their director Owen Rees, the Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford is among the finest and most active university choirs in the UK. Its wide-ranging repertory includes a rich array of music from Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces to contemporary works, including commissions. Their recording of David Bednall’s Christmas work Welcome All Wonders was met with critical praise:“An excellent disc: the singing is incredibly tight, in the manner to which it has become increasingly accustomed under its musical director, Owen Rees, and Bednall’s writing is ingenious, embedded in a profound understanding of the workings of the choir and organ – both as distinct entries and as a partnership.” (Gramophone)

Tracklist:
01. Behold O God our Defender
02. Hymn for St Cecilia
03. O Lord, I am not Haughty
04. God Be in My Head
05. The Souls of the Righteous
06. The House of the Mind
07. Lighten our Darkness
08. Like as the Hart
09. Like as the Hart
10. Behold O God our Defender
11. My Beloved Spake
12. Regina caeli
13. Alma redemptoris mater
14. Salve regina
15. Ave regina caelorum

Personnel:
The Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford
Owen Rees, conductor