Officium

‘Officium’ is one of the iconic albums, a recording that altered musical perceptions and became a huge international best-seller in 1994. It has sold around 1½ million copies, and is now released for the first time on vinyl, exactly 20 years after its original release on CD.

The appearance of this audiophile edition, pressed on 180g vinyl, marks the 30th anniversary of ECM New Series and the 40th anniversary of The Hilliard Ensemble. The vocal quartet and saxophonist Jan Garbarek also recorded two further albums, ‘Mnemosyne’ and ‘Officium novum’ and have given countless concerts around the world over the past two decades.

Before The Hilliard Ensemble disbands at the end of 2014, they make a farewell tour with Jan Garbarek, performing many Officium concerts in Europe and four in Britain, ending in the building where the live project began in 1994: King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. The Hilliard Ensemble also gives three other UK concerts in December, including the Farewell Concert at London’s Wigmore Hall with a repertoire of favourite pieces, some from their new album, ‘Transeamus’.

Personnel: Jan Garbarek (soprano and tenor saxophone), David James (countertenor), Rogers Covey-Crump, John Potter (tenor), Gordon Jones (baritone)