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The two canticles for Anglican Evensong, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, are presented here in diverse settings by American composers including Craig Phillips, Roland Martin, Leo Sowerby, Gerald Near, Howard Helvey and Harold Friedell. Also included are first recordings of Craig Phillips’ Jubilate Deo and Larry King’s A Canticle of Praise.
Performed by the choirs of the Cathedral of St. Philip (Atlanta) with brass and percussion from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Dale Adelmann directs; David Fishburn and Patrick Scott are the organists.
Atlanta’s St. Philip’s Cathedral (Episcopal) has a long and distinguished history of fine liturgical music, enhanced by a wonderful Æolian-Skinner organ and resonant acoustic. This recording demonstrates that the tradition continues to flourish under the capable leadership of Dale Adelmann. The program, by American composers, consists of settings of the canticles for Morning and Evening Prayer in the Anglican liturgy: Jubilate Deo, Te Deum, Benedictus es, Domine, and the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis.
The choir exhibits a beautiful blend, secure intonation, clear diction, and expressive musicality, producing that characteristic “Anglican” sound. Craig Phillips, Gerald Near, Leo Sowerby, Harold Friedell, and Larry King will be familiar names to church musicians — Roland Martin and Howard Helvey perhaps less so — but all of them write with great artistry and sensitivity to the words. This is “service music Anglican in heritage, yet American in spirit”. The choir is joined by members of the Atlanta Symphony brass and percussion sections for the Phillips pieces. Notes on the composers, texts, and specification. A handsome production in every way.
-American Record Guide
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