Track Listing

1. Feel the Spirit: Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
2. Feel the Spirit: Steal Away
3. Feel the Spirit: I Got a Robe
4. Feel the Spirit: Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
5. Feel the Spirit: Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit
6. Feel the Spirit: Deep River
7. Feel the Spirit: When the Saints Go Marching In
8. Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare: Live With Me and Be My Love
9. Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare: When Daffodils Begin to Peer
10. Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare: It Was a Lover and His Lass
11. Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare: Spring
12. Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare: Who Is Silvia
13. Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare: Fie on Sinful Fantasy
14. Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare: Hey, Ho, the Wind and the Rain
15. Heavenly Aeroplane
16. Lord of the Dance
17. Birthday Madrigals: It Was a Lover and His Lass
18. Birthday Madrigals: Draw On, Sweet Night
19. Birthday Madrigals: Come Live With Me
20. Birthday Madrigals: My True Love Hath My Heart
21. Birthday Madrigals: When Daisies Pied
22. Skylark

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38424 in Music
• Released on: 2001-09-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 75 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
John Rutter's Feel the Spirit for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra was premiered in June 2001 in Carnegie Hall, New York. Made up of appealing arrangements of familiar spirituals ("Deep River", "When the Saints" etc) in a range of styles (from big-band and the blues to Caribbean and close harmony) it was conceived as a showcase for Melanie Marshall. Her warm, creamy sound is certainly captivating, while the Cambridge Singers are fresh-voiced, flexible and alert. Of equal interest, though, are the smaller-scale Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare from George Shearing and Rutter's Birthday Madrigals, written by Rutter for Shearing's 75th birthday. Both works feature Shakespearean texts, while Rutter also sets other poets of the same period. Plenty to catch the ear here--try Shearing's wistful "Who is Silvia?" with its naughty take on Schubert, and the delightfully snappy "Fie on sinful fantasy". Rutter's madrigals are just as beguiling, and there in the middle is an example of the kind of introspective number which displays the intriguing other side to his musical personality--a setting of "Draw on Sweet Night" as searching in its own way as John Wilbye's original madrigal. Rutter's direction is exemplary throughout. --Andrew Green

Customer Reviews

OK
The contents of the CD are brilliant and are typical of Rutter's arrangements. The highlight for me is actually Shearing's 'Songs and Sonnets of Shakespeare'. The quality of the recording is somewhat suspect which let the CD down. The choir are perhaps no lively enough for the fast movements in 'Feel the spirit'. 'Lord of the Dance' is a great arrangement and 'The heavenly aeroplane is brilliant although I would have preferred it with just a piano, bass and drums accompniment. Otherwise a valuable addition to any Rutter collection.

good...a peaceful relaxing album
For me, the recording qualitys pretty good and theres a clear open soundstage.

I agree that the George Shearing written Shakespeare melodies are the highlight.

They should have done another take of The Heavenly Aeroplane. The timing between choir/orchestra all goes to pot and becomes cringworthingly bad in my opinion.

The arrangement of the Lord of the Dance is enjoyable though

overall its an enjoyable CD.