What is the worst recorded CD you have?

Will....Your post raises a whole other issue. What is a choral sound? Mr. Shaw always felt a chorus should communicate as one voice.

The hyper detailed recordings popular with a lot of Audiophiles by people like John Elliot Gardner are anything but choral singing. Instead of one voice, Mr Gardner gives us 60+ individual voices singing the same thing at the same time. Mr. Gardner even calls his main group the "English Barogue Soloists"; ie, a large group of individual soloists; not a chorus.

Sugarbrie, you're right, of course. But there is a big difference between coherent choral sound and muddy, smeary recording technique. Listen to recent recordings of the Kings College boys and men to hear the difference. They have a new release (sorry, info not at hand but email me if you want it) of the Handel Coronation Anthems that is absolutely superb from both choral and recording perspectives.

It was my privilege to sing for Mr. Shaw on a number of occasions. Until his last few years he was a marvelous choral pedagogue. At the end, his hearing had gone and he became a petty tyrant--no fun at all.

Lord, grant us the wisdom to know when to quit.

will

Deutsche Grammophone: Hell for me would be to be condemned to sit in front of a first class system and hear nothing but DGG. I would plead to become stone deaf. By the way, I agree with Will, the Telarcs he mentions are a pain...Cheers

Yes Will I agree. I sing currently in Baltimore with one of Mr. Shaw's protégés, Tom Hall. I've also had the pleasure of meeting and singing for Mr. Shaw's main arranger Alice Parker.

For anyone around Baltimore, we are performing in a free remembrance concert at Goucher College on September 11th.