Repost.  The Rheinberger Kyrie.  To hear/watch the Kyrie, go to 8.55 in the video above.  There are many, many Kyries.  Every Mass setting has a Kyrie and some are better than others.

The Trinity Choir (Choral Scholars) of the University of Cambridge at Oxbridge in the UK performed the Rheinberger Mass in E Flat earlier in 2025.  I had never heard the piece before.

The Trinity Choir, Director Steven Grahl, is the resident Choir of the Trinity Chapel which is part of the established Church of England/Anglican.

I’ve been listening to the Kyrie for Double Chorus of this Mass setting since they performed it.  I’m going to get a bit technical musically which may bore most of you, but if you listen to this Kyrie, it may or may not have the same affect on you as it does for me.  It moves me every time I hear it, in part, because of the level of choral excellence, the highest skill level of these Choral Scholars at Trinity College, as well as the choral writing.  Give this score to another choral ensemble and it likely wouldn’t sound like this, in part, because it would not be these choristers or their level of excellence.

I think it was Grammophone magazine that rated The Trinity Choir the fifth best choral ensemble in the world.  I’m not sure how they came to that conclusion and I don’t know who was first, according to them.  But The Trinity Choir is my favourite Anglican collegiate Choir at Oxbridge.  If you listen closely to this Kyrie — notice that the piece is a cappella or sung without organ accompaniment — I think there is only one place in the piece where the choristers come to a complete break or silence.  In other words, the piece is sung with staggered breathing throughout meaning the sound never stops.  There are many moving lines in the SATB choral writing and the choristers bring those parts out beautifully.  The basses have this deep rumbling sound to them; I’d almost call it what’s known as the Russian bass sound.  At the end, the Choir ends on a hushed “n” of the word eleison.  I can’t imagine the piece being performed any better than they did at Trinity.  They gave an exquisite performance.  Also, only the finest choral ensembles can sing quietly and beautifully.

But I realise the piece may not speak to others the way it does to me.  Maybe it’s just me.  The other parts of the Mass setting are also excellent, but I haven’t paid as much attention to them yet as I have the Kyrie.  To hear/watch the Kyrie, go to 8.55 in the video above.  It was part of the Choral Eucharist or Mass for that day.

I won’t ask why can’t or don’t the fluttering and wobbling with annoying noticeable vibrato — which prevents perfect intonation; one of the foundations of choral excellence — choral ensembles at New England Conservatory, Boston University’s School of Music, Shenandoah Conservatory or the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Festival Chorus sound like this?  Why can’t they?  Why don’t they?  I could list others but they are the ones that come to mind.  Answer:  It has to do with the training and some Choral Directors are simply not doing their job quite frankly.  They know they’ll get paid regardless!  It also has to do with who auditions and their skill level.

When it comes to choral excellence, the size of the ensemble is irrelevant.  Choral excellence applies to a 200-voice Orchestra Chorus just as it applies to an ensemble the size of The Trinity College Choir (30 voices, I think).

Some reviews of The Trinity Choir:

When an expert panel listed the 20 greatest choirs in the world for Gramophone magazine, Trinity College Choir was placed fifth: the only University Choir in the top five.