Sounds Orchestral
Symphonies by Schubert and Mendelssohn transcribed for Organ Duet by David Gibbs
Played by Greg Morris and David Gibbs on the organ of Blackburn Cathedral
Cathedral Music
This is a very well recorded disc. The transcription is clear, making the two works sound as though they were conceived for the organ. The orchestral colouring is ever present, using the new solo organ to good effect, as well as the plethora of flutes and other imitative stops to great effect. The playing is of the highest order. just occasionally, such as at the very beginning of the Schubert, the pedals are a bit on the heavy side but always clear. Lance Andrews's series of 'Sounds ...' recordings is a really good thing. Highly recommended.
Stephen Power
The Organ - Number 340
I was more than a little sceptical when I received this disc for review: Schubert's Fifth Symphony and Mendelssohn's Fourth, arranged for organ duet. 1 was hooked by about bar 10 of the first movement. This is simply excellent arranging of orchestral music, brilliantly played. There are times when I cannot work out how Messrs Morris and Gibbs actually do it! Their command of the instrument is stupendous! They really do make the organ sound orchestral and, while some may turn up their noses (or is it their ears?) at such performances, I take my hat off to these two virtuosi for extending the repertoire, the instrument and organ technique.
DB
Organist's Review - May 2007
Two of the very sunniest orchestral symphonies have a different light shed upon them in organ duet format. It is surprising that Schubert's blithe tunefulness never earned a nickname for his 5th symphony, written at the age of nineteen. However, Schubert wrote so little for organ himself -perhaps he did not regard the organ as being able to 'sing' well. Here Messrs Morris and Gibbs (and Blackburn) justify no such qualms. The graceful, retrospectively Haydnesque first movement is taken at a cautious, almost stately pace (possibly wary of echo problems), and although unyielding pedal sub-basses hardly compare with orchestral double basses, the music still shines through. This organ sports many different fortes and delicious flutes, so the ear never tires.
Tucked away in the booklet notes is the merest hint that the Mendelssohn could be what is widely known as the 'Italian' symphony. All, the odd plod of passing pilgrims apart, is sweetness and light (though not quite so light as the Schubert -we get to hear occasional reeds here) and as Mendelssohn was seemingly content with an ophicleide in his orchestras, he could not have taken exception to the Blackburn pedal Serpent 32. However, absence of a suitably romantic horn stop necessitates a thinner cromorne at that magical moment in the central section of the third movement; but there is a thoroughly satisfying faithfulness to the spirit of the orchestral original. The outside movements are compellingly exciting and invigorating, with at least one performer being driven to virtuoso feats towards the end.
Purists often object to the organ being treated as a 'one-man band'. Well, this is a two-man band and therefore at least twice as good. Dare it be said, even more enjoyable than the real thing?
Michael Bell
TopThere is a Spirit
Music from Worcester College, Oxford
Cathedral Music
The Chapel Choir opts for a programme close to its heart, with all the music here written by composers with Worcester College connections. The pieces are unashamedly, modern (none of them was written before 1925) but accessible at the same time. I love the spiky dissonances in the Saxton's The Child of light depicting the shepherds' journey over rough land, and Rubbra's beautiful There is a spirit for soprano solo and choir, Leighton's agonised Kyrie from the Missa brevis and Gant's wistful A good-night. And unlike the college choir of the early 1990s for whom it was conceived, the present Chapel Choir copes well with Sherlaw Johnson's mass. Its meticulously notated lower parts in the Sanctus depicting the ad lib chanting of Eastern churchmen, undoubtedly contributed to that choir deeming the work unsingable back then (it was premièred by Christ Church Cathedral choir instead). It's a shame the choir's boy trebles sing in only a handful of the tracks, but, despite one or two wobbly soloists, the mixed student choir provides 64 minutes of thoroughly enjoyable music.
Martin Wolf
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - October 2006
This elegant recording presents 20th-century music by composers associated with Worcester College, and every selection deserves careful listening. Four composers have held the position of Fellow in Music at the College: Edmund Rubbra (19471968), Kenneth Leighton (19681970), Robert Sherlaw Johnson (19701999), and Robert Saxton (1999-). Stephen Oliver was a student of Leighton and Johnson at Worcester, and Andrew Gant is the current Chapel Music Consultant.
