Wandsworth School Boys' Choir

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In the late sixties and early seventies Wandsworth School Boys Choir flourished. (Wandsworth Boys' School was situated in Sutherland Grove in the London borough of Wandsworth.) Their director during this period was Russell Burgess. Their breakthrough came in 1967 when they were chosen to sing Britten's War Requiem. They recorded many other works by Britten amongst which were The Golden Vanity, the first recording of Childrens Crusade and the first recording of Owen Wingrave which was the only television opera written by Britten. In the early seventies they performed the Berlioz Te Deum in St Pauls Cathedral as part of the City of London Festival and their recording with the London Symphony Chorus of  The Berlioz Requiem won The Best Choral Performance Grammy. Two years later in 1974 they won this award for the second time with their recording of 'The Damnation of Faust' Britten himself often conducted the Wandsworth School Boys Choir. Recorded works include St Johns Passion (BMV 245)  sung in english, Bach cantata BMV 151 released on a BBC recording and several songs on a recording entitled 'A Tribute to Percy Grainger' They also appear as supporting choirs in Opera recordings of Turandot (1972) and Tosca (1978) and several others as well as providing background vocals for Pavarotti's album 'O Holy Night' John Rutter wrote some christmas carols for the choir to sing  at the London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in December 1973.  He spoke later about the choir: 'When Icicles Hang' will forever be associated in my mind with the much-missed figure of Russell Burgess, whose Wandsworth School Boys’ Choir was such a colorful and inspiring part of the musical scene in the 1960s and 70s. Russell asked me to write a seasonal but not specifically Christmas work for a December concert given by the choir in London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1973, and, in writing it, I think I unconsciously reflected some of the contradictory facets of Russell’s endearing personality: his rumbustiousness in 'Good ale' and 'Hay, ay', his gentleness in 'Blow, blow, thou winter wind', perhaps also something of his underlying melancholy (so often to be found in great men of action) in 'Winter wakeneth all my care'. We all lamented his untimely passing at the age of only 48, but his work lives on in the gift of singing he gave to so many young people. – John Rutter The choir used older  pupils, 'old boys' and staff for the tenors and basses and ranged in size from the full choir containing more than 200 voices, a 'semi-chorus' choir of 60 voices and a 'Consort' choir of 20 voices.