The one hundred and seventy-third classical recording: #798 Herbert Howells - Hymnus Paradisi
While I was a bit apprehensive about the title, this work is a lot newer than we might expect based on when most of the hymns occur in the book. The work is hymnal, sure, but it feels so much more delicate than most, the smaller choir and more focused music creating a closer connection to the work. It feels more emotional - the sense of loss in the earlier movements, culminating, it feels, in a more jubilant celebration in the Sanctus movement - there's still some solemnity, but there is some celebration in there as well. It feels like there's a journey in here that works well with the themes - both of loss and paradise.