Magnificat: The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Music

a well conceived and executed whole; a project which illustrates episodes from the life of the Virgin as set to music by composers down the ages. The booklet gives the framework, arranging the pieces around the stages of the life and the several feasts as celebrated by the Church. The programme note by Dr. John Caldwell further groups the pieces according to the periods of their composition, and there is certainly a vast array to choose form. The choir sings well throughout the duration of the disc There are some wonderful variations of mood with well produced contrasts of light and shade: this is well illustrated in the Bruckner at the beginning of the CD. Most of the music is unaccompanied but Benjamin Nicholas also shows off his organ to good advantage, particularly when he gets on to the reeds. This is especially so in the Dupré – what a superb piece this is – but there are also some wonderfully exciting moments in the Schubert and also the Widor (the latter being the only track on the album devoted purely to the organ). Guild again provides good value with no less tha 18 tracks and over 70 minutes of recorded music. Harry Winter - Cathedral Music - Summer 1999