Blessed Spirit is the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge’s follow-up to Illumina. Where before the theme connecting a millennium of music was light, here it is the soul’s progress “At our departing”, on “Toward the gate of heaven” and finally, into “The heavenly kingdom”. Produced with understated dignity by John Rutter, the music is a deliberate drawing together of many traditions–Protestant, Catholic, eastern orthodox, American spiritual–with each of the three sections introduced by Gregorian chant. From Hildegard of Bingen to John Tavener, from Kiev chant to H Walford Davis’ setting of Psalm 121, from Tchaikovsky’s “Blessed are they” to the slave song “Deep River”, a tapestry of sound emerges which binds together the Christian beliefs expressed consistently across the centuries, transcending divisions in worship and musical traditions. Solemn and deeply moving as such celebration of the dead must be, emotions range through sorrow to acceptance and on to the final uplifting images of the unimaginable in William Harris’ sublime “Faire is the heaven”. A finely sung programme, which really is more than the sum of its very beautiful parts. —–Gary S Dalkin
Gorgeous sound / Brilliant singing / Desert Island recording A very interesting program of musical pieces from Gregorian chant through to American spirituals and Tavener. Preformed by the superb and renowned Clare College Choir of Cambridge in the Lady Chapel of the Ely Cathedral, the singing and the sound produced is exceptional for most of the works. The Tchaikovsky work: “Blessed are They” N.7 from 9 Sacred Pieces is however not well showcased by the acoustics nor by the singing approach, but this is the only piece among 18 which is less than exhilarating and sublime. With the exception of the Tchaikovsky this is a magnificent recording. A desert island choice definitely.