Few of us are lucky enough to look back on childhood musical memories and answer them with composition of our own, let alone the charmingly consoling work that Englishman John Rutter brings to this recording. His 2002 "Mass of the Children," he writes, comes from his youthful singing on the first recording of the Britten "War Requiem." Looking for "a more joyful context," he has penned even a crashing "Angus Dei" that never stops searching for redemption, adult and children's voices harmonized in a reaching, bracing sonic declaration of shared support. Naxos' CD also includes the 1979 song cycle "Shadows" and the 2004 setting of the Anglican marriage text, "Wedding Canticle."

In his Mass for the Children, John Rutter incorporates a youth choir into the choral mix and assigns it extra-liturgical interludes, most notably Thomas Ken's 'Awake My Soul' in the Kyrie and William Blake's 'Little Lamb' in (where else?) the Agnus Dei. But, clocking in at just under 36 minutes, the Mass (Rutter's first�ever setting of the liturgy) is no Missa Brevis; each of the five sections lasts from 6 to 9 min�utes. Rutter skips the Credo. His Finale is a Dona Nobis Pacem that puts the soloists to work with sacred texts from the 5th and 16th centuries before superimposing 'Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow' from the children atop a choral Agnus Dei. It works very well-the most affecting portion of the Mass by far. Good things lurk elsewhere too, though grumpier souls will have to endure some glaringly bright orchestration (like the showbizzy opening of the Kyrie); a cuddly 'Little Lamb', and a foray or two into the soft-rock idiom to find them. (Speaking of which, the arpeggiated figure that opens the Sanctus might remind you of Chicago's golden oldie, 'Color My World'.) Inventory your spiritual tastes and act accordingly. Composed for baritone and guitar, Shadows is Rutter's first and only song cycle. The more upbeat of the eight songs seem the most assured -Dowlandesque in a couple of cases- though there are things to like in the introspective ones, too. We've come to know Rutter so well chorally that it's odd to hear him as a writer of songs. But a melodist is a melodist, and Rutter is that in spades. The choir is joined by the guitar and flute for the short, gentle, rather innocuous Wedding Canticle inspired by the 128th Psalm . Everything is brilliantly performed and caught in plush, colorful sound. Rutter is listed as both producer and engineer for this project, which makes me wonder if Naxos might consider bringing him in to consult on other releases. Choral sonics here have infinitely more presence than in, say, the Finzi Intimations (Naxos 8.557863) reviewed elsewhere in this issue. How blah those singers sound compared to these. Believe me, a Rutter on that rudder could only have helped.

Children's choirs - and Rutter's music, for that matter - are not everybody's cup of tea. But even the most ardent cynic couldn't fail to be warmed by this. Mass of the Children is satisfyingly melodic and just on the right side of sentimental, and the combination of adult and children's voices makes for an ambitious and stirring piece. Scored for adult choir, orchestra and children's choir, the mass was written towards the end of 2002 and received its first performance in February 2003 in New York's Carnegie Hall. On this new disc from Naxos (produced by Rutter), it is performed by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge and Farnham Youth Choir. The mass is structured to reflect a single day - Rutter's version of 24, if you like, but with less Kiefer Sutherland - and his use of the gorgeous Winchester College hymn Awake My Soul and evening hymn Glory to Thee is inspired. The CD also features Shadaws (1979), John Rutter's only song cycle, and Wedding Canticle (2004), a setting of Psalm 128 written for Tim Brown to mark his 2Sth anniversary as director of music at Clare College. There's always room in my CD collection for Rutter and this disc is a welcome addition

The title of this latest large-scale work from British composer John Rutter may raise a faint alarm in the back of your head, and it should: any combination of the terms "mass" and "children" is liable to refer to something cloying and saccharine. In this case, though, the music is classic Rutter: melodically accessible and maybe just a little bit oversweetened, but well within the bounds of good taste. His mass setting involves both children's and adults' voices, and scatters hymn settings in among the traditional liturgical elements. Very nice.

John Rutter's Mass of the Children was recorded by the composer and his Cambridge Singers shortly after the work's premiere in 2003. That version, for soprano and baritone soloists, children's choir, adult choir, and orchestra, appeared on Collegium Records and was strongly recommended here; for the review, which includes a discussion of the Mass itself, type Q6863 in Search Reviews. The version recorded here by the Clare College Choir (Rutter's former choir) and Timothy Brown (for whom Rutter wrote the Wedding Canticle that concludes the disc) replaces the orchestra with chamber ensemble and organ with no loss of the original's exuberant spirit or essential texture and color. These choirs are every bit as competent and confident as Rutter's own forces, but with a decided edge going to Rutter's more appealing soloists, whose voices are warmer and more technically solid. Hearing this work again, I was struck by little reminders of other composers and works, such as Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (Gloria), Faur�'s Requiem (Sanctus), and even in the baritone/soprano duet in the Kyrie, a bit of (gurk!) Andrew Lloyd Webber. But these are tiny, endearing moments in a grand and often enchanting work that contains some very clever, catchy, and masterfully written sections for adult and children's choir. Rutter's setting of Blake's poem The Lamb (appropriately part of the Agnus Dei) could stand alone as a concert piece. I also love how Rutter works the tune of Tallis' famous "Canon", sung to Thomas Ken's "Glory to thee, my God, this night", into the closing Dona nobis pacem. I found it difficult, however, to warm up to Rutter's song cycle Shadows, for baritone and guitar. It has its moments of artful melodic writing and interesting guitar figures, but it often seems as if the two parts are at odds, not comfortable in each other's company. And Jeremy Huw Williams isn't the best advocate: his wide vibrato often obscures pitch, and his phrasing can be inelegant and doesn't always coincide with the musical line. The Wedding Canticle, for the unusual combination of choir, flute, and guitar, is a gentle, lovely piece that has all the marks of Rutter's most beloved style--flowing, inviting melody and a natural rhythmic feel that ideally captures the sense and structure of the text.

Beginning with the last piece on this CD, we have a brief Wedding Canticle, a graceful, lovely melody sung smoothly by the choir and underpinned by the odd but also gentle combination of flute and guitar. The middle work, Shadows, is a song cycle composed in 1979 and consisting of eight songs based on 16th- and 17th-century poems; the subject matter is sleep, death and dream-states . . . The Mass of the Children, however, which takes up most of the CD, is a beautiful, affecting work. It begins with a lively tune and moves at once into a well-blended "Kyrie"; the "Benedictus" is rich and full, with both children's and adult's choirs joining together. The "Agnus Dei" incorporates William Blake's "The Lamb" into the usual text, with the kids' voices intoning it with charm, and the final "Dona nobis pacem" is warm and peaceful. This is a fine program . . . superb, and the performances are excellent.