Cathedral choirs

New recording by The Choirs of St Albans Cathedral

John Rutter - Gloria Magnificat Te Deum

The Cathedral Choir and Abbey Girls Choir with soprano Elizabeth Cragg, instrumentalists Ensemble DeChorum, organist Tom Winpenny conducted by Andrew Lucas made a recording in the cathedral last July for the budget priced label Naxos, which is now the world's leading classical music recording company. The Fraternity of the Friends and the Cathedral Music Trust, Borras Construction and layclerk Neil Baker provided essential financial sponsorship to enable this to happen. The results are very exciting indeed!

The CD was officially released by Naxos on 28 March and was launched by the Cathedral on 30 March. Click here to download the Gramaphone podcast to hear the interview with Andrew Lucas, Master of the Music, and John Rutter.

The CD is now available in the Cathedral Shop and online. It has been reviewed by many leading journalists and music magazines. A selection of reviews are listed below. For more reviews and to access the full information on the recording, please visit the Naxos Website for a full complilation of excellent reviews.

"Andrew Lucas’s St Albans choristers (particularly the girls and boys, united on the top line) are on sparkling form, with first-class support from organist Tom Winpenny and the Ensemble DeChorum who scrupulously adhere to every one of the score’s markings. More recordings from St Albans."

Malcolm Riley, Gramophone, August 2011

"There are several fine recordings in the catalogue, not least that of Gloria, Te Deum and shorter works on Hyperion CDA67259. Classicsonline already offer Rutter’s own recording of the Gloria on his own Collegium label but the new recording, alert to all aspects of Rutter’s music, can look these predecessors in the eye. Strongly recommended: any recording that could keep me listening intently while the neighbours noisily power-hosed their patio for most of its duration must be beyond praise."

Brian Wilson Download Roundup, MusicWeb International, May 2011

"This recording combines the voices of the St Albans Abbey Girls Choir, St. Albans Cathedral Choir, and the cutely-named instrumental group Ensemble DeChorum. The performances are generally very fine—no question as to these singers’ familiarity with and appreciation for Rutter’s music. And it’s hard not to get caught up in the overall excitement—Rutter ideally captures the festive, celebratory nature of these texts while offering plenty of his signature melodies, catchy rhythmic structures, and vibrant orchestration, involving powerfully expressive brass, percussion, and organ in the Gloria and Te Deum. …the rarely heard Magnificat in a terrific performance…solid and recommendable…"

David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com, April 2011

"John Rutter has a knack of writing choral music that shows off voices to their best advantage. His festive settings of the Gloria, Magnificat and Te Deum were written over the period 1974–1990. These vivid performances show how thoroughly Rutter can absorb them and make music of exhilarating impact."

Geoffrey Norris, Daily Telegraph (UK), April 2011

The Choirs of St Albans Cathedral

The ancient Benedictine monastery at St Albans had a distinguished musical history before 1539 (when the Abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII). Being the premier monastery in the land, the Abbot was able to press-gang (i.e. forcibly make) boys to join the choir from all over the country. When the Abbey church became a cathedral in 1877 a boys choir was again formed after 238 years but, like today, they were local schoolboys who committed to sing services and attend rehearsal every day of the week, except one, during school term time.

There are separate boys & girls choirs here at St Albans, the Cathedral Choir, and the Abbey Girls Choir.

Unlike the ancient English cathedrals there is no residential choir school so the choristers rehearse before and after normal school at 7.40 am and 4 pm ending with the service of Choral Evensong at 5pm on weekdays. On Friday evenings they are joined by the gentlemen of the choir (Layclerks) for up to two hours of rehearsal and then sing three choral services on Saturday and Sunday, which takes up a major proportion of their weekend.

The Cathedral Choir comprises boys (the choristers) aged from 8 to 14 years old and twelve Lay Clerks who join with the choristers at weekend services, greater Feast days, concerts and tours to make up the full Cathedral Choir. The Lay Clerks are a dedicated and highly skilled group of musicians who nevertheless, in the main, earn their living outside the music profession.

The Abbey Girls Choir was formed in 1996 to offer the same musical opportunities for girls as that enjoyed by the boys. Over the years the choir has built up its own reputation with radio and television broadcasts, has sung world premieres of major choral works, and has toured overseas, including two tours of the USA in 2003 and 2010.

The dedication of the choristers and their parents is tremendous. The choristers themselves receive in return first-class musical tuition, and also develop skills which will help them in their adult life – concentration, organization, team-work and self-discipline.

Further information on the choirs can be found by clicking on the links on the left-hand menu.

Abbey Singers

The Abbey Singers comprise ex-Cathedral choristers ages 14-18, and sing occasional Evensongs and at the Parish Eucharist. Audition is by invitation.