David Hill, The Choir of St John’s Cambridge - Mendelssohn: Sacred Choral Music (2006)

Tracklist

01. Aus tiefer Not, Op. 23 No. 1: I. Aus tiefer Not. Chorale
02. Aus tiefer Not, Op. 23 No. 1: II. Aus tiefer Not. Fugue
03. Aus tiefer Not, Op. 23 No. 1: III. Bei dir gilt nichts
04. Aus tiefer Not, Op. 23 No. 1: IV. Und ob es währt
05. Aus tiefer Not, Op. 23 No. 1: V. Ob bei uns ist der Sünden viel
06. Kirchenmusik, Op. 23: No. 2, Ave Maria, MWV B19
07. Kirchenmusik, Op. 24: No. 3, Mitten wir im Leben sind, MWV B21
08. Hör mein Bitten, MWV B49
09. 3 Psalms, Op. 78: No. 1, Warum toben die Heiden, MWV B41 (Psalm 2)
10. 3 Psalms, Op. 78: No. 2, Richte mich, Gott, MWV B46 (Psalm 43)
11. Zum Abendsegen, MWV B27
12. Kyrie eleison, MWV B57/1
13. Heilig, heilig ist Gott, der Herr Zebaoth, MWV B47
14. Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe, MWV B57/4
15. Verleih' uns Frieden, Op. posth.
16. Hör mein Bitten, MWV B49: II. O könnt ich fliegen wie Tauben dahin

Nowhere is Mendelssohn’s creative psyche more poignantly exposed than in his choral works. His desire to create music rewarding for performers and listeners alike is everywhere apparent, as is his always mellifluous and gracious vocal writing. Most endearing of all are Mendelssohn’s worlds of dream-like contentment, which cocoon the listener in a web of enchanted idealism.

Hör mein Bitten (Hear my prayer) is the most popular of his small-scale choral works and was composed during Mendelssohn’s eighth visit to England in 1844, just before he began putting the finishing touches to his E minor Violin Concerto. The piece conjures up the feelings of peace and contentment in the flowing melodic lines of the inimitable ‘O for the wings of a dove’, which is also on this disc in its famous English adaptation.

All of these sacred works are radiantly performed by The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge under David Hill in the first of a new series of recordings on the Hyperion label. The treble soloist is the stunning Quintin Beer who recently featured in a BBC Radio 4 documentary about Allegri’s famous Miserere.

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