Search - Healey Willan, Noel Edison, Mathew Larkin :: Healey Willan: In the Heavenly Kingdom

Wonderful recording!

Timothy R. Carpenter | Philadelphia, PA | 07/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful recording! Healey Willan was a Canadian organist (Anglican) and composer of music for the church. His music is not particularly virtuosic or complex; it is music to be used in the context of worship for ennobling the soul, illumining scripture and edifying the listener. My favorite piece here is the gorgeous "Rise up, my Love". It never ceases to affect me no matter how many times I hear it.

The Elora Festival Singers, based in Canada, is a superb choir. Their conductor, Noel Edison, is first-rate. The only fault I can find is that the cathedral acoustic blurs the choral sound a bit more than I like.

I doubt that you will find this music performed better than it is on this recording. Add in Naxos' low price and the disk is a must have for choral music lovers. Highly recommended.

Note added July 30, 2008: I just got around to reading the Jan/Feb 2007 American Record Guide where this recording is listed as one of the best recordings released in 2006."