> secular

There is something uniquely satisfying about the music of Orlando Gibbons, to this reviewer at any rate, and the Truro choir's singing is always rather special. Nor did this disc disappoint expectations; performances are vivid from singers clearly full of zest and enjoyment even if as a result some of the solo singing is only just within the bounds of good taste! One can have too much 'ghastly, good taste' anyway and even if the speeds are sometimes a little on the fast side one's attention is held throughout. The experiment of including a few secular consort songs is perfectly successful, the dividing line between sacred and secular being by no means clear-cut in Gibbons's day; and it is good also to hear amid more familiar fare Great Lord of Lords, If ye be, risen again with Christ and 0 thou the central orb,. and what fine music there is ill 0 God, the King of glory and 0 Lord in thy wrath rebuke me not. Are these still sung regularly in our cathedrals? So, add this one to your collection, and prepare to enjoy yourself. Timothy Storey Some of Gibbons' best-known sacred choral selections appear here along with the justly loved The Silver Swan (sensitively sung by treble Max Spreckley) and four instrumental offerings. The cathedral's 1997 Kenneth Tickell chamber organ is used throughout. Other familiar Gibbons works include This is the record of John, 0 Thou the central orb, Hosanna to the Son of David, and 0 Lord in thy wrath.Less familiar are the exquisite verse anthems If ye be risen again with Christ and See, see the Word is incarnate with crystal clear contributions by the soloists. The touching lament Nay let me weep (text presumed to be by Sir Walter Raleigh) was probably written on the death from typhoid of Henry Prince of Wales in 1612; treble Patrick Windsor has just the right sound and inflection. Another fine treble, Benjamin Comeau, presents the somber What is our life? (text definitely by Raleigh). The choir is just as accomplished as are the various soloists: clean Renaissance tone, beautifully shaped phrases, thorough understanding of the idiom. The acoustical ambience is just right, and the sound is captured with admirable authenticity. Victor Hill, Ph.D. Less