The impetus behind this recording of contemporary British liturgical anthems is the Genesis Foundation, a British organization dedicated to the support of emerging artists, founded and supported by John Studzinski, an American banker and Anglophile Roman Catholic. Studzinski commissioned three composers to make settings of a prayer by Padre Pio, the controversial Italian Capuchin priest and mystic who was canonized in 2002. The most striking, largely because of its unabashed simplicity and tunefulness, is by Will Todd. Its ...
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The impetus behind this recording of contemporary British liturgical anthems is the Genesis Foundation, a British organization dedicated to the support of emerging artists, founded and supported by John Studzinski, an American banker and Anglophile Roman Catholic. Studzinski commissioned three composers to make settings of a prayer by Padre Pio, the controversial Italian Capuchin priest and mystic who was canonized in 2002. The most striking, largely because of its unabashed simplicity and tunefulness, is by Will Todd. Its entirely tonal, arpeggiated piano accompaniment supports a graceful, surging melody, sung largely in unison by an SATB chorus. It's easily within the reach of most church choirs, and its directness and dignity make it a piece that deserves broad exposure. The contribution by Scots composer James MacMillan succeeds as a very different take on the text. Set for choir and organ, it's infinitely more sophisticated, but its material is memorable and appealing, and the text setting is...
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