SPONSORED: Ensemble. A Great Start - Freddie Meyers' new opera A Sketch of Slow Time impresses Alice McVeigh.
All sponsored features >>
English conductor Stephen Layton was born on 23 December 1966 and grew up in Derby, where his father was a church organist. He was an organ scholar at King's College Cambridge, studying with Stephen Cleobury.
In 1993 he became musical director of the Holst Singers. From 1997 until 2006 he was director of music at Temple Church in London. Since 2006 he has been director of music at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 2010 he succeeded Richard Hickox as artistic director and principal conductor of City of London Sinfonia.
Ensemble. Restrained Intensity - Mike Wheeler drops in on the City of London Sinfonia's Fauré Requiem tour
CD Spotlight. Beautifully Apt - Choral music by Herbert Howells, heard by Robert Anderson. '... Howells at his finest.'
CD Spotlight. Awesome Passion - Lukaszewski's 'Via Crucis', enjoyed by Gerald Fenech. '... palpable nobility ...'
CD Spotlight. Joyous and Infective - Poulenc's unaccompanied choral music, heard by Robert Anderson. 'There is much here to savour.'
CD Spotlight. Pure Magic - Michala Petri and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, heard by Howard Smith. 'Don't miss it.'
CD Spotlight. Uncommonly Addictive - Choral music by Eriks Esenvalds, recommmended by Howard Smith. '... exciting music of the utmost graciousness.'
CD Spotlight. Cosmic Distance - Choral music from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, recommended by George Balcombe. '... such clarity ...'
Ensemble. Sing ye to the Lord - Roderic Dunnett was at the 2009 Hereford Three Choirs Festival
CD Spotlight. A Striking Urgency - Schnittke and Ginastera from the Choir of St Ignatius Loyola, reviewed by Howard Smith. 'Not quite what one might expect.'
Record Box. Beautifully Performed - Choral music by Pawel Lukaszewski, recommended by Patric Standford
CD Spotlight. An Interesting Mix - Sacred treasures, enjoyed by Robert Hugill. '... certainly intoxicating.'