Panis angelicus - Sacred Music from Westminster Cathedral

'What can one say? A feast beyond all dreams. Guaranteed to please' (Organists' Review)

'A beautiful disc of sacred motets from one of this country's finest choirs' (Classic FM Magazine)

Westminster Cathedral Choir is part of the original foundation of Westminster Cathedral, and the Choir School in which the boys live and work is situated within the precincts of the Cathedral. Since the beginning of the century the boy choristers and adult lay clerks have made a notable contribution to the musical life of England, rapidly achieving a reputation for excellence.
Under the first Master of Music, Sir Richard Terry, the Choir took the church music world by storm, reviving many works unheard for several centuries, and vigorously adding new works to the repertory. Benjamin Britten, Gustav Holst, Lennox Berkeley and Herbert Howells are just some the many composers who have written works specially for the Choir. Vaughan Williams's Mass in G minor was given its first public performance in the Cathedral. Recently, William Mathias, David Sanger and Francis Grier have added to this repertory.

One of the first British choirs to make recordings, its first (acoustic) recording dates from 1908 and many subsequent ones have been made, most recently the acclaimed series for Hyperion which has won many awards from British and foreign critics. Although specializing in Renaissance sacred polyphony, the scope of the Choir's recordings is very broad, extending to Britten, Poulenc, Langlais and Stravinsky.

When its Cathedral duties permit, the Choir also gives concerts. It has given a Proms concert, and has appeared at the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank, as well as at numerous festivals in Britain and abroad. In 1987 the Choir sang at St Peter's in Rome for the Papal Mass of Beatification of eighty-five British martyrs. In December 1992 they joined the Choir of St Paul's Cathedral to sing Mass at Notre Dame in Paris to mark the inauguration of the newly-restored organ there.

Westminster Cathedral Choir broadcasts frequently on radio and television in addition to the daily services which are at the heart of all its activities. James O'Donnell was appointed Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral in 1988, succeeding David Hill who moved to Winchester Cathedral. James O'Donnell was educated at The Royal College of Music and at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he was Organ Scholar. He succeeded to his current post having spent five years at the Cathedral as Assistant Master of Music. James O'Donnell is also a distinguished organ recitalist, a member of the Council of The Royal College of Organists, and a lecturer at The Royal Academy of Music in London.