Jonathan Harvey at Evensong - Choir St John's College, Cambridge launch new recording

Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge

On Friday 20 May 2016, St John's College, Cambridge launched its new imprint on the Signum Classics label with a disc of Jonathan Harvey's music from Andrew Nethsingha and the Choir of St John's College (see my review of the CD). Choral Evensong in the college chapel included Harvey's The Annunciation (written for the choir in 2011) and Come, Holy Ghost as well as responses by Richard Shephard (born 1949) and the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis from the Service in G by Herbert Sumsion (1899-1995). The voluntary, played by Edward Picton-Turbervill, was Jonathan Harvey's Laus Deo.

After the service there was a reception in the ante-chapel; those present included Jonathan Harvey's daughter Anna, as well as David Hill (Andrew Nethsingha's predecessor at St John's), Christopher Keyte (who was the baritone soloist in the choir's 1974 recording of Durufle's Requiem), representatives from Faber Music (Harvey's publishers) and Signum Classics.

The new St John's imprint is intended to be holistic and recordings will include not only the choir but students at St John's College as well as distinguished alumni. The next disc planned is of Christmas music, to be followed in the Spring by one of masses by Kodaly and Poulenc. Andrew Nethsingha also announced that the choir will be starting a major new collaboration with the composer Michael Finnissy