Composer: Robert Chilcott, James MacMillan, Cecilia McDowall, Francis John Dolben Pott
Performer: Dagmara Kołodziej-Gorczyczyńska, Aleksandra Turalska, Sebastian Mach, National Forum Of Music Choir
Orchestra: Instrumentalists of the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Signum
Catalogue: SIGCD729
Release: 2023
Size: 1.11 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Chilcott: Canticles of Light
01. I. Te lucis ante terminum
02. II. Christe, qui, splendor et dies
03. III. O nata lux de lumine
Chilcott: Move him into the Sun
04. I. Song of Songs
05. II. Spring Offensive
06. III. Apologia pro Poemate meo
07. IV. Futility
08. V. Winter Song
09 .McDowall: Standing as I do before God
10. Pott: Lament
11. MacMillan: A Child’s Prayer
12. Chilcott: Sing the Colour of Peace
Among the British composers contending for the popular crown of John Rutter is certainly Bob Chilcott, whose albums, like this one, are issued under his own name even when music of other composers is involved. Chilcott is a former member of the King’s Singers, and he brings that experience to bear in his ability to create lush, expressive choral textures. In Canticles of Light, a collection of secular and sacred pieces on the theme of darkness and light, he combines that ability with a sensitive perception of poetry by Wilfred Owen and Charles Bennett. The centerpiece is Move him into the sun, setting intensely suspenseful texts from Owen’s war poems. There are also works by Cecilia McDowall, Francis Pott, and James MacMillan, all cut from the same cloth as Chilcott’s music but offering distinctive contrasts. Most recordings of Chilcott have been made by British choirs, but this one is by Poland’s National Forum of Music Choir and its director, Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, who selected all of the music. The choir has a rich sound that fits the music beautifully; one can tell that the singers are not native speakers of English, but this is not objectionable. Those new to Chilcott will find this an excellent introduction to the considerable virtues of his music.