Beach:
Peace I leave with you
Purcell:
Hear my prayer
Panufnik:
O Hearken
Gibbons:
Behold, thou hast made my days
Marsh:
Evening Prayer
Tye:
Lord, let thy servant now depart
G. Ives:
In pace
Sheppard:
Libera nos I & II
Tallis:
Te lucis ante terminum I & II
Stanford:
Eternal Father
I. Holst:
A Hymne to Christ
Gant:
An Evening Hymn of Sir Thomas Browne
Wood:
Hail, gladdening Light
Kennedy:
O nata lux
Mundy:
O Lord, the maker of all thing
Tavener:
The Lord’s Prayer
G. Holst:
Nunc dimittis
Parry:
Lord, let me know mine end

In their first recording for CORO The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, directed by Mark Williams, explore the repertoire that has provided the bedrock of the college’s musical life for the last 500 years.

Much music associated with evening time is naturally calm and soothing, and would satisfy those seeking transcendental beauty in the form of unchallenging ‘sound baths’, but this collection also seeks to challenge, contrasting contemporary settings with music from the 16th century. We hope, through this range of works, to capture something of that liminal space between day and night that is characterised by Evensong, and to lead the listener into that ‘peace that passes all understanding’.

The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford was founded in 1480, as one of the largest choral foundations in late-medieval England, and this historic legacy has been preserved and maintained over five centuries. The Choir, which now enjoys an international reputation as one of the finest ensembles in the UK, exists primarily to sing the daily church services in Magdalen College Chapel. They also sing at a number of special occasions throughout the year, including the famous May Day celebrations, an ancient tradition dating back to the 16th century.