The Emmanuel Methodist Church in Vepery has one of the finest choirs in Chennai – a city which boasts of about a couple of dozen well-trained choral groups working earnestly to perform excellent sacred music, particularly during the Christmas and Easter seasons.
With more than 40 accomplished musicians singing under the guidance of James Davids (Tony), the choir’s recent performance of a contemporary passion cantata titled, ‘Out Of The Shadow,’ by John Pirifoy, was a moving and memorable experience for the congregation at the EMC Church.
The artistic spirit of the occasion created an admirable ambience for the formal release of the third album of sacred songs rendered by the massed choirs and allied music groups of Chennai, effectively assembled by Classic Hymns for rehearsals and audio/video recordings.
Coming in the wake of Classic Hymns’ two earlier albums, ‘Ancient Of Days’ and ‘Lead Kindly Light’ (www.thehindu.com/Friday Review/Chennai/July 16, 2010/ ‘Massive, majestic’), the new album is titled, ‘Old Rugged Cross,’ and features 16 hymns, ten of which are rendered by a colossal choir consisting of 250 musicians drawn from the city’s total resources and conducted by the leaders of ten different choirs by rotation.
The results achieved have a remarkable degree of unity and excellence. The album, which is available in CD/DVD form, is bound to be a very valuable addition to any serious collection of church music anywhere in the world. (Contact Classic Hymns at (9144) 98400-60522)
Incidentally, the title of the album is the same as another fine recording of 20 sacred songs by American musician Jo Stafford and actor Gordon Macrae, produced by EMI in 2009, and released again this year.