In addition to a fine collection of anthems and motets, the program includes the striking Missa brevis of Leighton. The other Mass setting, Johnson's Missa Aedis Christi, bears the Latin name of Christ Church, Oxford (called The House of Christ when Henry VIII appropriated Cardinal College from Cardinal Wolsey, and now known to regulars there simply as The House). Both settings are challenging, but highly accessible and short enough for service use.
Rubbra is represented by five original compositions, each a gem, and by his setting of the familiar Polish carol Infant holy. In particular, And when the Builders (text from Ezra, chapters 3 and 5) would be perfect for the dedication or re-dedication of a church.
Leighton's extended A Christmas Caroll 17th century text of Robert Herrick) is probably too long for most liturgical services, but it would be welcome on a seasonal choral concert. Saxton sets his own text in The Child of Light, a compelling shepherds-and-magi anthem for trebles, not easy, but a striking and effective work. The two Gant pieces, an Ave verum and A Good-night (another 17"-century text) frame the program splendidly.
We hear two choirs here, one mixed and one boys-and-men, and both are of professional caliber-while consisting of trebles from the Christ Church Cathedral Choir School and undergraduates from Worcester! Conductor Primrose is (or was, at the time of recording) Senior Organ Scholar at the College. Unfortunately, organist Chambers receives no note. Worcester is not, perhaps, one of the Oxford colleges best known for choral music, but they deserve to be heard alongside the finest. Full texts and notes are provided.
Victor Hill Ph.D
Church Music Quarterly
All the music on this fine disc is associated with Worcester College. It contains works by all the composers who have held the post of Fellow in Music since 1947 namely Rubbra, Leighton, Sherlaw Johnson and Saxton. It also features music by the current Chapel Music Consultant, Andrew Gant and a former undergraduate student, Stephen Oliver. The unique thing about Worcester is that is has a mixed choir of undergraduates from the College and a traditional Anglican-style choir with trebles from Christ Church Cathedral School. The ATB line is the same in each choir. On the disc, we get a chance to hear all the combinations (mixed choir, 'Anglican-style' choir trebles, and the combined choirs) and all give musical and effective contributions. A key point about the disc is that the music is mainly 'off the beaten track.' This is by no means a bad thing -in fact it makes the disc much more desirable. The Missa Brevis of Leighton is exceptionally well sung and the mixed choir gives a real performance with notable variation in colour. Other highlights include the many solos, especially the three sopranos, as well as the title track There is a Spirit (Rubbra), a wonderful combination of the text of the Beatitudes and words by James Nayler. Finally, I can't finish the review without praising Tom Primrose, the young Organ Scholar who directs the choirs with considerable aplomb.
Will Dawes
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Choral and Organ music of Patrick Gowers
Cathedral Music
Patrick Gowers has enjoyed a varied career in music as composition lecturer, jazz critic, conductor and composer, especially of film music. This CD concentrates on his church music and presents a selection of his output which displays his versatility and sure touch.
The most substantial work, the Cantata, written for the Southern Cathedrals Festival in 1991, sets, with great sublety texts from the Psalms by Coverdale and Mary Herbert and her brother, Sir Philip Sydney. The scoring is for three choirs, organ and orchestra. Of the shorter choral pieces, the lively Veni, Sancte Spiritus is based on two Rouen melodies and Chester Lullaby and Libera Me are evocative settings of familiar texts. Stephen Farr gives assured performances of the organ solos, especially Toccata and An Occasional Trumpet Voluntary (in which one listens in vain for a solo trumpet!). The conducting is shared between David Hill and Stephen Farr, and David Davies accompanies Guildford Cathedral Choir. Programme and recording are nicely balanced and the ambience of the Guildford acoustic is well captured.
