Brighton Fest Chor/Bbc Co - Edward Elgar: Music for Chorus & Orchestra

The growing genius of a titan of English music comes vividly into focus in a stunning collection of Edward Elgar�s music for chorus and orchestra from the Brighton Festival Chorus and BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Barry Wordsworth. The voice was at the centre of Elgar�s musical life as a child � his sister recalled family evenings when �[we] sang and sang for the very joy of singing� � and it was to play a defining role in his own compositions. Spanning 26 years � from the imposing setting of Ecce sacerdos magnus (�Behold the great priest�)* in 1888 to the richly realised psalm settings of the 1910s, it is possible to chart in these often moving, occasionally monumental works the development of Elgar�s prowess in setting the voice. Behold the Great Priest presents a treasure-trove of Elgar�s choral compositions intriguingly mapping out his development towards the full-scale masterpieces of Sea Pictures, The Apostles and The Dream of Gerontius. Illuminating, newly commissioned notes are provided by Andrew Neill, chairman of the Elgar Society from 1992-2008. *A rarity on disc, Ecce sacerdos magnus shares its opening notes with the Benedictus from Joseph Haydn�s Harmoniemesse, a 1949 recording an excerpt of which � featuring the Munich Cathedral Choir and Orchestra conducted by Ludwig Berberich � is included demonstrating striking similarities between the two.