Various Composers - The Crown of Life (Choir of The Queens College)

Information

1. Kenneth Leighton - A Hymn to the Trinity
2. Harold Darke - O brother man
3. Kenneth Leighton - Missa Christi, Festival Mass: III. Kyrie Eleison
4. Kenneth Leighton - Missa Christi, Festival Mass: II. Gloria
5. Kenneth Leighton - Missa Christi, Festival Mass: IV. Sanctus and Benedictus
6. Kenneth Leighton - Missa Christi, Festival Mass: I. Agnus Dei
7. Kenneth Leighton - Crucifixus pro nobis, Op. 38, No. 4: Drop, drop, slow tears
8. Gustav Holst - Three Carols Op. 34, No. 1: This have I done for my true love
9. Gustav Holst - Nunc dimittis
10. Imogen Holst - Out of your sleep arise and wake
11. Rebecca Clarke - Ave Maria
12. Harold Darke - Blessed is the man that endureth temptation
13. Gustav Holst - Ave Maria, Op. 9b
14. Rebecca Clarke - He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
15. Harold Darke - Be strong and of a good courage
16. Gustav Holst - Lord, who hast made us for thine own

Choir of The Queens College, Oxford

Owen Rees, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Signum Classics

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The Crown of Life continues the Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford’s exploration of lesser-known twentieth-century English choral music under the direction of Owen Rees. The album’s centerpiece is the first recording of Kenneth Leighton’s Missa Christi (1988), his final large-scale sacred composition, originally commissioned by Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis. The programme also includes world premiere recordings of Harold Darke’s Blessed is the man that endureth temptation and Imogen Holst’s Out of your sleep arise and wake. Complementing these works are pieces by Rebecca Clarke and Gustav Holst, creating a diverse portrait of composers connected through their studies with Stanford and united by their contributions to sacred choral music.

The Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford is one of the UK’s leading and most active university choirs, performing an extensive schedule of concerts both in Britain and internationally. The ensemble regularly collaborates with professional groups such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Brook Street Band, and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Its tours have taken the choir across Europe, Asia, and the United States. The choir’s repertoire spans Renaissance and Baroque works as well as contemporary music, presented in concerts, recordings, and services in the college’s Baroque chapel. Frequently broadcast on BBC Radio, the choir has released acclaimed recordings on the Signum and Avie labels and has also contributed to film soundtracks, including the Grammy-nominated score for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

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