Alan Spedding
Organist's Review - May 2007
Having not come across a lot of Patrick Gowers's music,
this disc was always going to be a revelation. The rousing opening anthem, Veni,
Sancte Spiritus, is based on two French Church melodies from the Rouen
Processional and Rouen Antiphoner. The two melodies are very different in
character, but share the same first six notes, a characteristic that the
composer exploits. It is an exuberant and joyful setting; dance-Eke syncopations
and subtle changes of metre reflect the composer's background in jazz. The
Cathedral choir are in top form with the mixed top line revelling in their
sprightly and jovial writing. It is a pity that this is their only appearance on
the disc.
The Cantata is a longer work, written for one of the Southern Cathedrals
Festivals with a text compiled from metrical psalms. It is accompanied by the
organ and the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra. The prevailing mood is more
meditative and a little darker in outlook, with only the latter part of the
third movement providing glimpses of the lively rhythms seen in the opening
piece on the disc. The last movement is an original chorale, rather in the
manner that Bach ends his cantatas. The Chester Lullaby is a haunting setting of
a text by 16thcentury Chester nuns and the simple setting of the Libera Me works
well as a pastiche Renaissance motet, with its origins in the 1980s adaption of
Sherlock Holmes's The Priory School. The adult voices of the Guildford Camerata
sing with character, though with slightly less energy than the children, but
make light work of the long sustained phrases in the cantata.
Of the organ pieces played by Stephen Farr, I'm afraid I couldn't summon up a lot of enthusiasm for the Adagio, despite the fine performance, but the Toccata and Fugue were altogether different. Eighteen years separate the composition of the two movements; the Toccata commissioned by Simon Preston in 1970, and the Fugue by Adrian Partington in 1988, but the two work well as a pair. The Toccata sizzles along with some rapid passagework and handfuls of notes in between short, broader sections. Farr's impressive technique is more than up to the considerable demands of the piece. The Fugue is a little more academic and, unusually, starts loud and gets gradually quieter before finishing very softly. An Occasional Trumpet Voluntary complements the opening piece on the disc with its relentless, syncopated rhythms, though the title is a little misleading; the trumpet doesn't make an appearance at all! The recording is well balanced, particularly in the cantata where the organ, orchestra and choir vie for the listener's attention.
The disc demonstrates the breadth of Gowers's church and organ output and I found it enlightening throughout. For that reason alone it would be well worth investigating.
Andrew Wilson
International Record Review - March 2007
Patrick Gowers turned 70 last year, and in the course of a varied career has made a considerable reputation for himself not as a composer of music for films but also through his long association with the guitarist John Williams, the latter embracing several concertante works. The present collection displays another side of his art altogether: as a composer for the Anglican church (at least, 1 assume so: such is the flavour, anyway, despite the presence of three Latin settings).
The main focus here is on the austerely named Cantata for choir, organ and strings: this is a half-hour piece for liturgical performance, clearly modelled on the principles of Bach's many similar examples. There are five movements, each setting a metrical or paraphrased version of a different Psalm; only the first is preceded by a long, slow orchestral chorale, which establishes the predominantly sombre mode of the whole. Bach's cantatas, for perhaps obvious reasons, have had surprisingly few modern imitators, and in fact this work was a commission from the Southern Cathedrals Festival, involving three cathedral choirs. 1 have not seen a score so am not quite sure whether the potential 12 separate vocal lines are deployed at any point, though much of the writing, much of the time, involves single intertwining vocal lines which sometimes clash agonizingly: this is not a consolatory piece. It is performed not by Guildford Cathedral Choir but the larger-sized Guildford Camerata, though still recorded in Guildford Cathedral: the resonant acoustic helps the darker, slowmoving incantatory sections, sometimes reminiscent of ancient hymnody, though the faster passages, such as the march and dance in the second movement, are not obscured either: a tribute to the Lammas recording as well as to David Hill's expert direction. Full texts are necessarily supplied (as, irritatingly, they are not, of the other shorter Latin works).
