Heffers Sound in Cambridge

Our window-display in Heffers Sound in Cambridge, where we had a party last night before our Cambridge University Press-sponsored Choral Pilgrimage concert in St John's College Chapel. It was great to meet Heffers Sound customers and Sixteen fans and to strengthen our label's partnership with one of the UK's top independent CD retailers. Our new Victoria CD remains in the classical charts at no. 9: if you can't get to Heffers Sound you can order it online from our CORO shop.

Onwards to Cambridge....

Following Liverpool and Blackburn last weekend, the Choral Pilgrimage proceeds to Cambridge and St Albans next weekend, with concerts in St John's College Chapel on Friday (sponsored by Cambridge University Press) and St Albans Abbey on Saturday. Some - but not many - tickets still available.
Here is what Fiona Maddocks wrote in the Observer yesterday about the Victoria programme: 'For their Choral Pilgrimage 2011, which began in Oxford and travels to 31 venues until November, the Sixteen have chosen music devoted to the Virgin Mary by the Spanish Renaissance composer Victoria, marking his 400th anniversary. There is also a CD, Hail, Mother of the Redeemer. This virtuoso group can hardly improve on a superb opening performance. Singing at the crossing of Christ Church Cathedral, their interweaving of plainchant and polyphony soared to the holiest heights of this ancient building.'

Onwards to Liverpool

Our Choral Pilgrimage got off to a great start in Oxford and Norwich, with excellent reviews in The Times and the Guardian. Onwards now to Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral on Friday: tickets are just £15, available in advance from the Cathedral Gift Shop on 0151 707 3525 or at the door from 6.30pm on the night. And thence to Blackburn on Saturday.

Choral Pilgrimage starts

Our 2011 Choral Pilgrimage started in Oxford last night with a packed concert in Christ Church Cathedral; tonight our Tomas Luis de Victoria programme moves on to Norwich Cathedral at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from 01603 218323 and there will be some restricted view seats on sale at the door. An intense, very beautiful programme, with the poignant Litaniae Beatae Mariae to finish the concert as we think about our Japanese friends and the impact of the earthquake and tsunami.

The Victoria Collection

2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Tomás Luis de Victoria. This remarkable Spaniard epitomised the emotion and fervour of Renaissance Europe and is considered by many to be the most outstanding composer of his time.

The Sixteen’s new boxed set, The Victoria Collection, contains four of The Sixteen’s celebrated Victoria recordings: The Call of the Beloved, Requiem of 1605, Mystery of the Cross, and Devotion to our Lady.

The Call of the Beloved includes some of the earliest triple-choir music ever to be published and is a reminder of Victoria's joyous and passionate music, complementing his more austere Requiem and music for Holy Week.

The celebrated Requiem of 1605 is Victoria's final composition and a work of beguiling beauty and sumptuous simplicity – a true masterpiece. It can be seen as the summation of both his art and the Spanish Renaissance tradition. The beautiful plainsong on which it is structured can be heard arching through the texture, forming a delicate and sinuous line throughout. Subtly accompanied by a chamber organ and bajón, it is recorded here with the same forces as may well have performed it originally in the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales. The Requiem is preceded by Marian Antiphons interspersed with three motets setting texts from the Song of Songs

Devotion to our Lady showcases works for eight parts, some of them for two antiphonal choirs discreetly accompanied by organ and bajón, all displaying the magnificent fervent sonorities for which Victoria is renowned.

A beautifully packaged set, which complements perfectly the release of The Sixteen's newest recording by the composer - Hail, Mother of the Redeemer, also features some of the composer's Lamentations for Holy Week. What could make a more appropriate Easter gift?

Order online here.

Today's CD Review on BBC Radio 3

Too soon to put up an iPlayer link as the programme is still going on, but there was a great sequence of Spanish and Mexican choral music at the start of today's CD Review, including our own new recording of Victoria.

PHILIPPE ROGIER: Missa Domine Dominus Noster; Missa Domine in Virtute Tue etc.
Magnificat / His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts / Philip Cave (director)
Linn CKD 348 (Hybrid SACD)

“Hail, Mother of the Redeemer”
VICTORIA: Salve Regina; Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater etc.
The Sixteen / Harry Christophers (conductor)
Coro COR16088 (CD)

“O Virgo Benedicta”: Music of Marian Devotion
The Marian Consort / Rory McCleery (conductor)
DCD34086 (CD)

“Hanacpachap”: Latin American music at the time of the Conquistadores
Ensemble Elyma / Gabriel Garrido (conductor)
Pan Classics PC 10230 (CD)

New release: Victoria

Our new CD of works by Victoria is now on sale via our shop. It is released to complement this year's Choral Pilgrimage tour which begins in Oxford on 11 March. The long-established tradition of devotion to the Virgin Mary resulted in some superb settings from Spanish composers. Tomás Luis de Victoria was, quite possibly, the most outstanding composer of the Renaissance and this recording features a tantalizing selection of the sumptuous music he wrote in honour of the Virgin Mary, including some of his exquisite Marian motets and the glorious Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater.

CORO at Midem

Just back from Midem in Cannes, the recording business' annual gathering. It's a chance to meet most of our international distributors face-to-face and to brief them on CORO's release plans for 2011. We were delighted that Harry Christophers was able to join us for a drinks reception to mark CORO's 10th birthday and to launch our new recording of music by Victoria which is released at the start of February.

The BPI Classical and Jazz stand is a friendly collection of rival labels! As you can see from the photo, CORO was in distinguished company.

Here's a list of our most popular releases from our new website shop.

Puebla meets Edinburgh

Not blogged from the BlackBerry before, so I hope this works. Just an hour until our first concert at this year's Edinburgh International Festival. Padilla and Victoria. Long sold out, but there are still a few seats left for our Purcell Indian Queen here next Tuesday. We have a 5-strong continuo section today with two theorbos, harp, dulcian and organ. So, a spectacular hour coming up in, as it were, Puebla Cathedral!

Weight of Victoria

Countertenor Christopher Royall leads the Chroal Pilgrimage Charity Walk, as it wends its way towards Canterbury. Big day today: 20 miles from Otford to Rochester. The Sixteen is raising money for two charities (not itself!): World Vision and the Save Canterbury Cathedral appeal. If you would like to sponsor the walk go to our special Just Giving pages: World Vision and Canterbury Cathedral. Lots more photos here.

Things concert audiences don't really think about: no. 1. How do we get the music for our concerts to the right place at the right time? I was thinking about the logistics as I dragged 30kg of Victoria from Cambridge to Fleet Street this morning. Our library is now huge and constantly expanding; not yet of British Library or UL size, but still requiring a catalogue and a system. We never let music go in the hold on flights on the way to concerts or during tours (you can perform without the right dress, but not without music) so the singers take care of their own sets, but it all has to be collected in the end and brought home for sorting, repairing and re-shelving. Some more thoughts on this from our Librarian in a few weeks................