Bruckner: Motets Choir of St Marys Cathedral Edinburgh RSAMD Brass & Duncan Ferguson

• Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896):
• 1Tota pulchra es, WAB 4604:59
• 2Aequale No. 1 in C Minor, WAB 11401:38
• 3Totenlieder in E-Flat Major, WAB 47 No. 201:21
• 4Ave Maria, WAB 603:18
• 5Afferentur regi, WAB 102:02
• 6Christus factus est, WAB 1104:43
• 7Ecce sacerdos magnus, WAB 1306:08
• 8Virga jesse floruit, WAB 5203:42
• 9Locus iste, WAB 2302:57
• 10Pange lingua, WAB 3305:22
• 11Iam lucis orto sidere, WAB 1803:58
• 12Aequale No. 2 in C Minor, WAB 14901:18
• 13Libera me Domine, WAB 2106:23
• 14Totenlieder in F Major, WAB 48 No. 201:32
• 15Vexilla regis, WAB 5104:35
• 16Os justi, WAB 3005:17
• 17Inveni David, WAB 1902:47
• Total Runtime01:02:00

Info for Bruckner: Motets

Following their highly acclaimed recording of music by John Taverner (Delphian DCD34023), Duncan Ferguson and his Edinburgh choir turn their attention to one of the nineteenth centurys compositional giants. This sequence of motets among them several little-known gems is a testament to Bruckners profound Catholic faith, and the performances blaze with fire and fervour in the vast cathedrals icy acoustic.

Ferguson’s singers are beyond reproach; intonation is never less than perfect and the sound made at full stretch is glorious – higher lines piercingly clear thanks to the cathedral’s choristers singing the soprano parts. We also get the two Aequale for three trombones, played here with sombre magnificence. Brilliant.” (The Arts Desk)

“There's plenty of drive and commitment to this performance, which adds a sense of spiritual relevance beyond the solely musical...the overall effect is surprisingly uplifting thanks to the clarity and directness of the performance, helped by the cathedral's wonderful acoustic.” (Classic FM)

“The Edinburgh singers perform with a robust though polished fervour. Alto, tenor and bass lines are beyond reproach, while the mixed-sex treble line copes admirably with exposed writing. The recorded sound is first-class, capturing both voices and instruments (including some excellent organ-playing) with an engaging immediacy.” (Gramophone Magazine)

“The Edinburgh choristers (a mix of boy trebles and girls) are fearless in confronting Bruckner’s demands...This is an excellent disc. The performances are thrilling and intense and they are captured in an excellent recording that mixes spaciousness and clarity. The contributions of the uncredited organist (Nicholas Wearne?) and the RSAMD trombonists add a splendid sonority to some of the items.” (MusicWeb International)

Nicholas Wearne, organ
Choir of St Marys Cathedral Edinburgh
RSAMD Brass
Duncan Ferguson, conductor

Choir of St Marys Cathedral Edinburgh
Our full title is “The Cathedral Church of St Mary in Edinburgh”. Ever since the earliest times, the Christian Church has been divided into geographical areas known as dioceses. Every Diocese has its own Bishop, whose duty it is to teach, lead and care for the clergy and people of the Diocese, acting as Christ’s primary representative to them.

The Cathedral is the church where the Bishop’s throne (cathedra in Greek) resides. Hence, we are the Cathedral for the Diocese of Edinburgh, which is why you may sometimes hear us referred to as “Edinburgh Cathedral”. However, owing to the fact that the city contains two other Cathedrals (St Giles, and St Mary’s Metropolitan: the Church of Scotland High Kirk, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral, respectively), we prefer to call ourselves simply “St Mary’s Cathedral”, after our patron saint.

The Diocese of Edinburgh is one of the seven historic dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC). The SEC traces its origins back to the fifth century AD and the very first Christians in Scotland, especially St Ninian and St Mungo, who founded the first dioceses here. The SEC is in full communion with the Church of England and other Anglican churches worldwide. The SEC maintains many similarities with the Church of England, especially in our styles of worship and governance, but we also possess many differences, not least of which is the fact that we are not established, and so do not possess the same kind of relationship with the State.

Like any other busy Cathedral, we are the centre for many diocesan activities and special services, as well as cultural events such as concerts, lectures and exhibitions. But our most important activity is the maintenance of a constant cycle of Christian prayer, day-in day-out, year-by-year, as a key part of our witness to the message of God’s Good News for all people found in Jesus Christ.

The Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral
enjoys an international reputation through its recordings, broadcasts, and tours. The choir’s last three recordings – of music by Anton Bruckner, Gabriel Jackson, and John Sheppard – all earned Gramophone Editor’s Choice, while the first recording under conductor Duncan Ferguson came seventh in the specialist classical chart and achieved an ‘Outstanding’ accolade from International Record Review.

In its day-to-day work the choir sings the daily services at St Mary’s Cathedral. The choristers (aged 9-14) all attend St Mary’s Music School, Scotland’s only choir school, on Cathedral or government bursaries. In 1978 the choir became the first with a daily choral tradition to allow girls to sing as well as boys and then, in 2006, the first to admit a female alto as choral scholar.

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 Pärt, 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, at the Glasgow Tectonics Festival and in a semi-staged version of Berg’s Wozzeck under conductor Donald Runnicles. The choristers will be performing again with the BBC SSO in Walton’s Henry V in January 2015. 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 is planning to tour Germany in 2015.

Duncan Ferguson
was appointed Organist and Master of the Music at St Mary’s Cathedral in 2007 at the age of 26, making him the UK’s youngest Cathedral Organist. In this role he has responsibility for the extensive musical life of St Mary’s. He trains the choristers and directs the Cathedral Choir, the only choir in Scotland that sings daily services in the Anglican tradition and which has its own choir school. Duncan’s debut recording with St Mary’s was received with great critical acclaim in the national and international press, earning an ‘outstanding’ accolade from International Record Review, with him being described as ‘a wizard’ by The Times. In 2008 an interview in the same newspaper led to an editorial about the success of the introduction of girls into the same top line as boys at St Mary’s, a story that was also picked up by BBC Scotland. He has recently conducted in the choir in a recording of Bruckner’s Latin motets, described by the BBC as ‘just superb. It’s the kind of disc you want to turn up to full volume and lose yourself in’.

Duncan started his musical education at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was Organ Scholar between 1999 and 2002. He accompanied the choir and played solo organ pieces on numerous CDs and broadcasts. Special events included accompanying the premiere of an oratorio written for the choir by Sir Paul McCartney and recording the soundtrack to the BBC’s Blue Planet natural history series. After being awarded a Distinction for his Master of Studies degree, Duncan became Organ Scholar at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Here he gave regular recitals both at St Paul’s and throughout the City, and played the organ at a number of diocesan and national services. His organ teachers included David Goode, Kevin Bowyer, and Thomas Trotter.

Duncan moved to Edinburgh in 2005 to take up the post of Assistant Organist at St Mary’s Cathedral. He premiered a new work by Malcolm Archer at the Incorporated Association of Organists’ conference in 2007. More recently he has played the organ for BBC Songs of Praise, recorded the St Mary’s organ as part of the Edinburgh Organs project, and performed in venues in the USA in summer 2010.

Booklet for Bruckner: Motets