Choral music suggestions

Find a good book of suggestions, like BBC Music Magazine "Top 1000 CDs Guide". Lots of good suggestions here. Robert Shaw has done some nice stuff, like Brahms Ein Deutsches Requim. RIAS-Kammerchor does good work. Also consider John Ritter's Faure.

As a fellow Atma-Sphere preamp/amp user, I agree with almost all of Rushton's suggestions. I do prefer the Telarc "Carmina" tho'.

Also try "Trav'ling Home" Joel Cohen/Boston Camerata on Erato
"Requiem" (Ockeghem) The Clerkes Group on ASV
"A Land of Pure Delight" (Billings) His Majestie's
Clerkes/Paul Hillier on harmonia mundi
"Ikos" Choir of King's College, Cambridge on EMI
"There Is Sweet Music" Cambridge Singers/Rutter on
Collegium

I envy you hearing these for the first time.

Here is a mixed selection of choral music recordings that I consider among the best in my collection. All are currently available on CD from Amazon...

Allegri, Miserere - Tallis Scholars - Gimell 339
(and any other Tallis Scholars recording you might choose)

Laudate! - Proprius 9100

Martin, Mass for Double Chorus; Pizzetti, Messa di Requiem for chorus - Proprius 9965

Monteverdi, Jefta - Proprius 9033

Rutter, Gloria - Collegium 100

Handel, Messiah (McGegan) - Harmonia Mundi 907050

Poulenc, Gloria (Pretre) - EMI Classics 749851

Orff, Carmina Burana (de Burgos/EMI or Jochum/DGG)

Mysteria: Gregorian Chants, Chanticleer - Elektra/Asylum 99203

Enjoy!

Try one of the several good renditions of Rachmaninoff's "Vespers", beautiful and haunting. My favorite is on Telarc with the Robert Shaw Chorale.

I have a CD on Teldec of Brahms Secular Choruses, "Lieder und Romanzen" 4509-92058-2. The first time I played it my wife was in another other room and she told me it sounded like angels singing. I have numerous recordings on the Teldec label and they are generally very good.

Choral music covers a lot of ground, but one of my favorites was Edward Elgar's "Coronation Ode", originally released on LP by EMI Records. I don't know if it was re-issued on CD, but if so, and you like Elgar's work, it's a superb recording.