THE congregation at a weekend cathedral service will be treated to extracts from a celebrated choir’s new recording.

Durham Cathedral Choir will perform a selection of works from their new compact disc, Missa Dunelmi (Durham Mass) and Other European Choral Works.

Its short additional performance will take place at the end of evensong, at the cathedral, on Sunday (NOV 4).

The CD, produced by Priory Records, includes the first ever recording of renowned composer James MacMillan’s Missa Dunelmi (Durham Mass).

It was given its world premiere at the cathedral by the choir last year.

Missa Dunelmi was specially commissioned by the cathedral, support by the Friends of Durham Cathedral and Durham Cathedral Choir Association, and by Durham University Department of Music and its concert series, MUSICON.

Following conclusion of Sunday evensong, which begins at 3.30pm, the choir will give its brief ‘extra’ performance, at about 4.30pm, prior to a reception to herald completion of the CD in the new shop in the cathedral’s Undercroft, which is being formally opened by Dame Tani-Grey Thompson, on Saturday (NOV 3).

Copies of Missa Dunelmi will be available for sale at the shop. As well as being the first ever recording of Missa Dunelmi, the CD is another landmark, as it is the first in which the choir features girls’ treble voices as the top line.

Previous recordings featured the former male-only choir, but this is the first since the introduction of female voices in recent years.