Wells Cathedral Choir
The Wells Cathedral Choir has been ranked by a Gramophone jury as the sixth-best choir in the world, and the best with boys; honors from outside the classical world include a certificate of excellence from travel website TripAdvisor. The choir's tradition is long even by English standards; there is a record of boys having sung at Wells Cathedral in the year 909, and the current choral tradition dates back to the early 13th century. The choir consists of 18 boy choristers, 18 girl choristers, and 12 adult male Vicars Choral. The boy and girl choristers usually sing separately, in combination with the Vicars Choral, but are sometimes massed for larger performances. The Vicars Choral, who are not ecclesiastical officials (the words "vicar" and "vice" are related, and the vicars were historically substitutes for the canons), date back to the 1100s; the girl choristers were added in 1994.
Like other cathedral choirs, the Wells Cathedral Choir is integral to daily worship at the cathedral. The group is also notable for its large volume of concert activity. The choir has sung with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and, in 2014, the Berlin Radio Choir and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Simon Rattle. Perhaps alone among cathedral choirs, the Wells Cathedral Choir has its own festival, new music wells, founded in June of 2008. Premieres there have included works by Judith Bingham, Geoffrey Burgon, Bob Chilcott, Jonathan Dove, Gabriel Jackson, John Joubert, James MacMillan, Peter Maxwell Davies, Tarik O’Regan, John Rutter, Howard Skempton, and John Tavener.
The Wells Cathedral Choir has a large catalog of recordings, many of them on the Hyperion, Griffin, Regent, and Resonus Classics labels; recordings include contemporary compositions as well as liturgical music and Renaissance English repertory. In 2016 the choir released A Wells Christmas. Associated musical activities include a Wells Cathedral Junior Choir. At this writing, Wells Cathedral's Organist and Master of Choristers is Matthew Owens.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Judith Bingham: Choral Music
Jonathan Vaughn, Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 28 lug 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bob Chilcott: Requiem & Other Choral Works
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 23 mar 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Wells Christmas
Wells Cathedral Choir, Jonathan Vaughn, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Resonus Classics il 3 ott 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
John Tavener: Missa Wellensis
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Signum Records il 8 lug 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Favourite Hymns From Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral Choir, Malcolm Archer, Rupert Gouch, Wells Cathedral School Brass Ensemble
Musica corale - Pubblicato da Griffin Records il 1 gen 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Psalms of David, Vol. 2: O Praise the Lord of Heaven
Wells Cathedral Choir, Christopher Brayne, Anthony Crossland
Classica - Pubblicato da Priory Records il 12 gen 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Awake, My Soul: Choral Works by Gary Davison
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens, David Bednall
Classica - Pubblicato da Resonus Classics il 27 apr 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bob Chilcott: St John Passion
Wells Cathedral Choir, Jonathan Vaughn, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Signum Records il 3 mar 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Wells
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Regent Records Ltd il 26 nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas from Wells
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Regent Records il 1 ago 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Burgon: Nunc dimittis, Short Mass & Other Choral Music
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 1 nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Evensong for St. Andrew's Day
Wells Cathedral Choir, Malcolm Archer, Rupert Gough
Musica corale - Pubblicato da Griffin Records il 25 gen 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Songs of Sunshine
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Regent Records il 10 gen 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music for Passiontide & Easter
Wells Cathedral Choir, Anthony Crossland, Andrew Nethsingha, Crossland
Classica - Pubblicato da Priory Records il 18 set 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jonathan Dove: Choral Music
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 31 ago 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The English Hymn 5 – Lead, Kindly Light (Hymns of Faith & Assurance)
Wells Cathedral Choir, Rupert Gough, Malcolm Archer
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 1 ago 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Absolute Christmas, Vol. 7
Norwich Cathedral Choir, Marlborough Cathedral Choir, Wells Cathedral Choir
Musica d'ambiente/New Age - Pubblicato da Snowy Christmas Records il 26 ott 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MacMillan: Choral Music
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 31 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The English Hymn 2 – Jerusalem the Golden (Great 19th-Century Hymns)
Wells Cathedral Choir, Rupert Gough, Malcolm Archer
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 1 gen 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The English Hymn 1 – Christ Triumphant (Great 20th-Century Hymns)
Wells Cathedral Choir, Rupert Gough, Malcolm Archer
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 1 nov 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenneth Leighton: The World's Desire & Other Choral Works
Wells Cathedral Choir, David Bednall, Matthew Owens
Classica - Pubblicato da Hyperion il 1 mag 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo