Sing, Ye Heavens: Hymns for All Time
It's good to have the clean-vowelled, fresh-voiced Cambridge Singers  back in action with composerJohn Rutter, who demonstrates once again his considerable talents as a choral  director. Here, he also had his work cut out arranging 15 of the tracks (and  composing one other). Divided up into various categories, such as "the  Eucharist" and "folk hymns," this album will delight the confirmed hymn  enthusiast, provided that he or she doesn't insist on the pure, as-written  product. Rutter's reworkings range from the bold and brassy (occasionally  deliciously over the top--what would Martin Luther have thought of the  naughtiness in "A mighty fortress is our God"?) to those of harp-accompanied  simplicity, not least in the charming lines of "Be thou my vision." Several  tasteful descants are models of their kind. There are some surprises at which to  chuckle. For example, not the expected brass and organ job on "We plough the  fields and scatter," but a dainty, tripping harp accompaniment to the familiar  melody, such as Haydn might have wedded to a Scottish folksong. Occasional  numbers might be too saccharine for some tastes, but there are cunningly placed  samples of Gregorian chant, Tallis, and Gibbons to provide contrast and cleanse  the palate.--Andrew Green