Allain: Choral Music Choir of Merton College, Oxford

• Richard Allain (b.1965):
• 1 A Perfect Friend 03:46
• 2 The Norwich Service: Magnificat 04:29
• 3 The Norwich Service: Nunc dimittis 04:31
• 4 If Music Be the Food of Love 05:08
• 5 Cana's Guest 02:52
• 6 The Magi's Gift 03:30
• 7 The Beloved 04:09
• 8 Welcome All Wonders 03:33
• 9 O Day-spring 02:00
• 10 Videte miraculum 13:56
• 11 A Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester 02:53
• 12 Don't You Weep When I'm Gone 03:26
• 13 God Be in My Head 04:01
• 14 Vespers "Songs of the Sea": The Lord Reigns 03:44
• Total Runtime 01:01:58

Info for Allain: Choral Music

Celebrating ten years since the inception of Merton College’s choral foundation, the choir’s seventh Delphian recording follows the themed anthologies which brought it such immediate critical acclaim with what will be the first in a series of close collaborations between the choir and individual living composers. Richard Allain writes music across a wide spectrum of genres; he and Benjamin Nicholas have put together a programme showcasing his oeuvre – from a setting of the Evening Canticles, animated then impassioned, to a sumptuous reimagining of the spiritual Don’t you weep when I am goneand Allain’s most performed work, the wedding anthem Cana’s Guest.

Alexander Little, organ
Francesca Miller, soprano
Patrick Keefe, bass
Thomas Fetherstonhaugh, organ
Choir Of Merton College Oxford
Benjamin Nicholas, conductor

The Choir of Merton College
is one of Oxford’s leading mixed-voice choirs and sings the services, during term-time, in the thirteenth century chapel. Outside term, the choir tours regularly, most recently visiting Sweden, France and the USA. Recent concert performances have included Duruflé’s Requiem in Gloucester Cathedral as part of the Cheltenham Music Festival, Tallis's Spem in alium in the Beaujolais Festival and Mozart's Requiem in St Germain-des-Pres, Paris. The choir regularly appears in London at St John’, Smith Square and The Cadogan Hall.

The choir’s recordings are for Delphian, the most recent being a disc of Christmas music which sees the choir collaborating with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. The choir's debut CD In the beginning was named 'Gramophone Choice' in the December 2011 edition of Gramophone. The choir regularly broadcasts on Radio 3.

In the last few years Merton College Choir has given first performances of new choral works by Birtwistle, Weir, Tavener, MacMillan and Dove.

Benjamin Nicholas is Director of Music at Merton College, Oxford. As a conductor he has appeared with the City of London Sinfonia, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, The Trondheim Soloists and The Holst Singers, in works such as Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Holst’s Savitri and Duruflé’s Requiem. His most recent organ recording, of Elgar’s organ works, was described by The Sunday Times as ‘a musical achievement…captivating”.

With Merton College Choir, Benjamin Nicholas has toured to France, Sweden and the USA, and directed the choir in numerous world premieres of music by Birtwistle, Chilcott, Dove, Jackson, MacMillan, Tabakova and Weir. He was heavily involved in the design and installation of the new Dobson Organ at Merton, and directs the annual Passiontide at Merton festival. In September of this year, he conducts the first rehearsals of the new Merton College Girls’ Choir.

Booklet for Allain: Choral Music