Rutter: Requiem and other Sacred Music

Rich in melody and scored with an intimate, instinctive knowledge of a choir’s inner workings, John Rutter’s choral music has an immediate appeal. The Requiem is typical of his comforting, light-filled soundworld and follows in the footsteps of Fauré’s similarly consolatory Requiem. For darker moments, such as in “Out of the Deep” or in the “Agnus Dei,” Rutter looks to the post-Romantic harmonic language of English composer Herbert Howells. Paradise is never far behind, however, with the ringing bells and exultant voices of the radiant “Sanctus.” This performance by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge and the City of London Sinfonia is beautifully balanced, the soprano voice of Elin Manahan Thomas pure and angelic in the exquisite “Pie Jesu.” Following the Requiem is a selection of Rutter’s shorter choral works and organ pieces.