I heard this in Westminster Abbey about 20 years ago and was blown away by the harmonic language. I didn't know Leighton at the time, but I've listened to a lot of his music since then.
You've now posted BOTH my favourite Ps&Rs - can't thank you enough. I find it very difficult to chose between the Leighton and Shephard in terms of which Lord's Prayer I like most.
Sorry, but although it says it was live from St John’s, Cambridge, is it actually a recording from Wells Cathedral from before September 8, 2022? Otherwise, the priest should have sung: “O Lord, save the King.”
no, these recordings are indeed live from St John's, Cambridge, courtesy of their "Eastertide Evensong" album released in April 2022 Preces: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8-YAtSyaDUQ.html Responses: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8KkqbdK_n2Q.html
Discords for the sake of discords. I have never heard anything (to my knowledge) by Leighton that I have really liked. If you don't want to sing the glorious Tudor responses of Byrd, Smith, Morley, Tomkins then at least go for Bernard Rose's lovely version.
It seems you have latched onto the dissonance without recognising that it is grounded in carefully conceived counterpoint that admits numerous consonant harmonies, most of them thereby relieving tension and playing a part in the composer's emotional response to the text. For instance, the B major triad concluding the response "and grant us thy salvation" resolves an impassioned plea with a glimpse of brightness and purity, according perhaps with a vision of salvation lying beyond a chaotic temporal world.
