And I saw a new heaven (Edgar Bainton) - Guildford Cathedral Choir (Barry Rose)

Guildford Cathedral Choir, directed by Barry Rose:
Evensong at Guildford Cathedral, 24 July 1974:
(Composition completed 13 June 1928. Text: from Revelations 21)
And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea.
And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying: "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away."
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[@ArchivesofSound]

For whatever reason, this is now the most "dis-liked" track on our entire channel. We don't know why. But if you like the track, please hit the "like" button and out-vote the haters!

[@remyworldpeace]

Liked! This is great.

[@MackerelSkyLtd]

!?!?! What is wrong with some people?

[@Adkturn]

One of the most transcendent hymns I've ever heard.

[@Grabyrdy]

Can't think why. Just the piece to bring out the best in Barry and the boys.

[@faithful451]

No idea why, it's great

[@CR-bx6ux]

I feel like I’m in heaven when I listen to this. Hauntingly beautiful.

[@stephenwest3322]

Just come across this and and all the Archives of Sound recordings. You have made my year. I’m feeling emotional and nostalgic . I was a treble 1972-75 and sang in this performance . I’ve performed all over the world with some of the greatest conductors but these years in the choir were/are probably my most musically treasured and special moments. Thanks so much for sharing . Stephen West

[@pamelamccall5653]

One of the most beautiful anthems ever!

[@Adkturn]

The first time I heard this was at a memorial service for my father and other alumni who had died in the previous calendar year, sung by the university choir. Unsurpassed, and convinced me there is a higher power.

[@markbroughton2016]

No accounting for taste, but this expression of the vision of heaven from Revelations is sublime and never fails to move me. Bring it on.

[@ArchivesofSound]

Our apologies to the people who "disliked" this track: we try to include only those tracks that we feel will be appreciated by a discerning public but clearly we won't always succeed. Fortunately, however, many people have "liked" the music, and hopefully yet more will do so in the future.

[@19shea85]

***** The one dislike was just someone who is jealous that they'll never direct or sing in a choir as wonderful as this one! One of the best performances of this piece I've heard. Thanks for posting!

[@ArchivesofSound]

Shea Velloso You do wonder, don't you..? But the most important thing to us is that *you* enjoyed it. Thank you for saying so.

[@forestgreenorgangeekclaire8629]

ArchivesofSound I am sorry if I offended you with all my tearful comments.

[@kerbal29anen]

What's to dislike? This is a beautiful piece and sung with passion, skill and beauty. Guildford Cathedral Choir directed by Barry Rose is never less than excellent, in my opinion.

[@ArchivesofSound]

Kind words, much appreciated.

[@forestgreenorgangeekclaire8629]

Maybe the melody made them (the people who disliked this) sad. It's possible that they are not haters. This was well sung. It's just that *the melody is heartbreaking.* And the musical phrase D-E-D-C-A-G-A really breaks my heart, with the same intensity that Forest Green uplifts me.

[@forestgreenorgangeekclaire8629]

BTW it's not the choir's fault that Bainton decided to compose a tear-jerker melody.

[@andye9006]

Absolutely stunning 🙏

[@henrylambert2285]

..an absolute gem, firstly, of high-quality choral music, secondly, of high-quality music performance intended to convey the message of the COMPOSER to the LISTENER, (rather than augmenting a performers marketing status!!) thirdly, an object lesson in PROPERLY recorded music that recognises that a little hiss is preferable to nil dynamic range!!! WELL DONE TO ALL AND ANY INVOLVED IN THIS UPLOAD.

[@ArchivesofSound]

+henry lambert Your words are much appreciated, especially as they sum up the ethos of Barry Rose's approach to music. We decided not to try to reduce the hiss for fear of losing "presence" in the recording.

[@kmlensch]

Unbelievably beautiful, especially considering that it was recorded live. Unedited. Perfection.

[@simoncarpenter2415]

Absolutely beautiful singing and interpretation of a cathedral 'standard.' A standard of performance that's probably never been bettered before or since.

[@ArchivesofSound]

Or, as Barry himself put it: "Nice performance, I think"...

[@JourneymanAlto]

Classic British understatement :-)

[@rachelalmlie9721]

This is spectacular! Thank you!

[@ArchivesofSound]

+Rachel Almlie Glad you enjoyed it.

[@kennethkelling7110]

I fail to understand how any lover of English choral music could not love this piece. It is a brilliant work that is definitely a fine example of the ecclesiastical music of its era and survives the test of time as well. Brilliantly executed by the Guildford Cathedral Choir.

[@ArchivesofSound]

Thank you, and we would go along with your remarks.

[@forestgreenorgangeekclaire8629]

Kenneth Kelling it's a tear-jerker of a melody. Maybe that's why they dislike it.

[@forestgreenorgangeekclaire8629]

ArchivesofSound ...no offense meant

[@ArchivesofSound]

@@forestgreenorgangeekclaire8629 We never take offence, and yours wasn't an offensive remark. As a matter of fact, we agree.

