Herbert Howells:
psalms And Psalm Preludes

Description

The inspiring poetry of the Psalms was a powerful creative stimulus to the composer, Herbert Howells (1892-1983), throughout his life. This recording is a unique project combining the six Psalm Preludes Howells wrote for solo organ, preceded by the six Psalms which inspired them. The Psalms are sung to ten chants by Howells, several of which are receiving their first recording. The Psalm Preludes are played on the organ of Durham Cathedral by David Hill who has a long-standing association with Durham Cathedral, St John's College, Cambridge, and the Herbert Howells Trust. The Psalms are sung by The Choir of Durham Cathedral, accompanied by Joseph Beech, and directed by Daniel Cook. Renowned for his fine musicianship, David Hill is widely respected as both a choral and orchestral conductor. His musical career included being Director of Music of Westminster Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, and St John's College Cambridge. More recently his talent has been recognised by his appointments as Musical Director of The Bach Choir, Music Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society, Associate Guest conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum. He was Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers from September 2007 to September 2017, and is a former Music Director of Southern Sinfonia. In March 2018, he was honoured with the prestigious Royal College of Organists medal, in recognition of distinguished achievement in choral conducting and organ playing, and he was awarded the MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours.