The Choirs of Blackburn Cathedral
Greg Morris, organ
Directed by Richard Tanner
LAMMAS LAMM 156D
69'40"
www.lammas.co.uk

I was not sure what to expect when I received this CD for review. There can be few organists and organ music lovers in the western world who do not ‘know and love’ Rheinberger’s music for the organ. I just wondered how well his style would translate to music for voices and organ.

I was entranced from the first chord of the first Kyrie, both with the music and the very high standard of performance. Greg Morris’s subtle and deft accompaniment should be mentioned too. This is not difficult music to listen to, and ostensibly, it is easy to perform too. However, I suspect that the choir makes it sound a lot easier than it will be in practice. The singers have a rich and mellifluent sound that makes one want to listen to this music time and time again. Somewhat to my initial surprise, I strongly recommend this CD. I would also like to see a lot more choirs bringing this music back into the repertoire, both in concert – and especially, as far as I am concerned - in liturgical performance.

DB