Customer Reviews

Best Loved Hymns

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A few years ago, I had the chance to go to England with my Daughter; at that time, I already owned several albums. On the last full day of our stay, I had the chance to go to Cambridge, and visit King's College. I desided to stay, and attend a Vesper Service; it was one of the best experiences of my life! The music of the Choir was all I expected, and more! The music on this album takes me back to that time and place; it is an indescribable feeling of JOY!! Buy it, you'll love it!!

Having heard Kings College Choir twice, in the flesh, at Kings, this CD is a wonderful example of what you might hear. If you can't make it to Cambridge, buy this CD. It contains many of the old favorites and also some hymns that are not found on other English hymn CD's.

This was one of my Christmas gifts and I really looked forward to listening to it. I had just visited King's College, Cambridge back in August and really liked it--you should try to make it out there if possible.

Anyway, this CD was great to listen to. Some hymns are scored for orchestral accompaniment, choir and organ, while the majority of tracks are just for choir and organ.

Recorded in the King's College Chapel (the front cover has a great shot of the ceiling's trademark "fan" stone carving), the hymns are pure English sound--boys' treble voices along with men's changed voices singing with a pure, clean, straight tone. It's very sweet-sounding.

The hymns chosen are also great; "Be Thou My Vision," an Irish classic, appears along with "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "All People That on Earth Do Dwell," and "Morning Has Broken" (later recorded by Cat Stevens).

The singing isn't especially elaborate--they're just simple hymns. They're orchestrated very well, however, and they sound great.

Religious people may prefer these recordings more in general--these are Christian hymns after all--but I think it's a great recording and is worth listening too, especially if you enjoy that English sound!

I always enjoy listening to this Cd and particularly because of the orchestra and mellifluous choir. I especially enjoy: A Mighty Fortress, Come Down, O Love Divine, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, and Thine Be The Glory. Some of the selections are soft such as "The Lord's My Shepherd" and "Drop, Drop, Slow Tears." Still, it is a fabulous selection and one of my favorites.

You can never go wrong with the King's College Choir. They nearly always give a performance that is touching and beautiful. The choirboys who sing soprano sound, quite truthfully, heavenly. While the choir normally performs the great classical repertoire, they give special attention to the old hymns and carols. And they give these more simple tunes the same beauty they give to the classical masterpieces. The hymns on this album are ones that are well worth listening to - even the lesser known ones. Another bonus to this album is the brilliant Wallace Collection, which gives a spectacular performance of the roof raising "All my hope on God is founded." Stephen Cleobury, who has been the choir's director since the early 80's, leads this choir in an immensely satisfying way. Buy this album, and also buy their fantastic Christmas album - O Come All Ye Faithful.

The voices are great and the organ impressive, but these are simple hymns that wither a bit under the grand, sweeping treatment they receive from the performers. The tempo is drearily slow, even in the sprightlier hymns like "Be Thou My Vision" and "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken."
Perhaps the sonorous setting where this recording made precludes a faster pace, but just a little more joy and and less weighty pomposity would have improved these beloved hymns 200%.

This is one more example of hymns in the Anglican Tradition, sung by the always excellent choir of King's College, Cambridge. It is a splendid example of the sonorous sound of men and boys, accompanied by a classic English organ and, for the quieter hymns, the gentle sound of harp. All the familiar hymns and hymn tunes are here. You will not regret adding this CD to your collection.

Having visited many Cathedrals throughout the UK and listened to the enchanting voices of the boys choirs, I was disappointed with this particular rendering from Kings. Perhaps I am biased in that I enjoy the organ background or no background but the use of a full blown orchestra, in my opinion, tended to overwhelm and was totally unnecessary and somewhat grandoise choice on the part of Stephen Cleobury. Apart from that, much of the music was excellent. In comparison with other CD's from Kings, this was disappointing.

cant be bothered searchng for the cd i bought
it was ok just anoying i only wanted 1 song had to pay $30 to get it