Apart from the Cantata, we hear the Cathedral Choir in three short motets: 1 was particularly taken with Chester Lullaby, which features a lovely mezzo solo over a sweet sounding choral accompaniment: very Classic FM, and surely a winner for Christmas. The disc also contains half an hour of solo organ music, where the main impact is achieved by a substantial Toccata and Fugue: the composer's own self-deprecatory note says they were written many years apart, but the nimble-fingered Stephen Farr plays them as one, relishing in particular the triumphant pedal part and the grand climax of the Toccata, which again sounds splendid in the Cathedral acoustic.
In a nutshell, this is a useful anthology of organ and choral music from a composer who has made his name elsewhere: here is one major work, the Cantata, sombre maybe but which is not only an interesting piece but a potential challenge to any church musician not afraid of new and original repertoire.
Piers Burton-Page
Choir and Organ - 2007
***
Gowers (b. 1936) has a wide background in jazz, electroacoustic music and film music and brings a convincing musical authority to his output. The main work on this disc is the Cantata for triple choir, strings and organ. Commissioned by the Southern Cathedrals Festival, it is based on a metrical version of Psalm 139, unified by a chorale melody. Not afraid to be traditional in style, this is a well crafted work, communicated well by the performers. The other pieces (many for organ) demonstrate an intelligent and enjoyable response to a variety of different commissions.
Alan Bullard
Songs by Michael Head and Friends
Tenor: Richard Rowntree
Piano: David Bednall
MusicWeb
Michael Head belongs to that breed of English composer much loved by singers at Eisteddfodau, featuring perhaps in the odd recital here and there, but who is otherwise largely forgotten. The reason is a mystery; perhaps it is because despite his propensity for putting music to words (over 120 songs) unlike John Ireland with Sea Fever or George Butterworth with his song-cycle A Shropshire Lad, Head never had a hit’ song. In fact, I’d never before come across an album devoted almost entirely to his songs. In that regard, both tenor Richard Rowntree and his accompanist David Bednall are to be commended for their initiative.
The choice of songs on this disc is interesting too. Except for Ships of Arkady (also spelt Arcady) the songs are new to me. I am more accustomed to the likes of Money O!, Sweethearts and Wives and Limehouse Reach which I have sung at singing competitions. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination a Michael Head expert.
That Head creates a certain ambience with his songs is undeniable. This is noticeable in his chromatic settings of Seamus O’Sullivan’s The Piper and Francis Ledwidge’s Nocturne. The former has an accompaniment reminiscent of twinkling and lilting feet skipping to the beat of a piper when all the world went gay, went gay for half an hour in the streets today’ while the latter is a sigh of celestial proportions set over a bed of earthbound chords.
David Bednall himself has inserted a couple of his own compositions in this album including Walter de la Mare’s patriotic England which was not completed until the day it was recorded. His style evokes echoes of other composers especially his Vaughan Williams’- inspired setting of Thomas Hardy’s First sight of her and after. Rowntree’s interpretation of England, incidentally, is one of the best in this album.
Randolph Magri-Overend
MusicWeb
In recent years there have been no major recorded collections of Michael Head’s songs. Lammas now put this right and I hope they will go on to tackle C.W Orr and Margaret Wegener.
Richard Rowntree has a pastel-inflected, fragile, light-toned tenor something in the manner of Ian Partridge though not his equal. This should suit these too rarely encountered poetic blooms by Michael Head. The enunciation is excellent but breath control can be fallible. A slight choke in the voice infrequently betrays the strain these songs put on his voice.
Michael Head was born in Eastbourne on 28 January 1900. His education was interrupted by call-up in 1918. The next year saw Boosey & Hawkes publishing four songs Over the Rim of the Moon. This was also the same year in which he began studying with John Ireland. Ireland was a close associate of Alan Bush. Head married Bush’s sister Nancy who also became his librettist for a series of small-scale opera projects. In 1927 Head became professor of Piano at the RAM, a position he retained until retirement in 1975. He became well known as a broadcaster and performer of his own songs from 1924 onwards often accompanying himself in his own songs. He died in Cape Town from a sudden illness on 24 August 1976.
The pianist David Bednall takes his role with notable artistry and is pliant to Rowntree in the shaping of Head’s gently lyrical songs. These are not all simple melodics. For example there’s darkness in the bell references in Foxgloves to the words of Mary Webb and also in the quiet detonations of the Rossetti setting of Love’s Lament. The latter has an untypical protesting tone that I associate with Havergal Brian’s songs. Green Rain again setting Mary Webb inhabits a world not far distant from the mildew of Warlock’s Along the Stream. Bednall lovingly evokes the subtle raindrop imagery. By contrast there is the glancing and pointed delight of A Piper recently heard by me on Janet Baker’s 1962 English song anthology newly reissued on Regis. A troubadour sweetness is accorded to A Green Cornfield, to Love not me for comely grace and to the masterly When Sweet Ann Sings with its gracefully rounded refrain. These are most lovingly shaped by Rowntree. The warm hymning of the English countryside continues in the slightly Delian England to words by de la Mare. The four songs of Over the Rim of the Moon date as a set from 1919. Good to hear them as a set rather than excerpted. They range from the dreamy silvery tintinnabulation of The Ships of Arcady, the chiming forthright Beloved which puts considerable stress on Rowntree with the melodic line falling across the bar lines to the elusive moody The Rim of the Moon (Nocturne). Many Head songs have a distinctive signature a mix of pastoral warmth, serenade and soft melancholy and you can hear it in full play in Dear Delight and in slight measure in A Slumber Song, You Shall not go a-Maying and in A Summer Idyll where aestival warmth holds sway.
David Bednall’s Thomas Hardy setting rocks and tolls carrying a rising dramatic discharge. This is not that far removed from Head though perhaps more Pierrot-expressionist than anything the older composer wrote. Howells’ King David was also on that Regis Janet Baker disc. This beautiful turmoil-stilling song is given an engaging performance. The disc ends with two Gurney songs: Down by the Salley Gardens and Sleep which are both most sensitively done.
Rob Barnett
Heavenly Harmonies - Three Trebles from Blackburn Cathedral
Daniel Adams, James Holding and Thomas Croxson
Cathedral Music
This is a thoroughly delightful disc, definitely a cut
above the usual standard of such offerings, with not a dove (or, rather, its
wings) anywhere in sight.
What a pleasure to hear such well-trained boys, and how they must have enjoyed
learning and performing this programme of British and continental works from the
17th and 18th centuries. It was recorded in 2002 and 2004, so it is already
something of an historical document.
Of the three singers, James Holding was then at the glorious height of his powers: he takes the lion's share of the work, displaying impressive control and generally excellent intonation, though he struggles a little with Et exultavit from Bach's Magnificat, a cruel test for any soloist. The singing of other two, Daniel Adams and Thomas Croxon, is fresher but a little less polished, though no less enjoyable. Perhaps The sorrows of my heart are enlarged (Boyce, from Turn thee unto me) would have been better than For man walketh in a vain shadow (Greene, from Lord, Let me know mine end), which is too short to stand on its own; but otherwise one is full of admiration for the invention and scholarship evident in the planning of this anthology. Strongly recommended.
Timothy Storey
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - November 2006
I happened to be in York during the editing of this disc and was sincerely moved to hear that, somewhere, boy trebles are still singing great music as well as maintaining their studies and playing sports! The idea of three trebles is not, fortunately, a take-off on "The Three Tenors" and such-in fact, Daniel Adams and James Holding were recorded in 2002, while Thomas Croxson came along serendipitously in 2004. Many of the selections are highly familiar-what voice student has not sung Monteverdi's Maledetto sia l'aspetto? - but there are some relative rarities scattered through this mostly sacred program.
I am especially pleased to hear the Pelham Humfrey setting of John Donne's Hymne "to God the Father". I know that the John Hilton setting (The Hymnal 1982, #140) is the original and "authorized" version, but 1 have believed for decades that Humfrey better captures the crushing and poignant sense of guilt in the first two stanzas, the increased urgency at "I have a sin of fear," then the rising hope at "But swear by thyself," and the triumphant affirmation at "And having done that." Young Holding sings with assurance and feeling, though I prefer a substantially slower tempo and a bit more dramatic sense.
