Customer Reviews

Portrait of the Cambridge Singers

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A borrowed copy from the library, many years ago, was my first full introduction to this great choir. I had heard of them from their performances on the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums but I think I was probably more drawn to the CD cover more than anything.

The album is a great sampler work of some great performances. It includes a piece from Faure's "Requiem" as well as his incredibly haunting piece "Cantique de Jean Racine"; it also has some beautiful, early Christmas music I never knew existed, the very popular traditional hymn "All Things Bright & Beautiful", and a piece by Rutter himself, "Open Thou Mine Eyes", that holds its own and then some.

The choice of selections put together may seem a bit odd, but it provides a great road map for further exploration of Rutter & the Cambridge Singer's other works, and some of the folk tunes seem a little silly, but all-in-all 'tis a fine album indeed.

I've had this album for over ten years, when I bought it in college. The Cambridge Singers are a remarkable group. I bought the album for the madrigals, but have really enjoyed all the songs at one time or another, though I don't always listen to the album straight through. One song I had never heard before listening to this cd was "To Be Sung Of A Summer Night On The Water I". It is a beautiful,lush piece of music with a bit of a surprise ending.

This album is especially good listening if you aren't in the mood to concentrate on just one type of choral music for an hour. However, I find myself wanting to purchase other Cambridge Singers albums because this is a bit of a "teaser."