London Oratory School

The always outstanding London Oratory School has a new CD out: Ave Maria.

This, the first CD by Schola for seven years is a selection of 14 glorious settings of the Ave Maria from across the centuries. In addition to the time-served wedding favourites of Schubert and Bach/Gounod in new sumptuous choral arrangements, there are long established prayerful settings by Josquin, Parsons, Victoria, Bruckner and Elgar and a new setting by Roxanna Panufnik. Settings for men’s voices include an excellent newly commissioned work by Simon Biazeck alongside those by Clemens non Papa, Palestrina and the richly operatic setting by Franz Biebl, originally written for a choir of firemen! There are beautiful new and original settings for treble voices by David Terry (London Oratory School) and Matthew Martin (Westminster Cathedral).