This wide-ranging pot-pourri, from plainsong to pop, bears eloquent witness to the broad musical activities at Ampleforth College, some quite unexpected.
Predictably successful is the Schola Cantorum, shapely in an anthem by Ernest Bullock and Colin Mawby’s prayerful Ave Maria. There are fine instrumental offerings, too: Bach’s Concerto for four keyboards, with the Pro Musica chamber orchestra, also smoochy-smooth in Elgar’s Elegy.
It is disappointing to have the only plainsong, Ave Maris Stella, accompanied by organ, though right beside, surprisingly, is a catchy big-band suite by William Dore based on it. Throw in a ceilidh band, a pipe band and some London-based close-harmony graduates and you have something for every taste. Not forgetting splendid solo pieces by pianist Henry Hawkesworth and soprano Charity Mapletoft.
Certainly this is an excellent publicity tool. But you may not want to play it end to end at one sitting.
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