Saint Nicolas

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge under conductor Stephen Cleobury presents Britten’s enchanting choral masterpiece Saint Nicolas, with Hymn to St Cecilia and Rejoice in the Lamb, celebrating 100 years since Benjamin Britten’s birth. The recording features soloist Andrew Kennedy, a former choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, the renowned Britten Sinfonia, Sawston Village College Choir and Cambridge University Musical Society.

Press coverage achieved for Mozart Requiem: Realisations, the second album released on the King’s College, Cambridge label included: BBC Radio 3, In Tune, and a reception with UK Prime Minister David Cameron, in addition to news, preview and review coverage in key music and trade publications such as BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, Choir & Organ, and International Record Review. The Choir’s Christmas 2012 release of Nine Lessons & Carols reached number 2 in the UK Specialist Classical Chart.

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is one of the world’s foremost choirs and unquestionably among the most widely heard. It owes its existence to King Henry VI, who envisaged the daily singing of services in his magnificent chapel. This remains the Choir’s raison d’être, and is an important part of the lives of its 16 choristers, who are educated at King’s College School, and the 14 choral scholars and two organ scholars, who study a variety of subjects in the College. The Choir has been a breeding ground for numerous professional singers, including James Gilchrist and Christopher Purves.

Britten:
 St Nicolas, Op. 42
 Hymn to St Cecilia, Op. 27
 Rejoice in the Lamb, Op. 30

"This Saint Nicolas is involving from the outset...Kennedy is a gripping Nicolas, palpably a man of practical Christian action, though careful not to over-project operatically...he has a storyteller's subtlety and sensitivity...I'm not sure I've ever heard the resonant King's College acoustic captured better."
BBC Music Magazine - February 2014

"Britten's 50-minute dramatic cantata should be far better known, and this new recording on King’s own label does it superb justice...The disc includes equally polished performances of two of Britten’s most popular choral works, Hymn to St Cecilia and Rejoice in the Lamb."
Financial Times - 21st December 2013