Search - Winchester Cathedral Choir, Andrew Lumsden, Herbert Howells :: Howells: Winchester Service

Hyperion s recordings with the Winchester Cathedral Choir are among the brightest jewels in the label s choral music catalog. Led by the choir s new director of music, Andrew Lumsden, this disc features a composer who was at the center of the English twentieth-century choral tradition. Herbert Howells, a unique and distinctive voice in church music, is best known for his lyrical compositions of the 1940s and 50s including the celebrated anthem Like as the Hart. However, Howells unjustly neglected late works are equal in beauty and intensity and it is these works that are featured on this superb recording. The Winchester Service, written in 1969, has its roots in plainchant and demonstrates the sophistication and depth of the composer s harmonic palette. The choir displays a clear affinity with the composer, performing with sensitivity and precision and producing a glorious sound that is quintessentially English.