Edmund Rubbra - Choral Music (Benjamin Nicholas)

Information

Composer: Edmund Rubbra

• Cantata di Camera Crucifixus pro Nobis, Op. 111
• The Revival, Op. 58
• Five Motets, Op. 37: I. Eternitie
• Prelude and Fugue on a Theme by Cyril Scott, Op. 69 (arr. Bernard Rose)
• The Virgin’s Cradle Hymn, Op. 3
• Missa in Honorem Sancti Dominici, Op. 66
• Meditation for Organ, Op. 79
• Five Motets, Op. 37: III. A Hymn to God the Father
• Symphonic Prelude, Op. 164a (arr. Michael Dawney & Robert Matthew-Walker)
• Evening Service in A-Flat Major, Op. 65

Benjamin Hulett, tenor

François Cloete & Owen Chan, organ

Britten Sinfonia

Choir of Merton College

Benjamin Nicholas, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Delphian Records

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The Choir of Merton College, under Benjamin Nicholas, presents a focused exploration of Edmund Rubbra’s sacred music, highlighting the composer’s belief that faith informed musical structure rather than serving merely as a subject. Central to the program is the first recording of Cantata di Camera (Crucifixus pro nobis), featuring tenor Benjamin Hulett and instrumentalists from Britten Sinfonia. Unlike contemporaneous settings, Rubbra crafts a continuous, cumulative musical arc, characterized by luminous harmonies, reflective pacing, and profound emotional depth, revealing the contemplative and principled nature that defines his sacred oeuvre.

Benjamin Nicholas, born in Norwich, is a distinguished conductor and organist renowned for his performances of large-scale choral works and for commissioning contemporary compositions. A former chorister at Norwich Cathedral, he held organ scholarships at Chichester Cathedral, Lincoln College, Oxford, and St Paul’s Cathedral, and is currently Organist and Director of Music at Merton College, Oxford, where he also founded the Girls’ Choir. Winner of the BBC Music Magazine Choral Award in 2020, he has made over 30 acclaimed recordings and serves as Music Director of the Oxford Bach Choir. Nicholas regularly conducts leading UK orchestras, has performed internationally, and continues to advance both choral and organ repertoire through concerts, recordings, and residencies.

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