Album: The Choir of the Temple Church, A Festival of Psalms (Signum Classics)

Taking as its theme the use of psalms in choral music, this anthology links the liturgies of Jewish and Christian traditions, represented respectively by Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" and various European strains from Byrd and Allegri to Purcell and Parry.

Incorporating leftover music from West Side Story, Bernstein employs organ, harp and percussion as he extends a theme of peace and unity between nations from the opening "Jubilate", to the restful uplift of Psalm 131. The organ can sometimes hang too heavily over the pieces by Wesley and Parry. But the highlight is the beautiful version of Allegri's "Miserere mei, Deus", with its solo treble soaring high and weightless like the vaulting of a cathedral.

DOWNLOAD THIS Miserere mei, Deus; Psalm 131; Teach me, O Lord