An Evening Hymn: Music For Solo Treble

"His [Oliver Lepage-Dean] voice is well recorded: firm and even, true in pitch, pure in quality. In two items he sings, as soloist, with the choir: Stanford's G Major Magnificat (the treble's violin concerto) and Mendelssohn's Geistliches Lied (consolation-prize for not having Hear my prayer). In both, the solo voice blends admirably while fully justifying its pre-eminence."
- John Steane, Gramophone, April 2003

Cathedral choirs of men and boys have been one of the glories of this country over the centuries and the music they sing, from plainsong to contemporary compositions, forms an impressive and increasingly unique part of the corpus of music itself. There have, from time to time, been threats to their existence, for example during the Commonwealth which followed the English Civil War. More recently, there has been a rush on the part of many establishments to form girls' choirs, thus inevitably reducing the importance of the boys' contribution. This, thankfully, has not so far affected those Oxbridge college choirs which continue to maintain the traditional style of music-making, and that at the highest level, in their services. The Choir of Saint John's College, Cambridge, is one of those choirs which have steadfastly maintained this ancient tradition and, as one might imagine, over the years there have been many outstanding soloists amongst the Choristers. Oliver Lepage-Dean is the latest in this long line of distinguished singers, and it is good that such an outstanding voice (newly broken, alas) has been preserved in this recording. During his time at St John's he was a pupil of David Lowe. Some 25 items are heard, some accompanied by Christopher Whitton (organ), others by Christopher Robinson (piano). The College Choir is heard in Stanford's Magnificat in G, and in Mendelssohn's Geistliches Lied, and Graham Walker, a former St John's Chorister himself, plays the cello in the performance of Duruflé's Pie Jesu.