Here is one of those good ideas that look perfectly obvious once they have been thought of, and similarly their putting into practice seems long overdue the moment it has actually happened. 'Howells's music for King's, recorded by King's': perhaps everybody assumed that it must have been done before. The famous choir have, of course, recorded the various parts of the Collegium Regale services before now, but here they are assembled, and to some extent can be seen to constitute a single work. In as far as that is a tenable proposition, it might be strengthened by placing the three constituents (Morning, Evening and Holy Communion services) in chronological order of composition, for the Communion Service (1956) looks back, and even uses the opening bars of the Magnificat as a kind of motto-theme. And yet the order as given here (Matins, Communion, Evensong) may be more satisfactory after all, for the climax of everything surely does come with the Evening Service's Gloria, with Howells at his strongest and the resources of choir and organ put to purposes of such a mighty splendour.
The performances are splendid too, and not least in the organ parts, finely played by Peter Barley, in which there is a very special and characteristic beauty. The flutey pastoral writing of certain passages (''For the Lord is gracious'' in the Jubilate, ''Blessed is he'' in the Communion Service, for instance) captures, I think, Howells's love of cathedrals as buildings, in which the quiet playing of the organ so embodies the beauty of holiness. Then there is the deep bold colour of the great tuba stop at the end of the Jubilate's ''Gloria''. But how typical that ''Gloria'' is, and how finely the Choir gives bloom to the sound—''and ever shall be'', opening out like a rose-window in a blaze of light. Just occasionally in these recordings it seemed that a still more refulgent choral sound would not come amiss; sometimes there even intrudes an edgy tone, almost a rasp, somewhere among the upper voices. But no: it is a splendid record, and that includes the music not written for King's, such as the profoundly inventive Preces and Responses. There are excellent notes by Christopher Palmer, and good notes of the other kind from Stephen Cleobury in the closing Rhapsody where his playing shows a keen appreciation of the music's dramatic character.'