E. Elgar - Great Is The Lord

Elgar from the Abbey�what could be more fitting? From the regal opulence of Great is the Lord, first performed in Westminster Abbey in 1912, to the quiet devotion of the opus 2 Ave verum and Ave Maria, this varied programme is the perfect guide through Elgar�s rich choral output.Performances on this new recording are astounding, as James O�Donnell guides the men and boys of Westminster Abbey through the grandiloquence and tenderness of this seminal music. The full gamut of Elgar�s career�from son of provincial instrument dealer to �composer laureate��is represented and at every turn these performers offer new insights into the performing possibilities of these all-too-often-hackneyed works. There is also a rare performance of the long-forgotten Queen Alexandra Memorial Ode�a fitting tribute by Poet Laureate (John Masefield) and Master of the King�s Musick (Elgar) to Edward VII�s much-lamented consort.Performances by The Choir of Westminster Abbey, under the direction of James O�Donnell and with the sympathetic organ accompaniment of Robert Quinney, are every bit as good as their previous Hyperion recordings would lead us to expect.