Mundy: Sacred Choral Music Choir of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh & Duncan Ferguson

• William Mundy (1529 - 1591):
• 1 Beatus et sanctus 02:07
• 2 Maria virgo sanctissima 14:58
• 3 Alleluia: Per te dei genetrix I 02:37
• 4 Sive vigilem 02:39
• 5 Alleluia: Per te dei genitrix II 03:15
• 6 Vox Patris caelestis 17:21
• 7 Adolescentulus sum ego 04:57
• 8 In exitu Israel 17:17
• Total Runtime 01:05:11

Info for Mundy: Sacred Choral Music

Already celebrated in surveys of John Taverner and John Sheppard, the Choir of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh now showcase the often overlooked music of William Mundy, which was at the heart of the Marian Catholic revival and then, just a few years later, made a vital contribution to the development of the Elizabethan motet. Their programme centers on Mundy's two most extended festal compositions, possibly sung to Queen Mary on the eve of her coronation in 1553 the celebrated Vox patris caelestis and, newly reconstructed, the little-known Maria virgo sanctissima. Two further premiere recordings feature alongside the remarkable collaboration of Mundy, Sheppard and a young William Byrd on music for the Easter procession, In exitu Israel. Combining powerful music on a ceremonial scale with shorter liturgical works, this recording conveys the choir's sheer joy in their now firmly established role as ambassadors of sixteenth-century polyphony. Duncan Ferguson s recordings on Delphian have attracted much critical acclaim. Single composer recordings of Sheppard, Bruckner and Gabriel Jackson were all Gramophone Editor s Choices. A recording of Taverner s music was International Record Review album of the month.

“Performances are of a uniformly high level. Short of being there in Edinburgh, this is the next best alternative as a compact disc. Credit to all concerned: for choosing such a rewarding composer as Mundy, for selecting a varied and interesting repertory; and for performing it in an accessible and engaging way.” (Early Music Review)

Choir of St. Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh
Duncan Ferguson, conductor

The Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral
is unique in Scotland in maintaining daily choral services in the Anglican tradition, and enjoys an international reputation. The Cathedral was the first in the United Kingdom to allow girls to join boys as trebles in 1978 and then, in 2006, to allow female altos to sing alongside countertenors in the choir. The choristers (aged 9-14) are educated at St Mary’s Music School, Scotland’s specialist music school, while the lay clerks of the choir consist of university choral scholars alongside more experienced singers. In 2008 the thirtieth anniversary of the successful admission of girl choristers into the choir was marked by an article and editorial in The Times. Each morning the choristers rehearse at 8.25am for an hour before going to school. They then return in the evening for rehearsal at 4.55pm alongside the lay clerks before singing a service at 5.30pm. The back row of the choir comprises a mix of professional Lay Clerks and Choral Scholars (the latter tending to be students drawn from one of Edinburgh’s universities). Lay Clerks combine professional work elsewhere (either musical or extra-musical) with their singing at St Mary’s.

The choir’s last three recordings – of music by Anton Bruckner, Gabriel Jackson, and John Sheppard – all earned Gramophone Editor’s Choice, while back in 2010 the first recording under conductor Duncan Ferguson came seventh in the specialist classical chart and achieved an ‘Outstanding’ accolade from International Record Review. In 2016 the choir embarked on another major recording project: the choral music of Igor Stravinsky in collaboration with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. In its day-to-day work the choir sings the daily services at St Mary’s Cathedral. Over the years the choir has worked closely with a number of leading contemporary composers, commissioning, performing, and recording works by (for instance) Kenneth Leighton, Arvo Part, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, James MacMillan, Howard Skempton, and Gabriel Jackson. Collaborations with orchestras have included recent performances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the sixtieth-birthday concert of American composer John Zorn and at the Glasgow Tectonics Festival. The choristers performed again with the BBC SSO in the 2014-15 season, including a semi-staged version of Berg’s Wozzeck under conductor Donald Runnicles. The choir is also well known through its many appearances on BBC Radio Three, Radio Four, and Radio Scotland, including live broadcasts of Choral Evensong. Previous choir tours have included France, Hungary, Norway, and several trips to the USA and Canada. In 2011 the choir was invited to sing at the Taipei International Choral Festival and by the Little Singers of Tokyo at their sixtieth anniversary concert in Suntory Hall. The choir toured Germany, performing to sell-out audiences in summer 2015, and will be visiting the USA in 2018 for performances in Nashville, Little Rock, and Memphis.

Duncan Ferguson
has responsibility for the musical life of St Mary’s Cathedral including the recruitment, training, and conducting of the Cathedral Choir, as well as organising and performing in the month-long series of services, recitals, and broadcasts during the Edinburgh Festival. He previously held organ scholarships at Magdalen College, Oxford and at St Paul’s Cathedral. Duncan gained a Distinction for his Master of Studies degree at Oxford, with his academic focus being the place of music within the writing of history. At St Paul’s he worked daily with the cathedral choir including performances at diocesan and national services, before joining St Mary’s initially as Assistant Organist. He was also the Assistant Director of Music at St Michael’s, Cornhill, and a harmony and counterpoint tutor at King’s College, London.

As an organist he has performed across the UK and in the USA, and for numerous broadcasts on BBC radio and television. He is the organ teacher at St Mary’s Music School and has led workshops on behalf of the RCO and RSCM. Duncan’s solo disc of works by William Faulkes was released in 2015 by Delphian (DCD34148). His work with the Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral has earned him significant critical acclaim: of his first recording, The Times wrote that ‘Duncan Ferguson is plainly a wizard’. In addition to conducting the Cathedral Choir, Duncan has worked as conductor and accompanist with various orchestras, choral societies, community and youth choirs. His teachers included Thomas Trotter, David Goode and Kevin Bowyer, while he worked with Grayston (Bill) Ives, John Scott and Malcolm Archer at Magdalen and St Paul’s respectively.

Booklet for Mundy: Sacred Choral Music