The Choir of Buckfast Abbey
Matthew Searles (conductor)
Charles Maxtone-Smith (organ)

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi celebrates each year the Royal Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. On this album, the Choir of Buckfast Abbey presents a musical offering bearing witness to this great celebration through music rooted in the words and ancient chants of this feast. At the heart of this album is a Mass setting by Martin Baker, Missa O sacrum convivium!, newly commissioned for the Choir of Buckfast Abbey and here given its premier recording, which develops chant melodies into a passionate tour de force for choir and organ. This work is complemented by chants and hymns of the day for Mass and Vespers, as well as sumptuous choral settings by Guerrero, Palestrina and Laloux and a suite for solo organ by Anton Heiller.