This ninth release in Regent’s ‘A Year at...’ series visits Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin – the National Cathedral of Ireland. This rarely-recorded choir is one of Ireland’s greatest musical treasures, with the country’s only choir school, founded in 1432.

The choir combined with that of the nearby Christ Church Cathedral for the first performance of Handel’s Messiah in 1742. Today the choir is one of the few remaining that sings Matins daily, in addition to the regular round of daily Evensong and Sunday services.

Our journey through the church’s year begins in Advent and takes in many musical influences specific to Saint Patrick’s.

The choir of men and boys is directed by Stuart Nicholson, who studied at the Royal College of Music from where he graduated with first-class honours, and is a former Director of Music at Waltham Abbey, and a former Assistant Organist of Birmingham Cathedral.

Tracklisting:
Advent
1. Creator of the stars of night (Conditor alme)
Christmas
2. A babe is born (William Mathias)
Epiphany
3. We three kings (John Henry Hopkins Jr, arr. Stuart Nicholson)
4. Epiphanie (Gaston Litaize)
Patronal
5 I bind unto myself today (from the Petrie Collection of Irish Music, arr. Charles Villiers Stanford)
Annunciation
6 Magnificat (David Briggs - Saint Patrick’s Service)
Passiontide
7 It is a thing most wonderful (Philip Moore)
Easter
8 Lord of the Dance (American Shaker tune, adapt. Sydney Carter, arr. Stuart Nicholson)
Transfiguration
9 For lo I raise up (Stanford)
Saint Luke
10 Strengthen ye the weak hands (William Henry Harris)
All Saints
11 Justorum animae (Matthew Martin)
All Souls
12 Sunset and evening star (George Henry Philips Hewson)
Remembrance
13 Nunc Dimittis in E (Ernest Dines)
Birth of Swift
14 All wisdom cometh from the Lord (Philip Moore)