A collection of music by one of the greatest English composers, William Byrd, including six of his finest anthems, two organ voluntaries and the complete 'Great' Service
The Choir of Westminster Abbey
Robert Quinney organ
James O'Donnell conductor
CD available at: www.hyperion-records.co.uk
'The Choir of Westminster Abbey revels in the score's complexity, animating the dialogues within its ten-part texture with clarity and conviction ... this disc shows us clearly why the Great Service ranks as Byrd's definitive Anglican music' BBC Music Magazine
'Byrd's Great Service was not discovered until the 1920s, and is one of his most magnificent creations, awesome in scale and hugely demanding, with its intricate and complex 10-part polyphony ... For those wanting larger forces and boys' voices in the treble parts, this is a mightily impressive option. The abbey's 'authentic' cathedral acoustic is a bonus, lending even more grandeur' The Sunday Times
Hyperion CDA67533
CD of the WeekThe Sunday Times