[ Collegium / CD ]
Release Date: Friday 23 November 2007
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John Rutter was born in London in 1945 and received his first musical education as a chorister at Highgate School. He went on to study music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he wrote his first published compositions and conducted his first recording while still a student.
His compositional career has embraced both large and small-scale choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto, two children's operas, music for television, and specialist writing for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King's Singers. His most recent larger choral works, Requiem (1985), Magnificat (1990) and Psalmfest (1993) have been performed many times in Britain, North America, and a growing number of other countries.
He co-edited four volumes in the Carols for Choirs series with Sir David Willcocks, and, more recently, has edited the first two volumes in the new Oxford Choral Classics series, Opera Choruses (1995) and European Sacred Music (1996).
From 1975 to 1979 he was Director of Music at Clare College, whose choir he directed in a number of broadcasts and recordings.
After giving up the Clare post to allow more time for composition, he formed the Cambridge Singers as a professional chamber choir primarily dedicated to recording, and he now divides his time between composition and conducting.
He has guest-conducted or lectured at many concert halls, universities, churches, music festivals, and conferences in Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Australasia.
In 1980 he was made an honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, and in 1988 a Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians.
In 1996 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contribution to church music.
John Rutter's music is published by Oxford University Press and by Hinshaw Music Inc.
Sinfonia
Comfort ye, my people
Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
And the glory of the Lord
Behold, a virgin shall conceive
O thou that tallest good tidings to Zion
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
The people that walked in darkness
For unto us a child is born
Pastoral Symphony
There were shepherds abiding in the field
Glory to God
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened
He shall feed his flock
His yoke is easy
Surely he hath borne our griefs
And with his stripes we are healed
All we like sheep are gone astray
Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
He was cut off out of the land of the living
But thou didst not leave his soul in hell
Hallelujah
I know that my Redeemer liveth
Since by man came death
Behold, I tell you a mystery
The trumpet shall sound
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
Amen