A winning Weelkes performance

Benjamin Nicholas and his Tewkesbury singers impress again with a compelling performance of Thomas Weelkes's choral works.

Composer: Weelkes
Repertoire: Sacred Choral Music
Artists: Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum/Nicholas
Rating:  4.5/5
Genre: Choral
Label: Delphian DCD 34070

I’ve been consistently impressed by the work of Benjamin Nicholas and his Tewkesbury singers on the Delphian label. Their latest release turns to the work of Thomas Weelkes, a magnificent composer, infamous drunkard and organist of Chichester Cathedral in the early 1600s. It’s an absolute winner both in terms of repertoire and performance. The reverberant recorded sound is never short on detail, thanks not least to the full-blooded singing of Tewkesbury’s boy choristers and smart engineering. The choir’s men are on top form, too. Together, they catch the plangent quality of Weelkes’s work and its compelling energy. Terrific choral listening.