Other relative rarities are a "Panis angelicus" of Marc-Antoine Charpentier, "My misdeeds prevail against me" and "I will magnify thee" by Joseph Corfé an anonymous "Sweet was the song", and "Rejoice in the Lord, 0 Ye Righteous" by James Nares. The two 2002 singers join in duets by Matthew Locke, Maurice Greene, and Richard Deering. Even such standards as Handel's "Where'er You Walk 'and "Where the Bee Sucks" by Thomas Arne come off with cool freshness. All three boys have pure tone, exemplary intonation, and clear diction. Greg Morris provides four early English voluntaries as interludes and plays them quite stylishly. The instrument is a four rank chamber organ by Kenneth Tickell with an ingratiating sound. According to the notes, it has a "transposing key action, enabling the organ to be playable at A = 415, 430, 440, [and] 466 pitches. Now, of course, 415 and 466 differ from 440 by a semitone in each direction, so a sliding keyboard can accomplish that (with some attention to the temperament or tuning being used!), but I have tried in vain to learn how a tracker instrument can slip to A=430.
Victor Hill Phd
Church Music Quarterly - September 2006
Blackburn's trebles should be proud of their disc. The three boys, overall, give a good account of their musical skills. As well as performances of some of the 'classic' Bach and Handel solos there are several tracks by less well-known composers such as Corfe, Anon of Egerton and Nares. In between, Morris plays three delightful interludes on the Tickell chamber organ. Though the programme of entirely seventeenth-and eighteenth century music is an admirable achievement, there might be too much of the same thing on the disc since 20 of the 27 tracks are solo treble accompanied by chamber organ. However, there are beautiful performances of quality and, as Tanner says in the booklet, I 'your talents and gifts are precious. They are to be used for God's glory.'
Will Dawes
God So Loved The World - A Passiontide Sequence
The Chapel Choir of University College, Durham
Recorded in York Minster
Church Music Quarterly - March 2007
***
Recorded in York Minster, this disc features Bairstow's The Lamentation, with the benefit of the glorious acoustic for which it was conceived and the sumptuous organ that Bairstow played from 1913 to 1946. There are plenty of a cappella pieces on this disc, but Oliver Bond's accompaniment makes a splendid contribution to the choir's rendition of Howells's yearning Like as the Hart. Other works include Stainer's God so loved the world; Leighton's Drop, drop, slow tears; Farrant's Call to remembrance; Duruflé's Ubi caritas; Tallis's Salvator mundi Bruckner's Christus factus est., Lotti's Crucifixus,. Brahms's Geisliches Lied; Darke's 0 brother man; and another Bairstow piece, Jesu, grant me this, I pray. Of two works by the Chamberlain of York \Minster Richard Shephard, one is a contrafactum of Pearsall's madrigal Great God of love fitting it to the words Take up thy cross, the Saviour said. It works very well -rather better, in fact, than Pearsall's fitting of his masterpiece Lay a garland to the words Tu es Petrus Among the many fine performances on an altogether enjoyable disc, The Reproaches by John Sanders stand out as particularly gripping and moving. The young voices of the Chapel Choir of University College, Durham are a joy to listen to: expressive, well blended, well tuned and with no breathiness.
Christopher Maxim
MusicWeb
Recorded in York Minster in Summer 2005 (the Director of the Choir being a distinguished former chorister of York Minster) this fine release from the Chapel Choir of University College, Durham follows on from their disc Cantate Domino reviewed last year. The present recording follows a sequence of music for Passiontide, including favourites such as Stainer's God so loved the world, and the more recent Sanders Reproaches, and new recordings (Darke, O Brother Man, Perasall/Shephard Take up the Cross). The recording quality is excellent throughout, and the balance within the voices is always good. The only issue comes with the accompanied works, especially Like as the Hart. In these, the choir occasionally outsings the organ, and the organ reveals occasional moments where synchronisation is a problem. But there is so much good on this disc: for instance I greatly enjoyed Richard Shephard's re-textualisation of Persall's Great God of Love. It would have been good to have dual authorship too on Bairstow/Gibbons Jesu, grant me this, I pray. Overall, this is a fine release and a good, solid choral sound.
