Cambridge-based John Rutter is one of today's most popular church musicians. Rutter's eclectic style betrays the influence of Fauré and Duruflé. In addition, in his Requiem from 1985 we hear 'popular songs' that would not have been out of place in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem. In his Requiem, Rutter did not strictly follow the text of the Roman Catholic liturgy, but opted for his own selection,
… in combination with psalms from the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. And just as Bach combined his Magnificat with Lutheran chorales, Rutter added the old English 'Of a Rose' to his Magnificat. On this compilation we hear the Requiem (version for orchestra) and the Magnificat, sung by John Rutter's own Cambridge Singers. This is a compilation of recordings from 1986 and 1991 respectively. (HJ)more
