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Holst began writing ‘The Hymn of Jesus’ in 1917, and it was first performed after the end of the First World War in 1920. One of the composer’s most widely performed works, the Hymn followed Holst’s enduringly popular ‘The Planets’, and joined a range of sacred music written by British composers written during the war, including Hubert Parry’s ‘Jerusalem’.

The hymn’s text is taken from the Apocryphal Acts of St John, which Holst translated himself from the original Greek. After a serene opening prelude, the Hymn begins with a dramatic flourish as the double chorus enters, and its following sections are filled with moments of exquisite beauty, drama and exaltation.

Recorded during the Cheltenham Festival in 2004, this performance features Â鶹ԼÅÄ NOW, Â鶹ԼÅÄ NCW and Gloucester Cathedral Choir, under the baton of Richard Hickox.