[@mitchelllee2025]

So typical of the work of Barry Rose and his choristers, this is splendid. It is impossible to overestimate the debt Anglican church music owes to him and his work over the years. This archive is an outstanding resource. What an amazing privilege and opportunity to be able to go back and listen to recordings like this by various choirmasters. Thanks to all who make it possible.

[@Suila2007]

Thanks for sharing all these gems from the past!

[@ArchivesofSound]

You're very welcome. It's the reaction of people like you that makes all the effort worthwhile. We still hope to share yet more!

[@ericalton6851]

Indescribably beautiful!

[@ArchivesofSound]

Glad you enjoyed it. This performance was from Barry's penultimate service at Guildford and might be seen as a fitting culmination of his 13 years of work there.

[@organchoirman9698]

Exquisitly sung, directed, and played. I had the pleasure of singing this at Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix, AZ, today. I also had the honor to accompany Barry Rose as he directed a choir for Evensong. It was a thrilling experience for me and the choir. Thank you for this recording.

[@ArchivesofSound]

You're welcome. Thank you for appreciating it.

[@JourneymanAlto]

Anybody who doesn't like this splendid performance has cloth ears. As well as I have ever heard this anthem performed by anyone, anywhere.

[@ArchivesofSound]

Thank you. A big compliment!

[@JourneymanAlto]

My job as choir Email list manager is to send good examples of our music out to choir members for practice at home . . . Archives of Sound is my "go-to" for any English work. Hopefully the splendid diction will rub off on our members . . . so many American accents are problematic for singing! Just fyi, I started as a 6 year old in the Choir School in our local Episcopal (Anglican) cathedral, both my parents were choir singers and my paternal grandparents sang at the Met. Sang in auditioned and juried choirs all through school and college - sang 28 years in the best Episcopal parish for music in our city, then we went and swam the Tiber. But our choirmaster is a BIG fan of English choral music from both the Renaissance period and the early moderns - so I'm singing just as much English music as I did before, plus of course the joys of Palestrina, Victoria, and Gregorian chant. . .

[@ArchivesofSound]

Not everyone who reads this will realise what a huge compliment it is, but all connected with AoS appreciate those kind words very much.

[@JourneymanAlto]

And thank you so much for what you do! The more we can share this level of artistry with the choral world, the better we will all become.

[@ArchivesofSound]

Interestingly, one of Barry's mantras with reference to other choirs in the diocese was: "We must always encourage".

[@filibertoZZ]

Perfection.

[@ArchivesofSound]

Thank you.

[@hecaob1]

beautiful!...

[@ArchivesofSound]

Thank you.

[@Omnipresence101]

🙏

[@henrylambert2285]

disadvatage: bit of hiss alongside the music. Advantages: Brilliant (in the pre-1980s sense) performance Huge dynamic range between loud and quiet Everything digital sound was supposed to offer without the insane compression applied nowadays... IE this is.as well as being a "time-capsule" perfomance, what hifi should be all about, adding that the compression applied to most youtube sounds still does not manage to ruin this performance! Thumbs up to Barry Rose Thumbs up to whoever uploaded this Thumbs down to Birt/Thatcher in the 1990s for XXXXing up how recording should sound

[@ArchivesofSound]

+henry lambert Well, we agree with what you say, despite the hiss... It's difficult when dealing with very old reel-to-reel tapes and on the whole we try not to "interfere" with them any more than absolutely necessary. That way, they remain (as you put it) a time capsule, which is the whole point of this channel.

[@bryandadson8642]

The cathedral choir at this stage couldn't have been much more than 12 years old or so, given the building wasn't completed til 1961! Even without that fact, this is a fantastic performance...

[@ArchivesofSound]

Thank you! The choir sang its first official service in May 1961 although it was actually formed in September 1960. But the cathedral building wasn't actually completed until about 1967!

[@jamesmurray1577]

New to me - and its composer. I am discovering more than I may thought: I see this composer has a piano concerto. AOS, you are keeping me busy.........Regards.

[@ArchivesofSound]

He also wrote four symphonies and quite a lot of other music, some of which is now available on CD.

[@Stentorphone]

Not only that, but during World War 1 he ended up at the Ruhleben concentration camp with Sir Ernest MacMillan, godfather of Music in Canada. They made the best of the time, presenting Gilbert and Sullivan operettas for the guards!

[@markbroughton2016]

Used this recording as an introit at my father's and then my mother's funeral. No need to say more.

[@ArchivesofSound]

If you mean this very recording, we would see that as a great honour.

[@markbroughton2016]

Yes, indeed. Thank you for posting.

[@benjamin-hughmackay2094]

As I expected. The English choral tradition at its best. Modern writers of drivel take notice.

[@ArchivesofSound]

+Benjamin-Hugh Mackay Yes, indeed!