Sounds Atmospheric
Organ Music of Herbert Howells played by Christopher Stokes on the organ of Manchester Cathedral
Cathedral Music
Reviewing two recordings of the organ works of Herbert Howells is, as yo might expect, quite heavy going, and I am afraid I cannot really give a definitive verdict as to which one I favour more. Both players have a good understanding of the works they are performing and the high standard of playing reflects this. This having been said, the interpretations of the one work common to both discs, Partita, differ quite considerably. The organ of Dunedin Town Hall sounds good in the space it fills, and the tempi are suited to the size of the building. The Manchester Cathedral organ on the other hand has been recorded too close and therefore, the valid fast tempi, which may be suited to 'live' performance, make the overall sound muddy. Perhaps this is the forfeit for getting the desired general effect. The second Rhapsody on the Dunedin disc doesn't seem to have enough guts, (something that the organ at Manchester has in abundance) to do the climaxes of this piece justice. The Sonata fares better than the Rhapsody and the Intrada is an interesting work, and, as the notes written by Costin say, 'deserves to be heard'. As to the other works on the Manchester disc, these are more successful than Partita (though I do like the solo oboe at the start of the Partita's Interlude). Neither of the instruments has been recorded much in the past, so perhaps that will be enough to entice some readers to have a listen.
Stephen Power
Choir and Organ
Stokes's all-Howells programme includes three Psalm Preludes. Master Tallis's Testament (which HH considered his finest organ work), the Rhapsody in C sharp minor and the gritty and not-often played Partita of 1971, dedicated to Edward Heath when he became Prime Minister. Stokes has the measure of this music and plays with consummate authority. It's not his fault that the Manchester Cathedral acoustic (and organ) are not quite as 'atmospheric' as that of some other cathedrals.
John Kitchen
Organists' Review - November 2006
From the first notes of Set 1, No. 1, 1915, [11, we know that we are in the hands of a first-rate musician -beautifully judged stretching of strong notes and finely executed piston crescendi and diminuendi, inspired colour choices, well judged accelerandi and rallentandi all make for a most satisfying performance. And so it goes throughout the CD. Christopher captures the peace and confidence of Set 1, No. 2, 1916, [21, the drama of the 3rd Rhapsody, 1918, [31, and makes light work of the testing convergent legato chords of Set 2, No.], 19 3 8, [41, together with its inherent registrational difficulties. The moods of Saraband for the Morning of Easter, 1940, [51, Master Tallis's Testament, 1940, [61 and Saraband in modo elegiaco, 1945, [71 are well grasped and in the Partita, 1971, [8-121 it feels that he, and therefore we, are much more involved with the performance. The playing, of course, is very clean and authoritative, and we enjoy Christopher's intimate knowledge of his instrument.
The specification is given at the back of the CD booklet.
So if Howells is your cup of tea, and I acknowledge that his greatest appeal is usually to the church musician, then this CD should definitely be in your collection.
Andrew Fletcher
Church Music Quarterly - September 2006
This CD is an excellent introduction to Howells's organ music, featuring three early works: Psalm Preludes Set 1 Nos. 1 (1915) and 2 (1916), and the Rhapsody No. 3 in C sharp minor (1918); four middle period works: Psalm Prelude Set 2, No. 1 (1938), Saraband for the morning of Easter, Master Tallis's Testament, and Saraband in modo elegiaco; and the relatively late fivemovement Partita (1971). Composed as a gift to Edward Heath when he became Prime Minister, the Partita is still discernibly by Howells, but its dissonance is, in places, rather closer to that found in the organ music of Leighton than to the harmonic language of the other pieces on the disc. Christopher Stokes's performances not only communicate the deep emotion of the music, but also display an understanding of its architecture. A strong sense of rhythm ensures that, while the music often ruminates, it does not ramble. The rich sonorities of the (essentially Harrison) organ of Manchester Cathedral are ideal for Howells; Christopher Stokes blends the stops and handles registration changes with aplomb.
