Songs of Angels marks the 400th anniversary of Orlando Gibbons' death, with a thoughtfully curated program of choral music forming a landmark recording in Ora Singers' Reflections series. Here, Renaissance masterworks inspire living composers to respond in their own voices - not in imitation of Gibbons, but in dialogue with him across the centuries. Performed by the highly acclaimed choir under Suzi Digby OBE, the album places the ten complete surviving full anthems by Orlando Gibbons at it's centre-ranging from favourites such as O clap your hands and Hosanna to the Son of David to lesser-heard masterpieces including I am the resurrection and O Lord, how do my woes increase. Several works appear in modern reconstructions by David Skinner, allowing these pieces to be heard complete. Interwoven throughout are Gibbons' hymns from Hymns and Songs of the Church (1623), reimagined for the 21st century in jazz-inflected arrangements by pianist and arranger Harry Baker, combining choir and piano in a fresh yet respectful sound world. Continuing Ora Singers' commitment to commissioning, across a stellar decade of activity as one of the UK's foremost chamber choirs, new works by Marco Galvani, Nicola LeFanu, Cecilia McDowall and Will Todd respond directly to Gibbons' originals-offering a vivid contemporary counterpart to his clarity, balance and depth of feeling.
