James O'Donnell - Rejoice, the Lord is King: Great Hymns from Westminster Abbey (2023) [Hi-Res]

"The recording is first class. Engineer David Hinitt and producer Adrian Peacock have successfully captured the rich acoustics and yet achieved a clear reproduction of the voices and the mighty organ. Anyone who has ever been in Westminster Abbey should be overwhelmed by the lifelike sound picture. The generous programme is also finely contrasted … the quality of the singing is on a high level and Robert Quinney negotiates the organ accompaniments excellently."
- MusicWeb International

In this new album, Westminster Abbey rings with the voices of the choir and organ lifted in the great hymns which, familiar to all, are a vital part of our national character and history. The recording brings the experience of Abbey occasions—from royal weddings to state funerals to regular services—into the home.

The singing of hymns has its roots in the earliest days of the Christian church and remains a central part of the liturgy. In the Anglican church, and nowhere more so than in Westminster Abbey, this is a tradition that thrives, and where tunes from the sixteenth century sit happily alongside fervent Methodist outpourings, profound Victorian sentiment, the ‘rediscoveries’ of Vaughan Williams, and arrangements by the Abbey’s musicians of today.