Locus iste, WAB 23
Anton Bruckner
Recording
Painting
David Dalhoff Neal
Interior of St. Mark's, Venice, 1869
The piece
Bruckner wrote Locus iste in August 1869 for the dedication of the Votive Chapel in the new cathedral at Linz, where he had been organist. It sets the Latin gradual for the dedication of a church, "This place was made by God", for unaccompanied four-part choir in C major, in 48 bars with a da capo return.
The recording
Polyphony and Stephen Layton recorded it in Ely Cathedral in January 2007. Gramophone wrote that if there has to be a definitive version on disc "this has to be it", and the album was a Gramophone Editor's Choice.
Other recordings
Matthew Best and the Corydon Singers recorded the Bruckner motets for Hyperion, and Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have also recorded Locus iste.