This disc leaves me regretting two things: first that Howells did not produce much more organ music like the Partita, and secondly that this disc is not titled 'The Complete Organ Music of Herbert Howells, Volume One'. I hope that we shall hear more of Christopher Stokes's dynamic and expressive playing of Howells on CD.
Christopher Maxim
MusicWeb
The music of Herbert Howells remains justifiably popular in Great Britain, and is becoming increasingly known outside the UK. He is perhaps best known for his choral music. It is easy to understand why, as anyone who has heard ‘Take him earth for Cherishing’ or the St Paul’s or Gloucester Service Evening Canticles will testify. Howells’ organ music has also found a firm place in the repertoires of British organists. Howells himself was only briefly a Cathedral organist, at Salisbury, and he assisted at St John’s Cambridge during the war. His use of the organ is, in the first instance, orchestrally inspired, just as the organs were which Howells knew. The organ of Manchester Cathedral, heard on the present recording, is then, in one sense, rather appropriate, containing as it does 73-note chests throughout, so that the octave-couplers work all the way to c61. This idiosyncrasy was introduced in the 1950s when the organ was substantially rebuilt by Harrisons to the specification of the then organist Norman Cocker, yes he of Tuba Tune fame. Cocker especially enjoyed playing orchestral transcriptions.
At no fewer than 89 stops, the organ isn’t lacking in colour, its huge variety of enclosed 8’ stops especially necessary in this repertoire. What is lacking is acoustic. Some more bloom in the sound would undoubtedly aid the warm, though sometimes dark and broodingly chromatic music. I wondered occasionally if Christopher Stokes could have used more überlegato to mask the lack of aural decay, though this is being really picky. It must be said that Stokes’s programme is essentially divided into two parts, so different is the late Partita, written for Sir Edward Heath. This gritty work receives as committed a performance as could be wished for. Stokes’s playing in general is excellent; sensitive to the detailed nuances of Howells’ notated phrasing and using ‘his’ organ to maximum effect. The Rhapsody No. 3 is given an especially gripping reading. A former Professor of Organ at Trinity College, and organist of St Martin in the Fields in London, Stokes combines his duties at Manchester Cathedral with a teaching post at Chetham’s.
A very recommendable taster of some of Howells’s best organ compositions, all of which receive excellent performances.
Chris Bragg
The Organ
I have reviewed recordings by Christopher Stokes before. I continue to be most impressed by him, and warmly welcome this recording of some of Howelis' best known organ music. Stokes and the Manchester organ are hand in glove. Stokes has chosen music from the composer's early (1915-1918), middle (1938-1945) and late (1971) periods, the last being represented by the Partita, written as a promise to Edward Heath if he became Prime Minister. The first period is represented by two Psalm Preludes and the Rhapsody no 3 in C sharp minor,. and the second by the Saraband for the Morning of Easter, Master Tallis's Testament and the Saraband 'In modo elegiaco' What can I say? Sumptuous music from the Anglican cathedral organ loft tradition sumptuously played on a classic organ. Very highly recommended!
DB
Regina Caeli
The Chapel Choir of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Choir and Organ - March/April 2007
****
This recording, consisting mainly of Marian texts, features young composer Andrew March, whose music appears on seven of the 18 tracks. March is an interesting new voice in sacred music. Programmed alongside the works of Harris, O'Regan, Bruckner, Britten, Grieg, Eccard, Stravinsky, Gesualdo and Górecki his music does not sit uncomfortably in this company. March has the ability to create an atmosphere that transcends the ordinary. The Chapel Choir of Corpus Christi sings with heartfelt commitment but would benefit from having more resonance on the bass line.
Shirley Ratcliffe
Cathedral Music
This is certainly an eclectic selection of music, ranging from Gesualdo's devasting 0 vos omnes to Gorecki's now-familiar Totus tuus with some Grieg, Britten and Harris thrown in for good measure. But the central focus of this disc is the work of Andrew March (b. 1973), who has written several works specifically for this choir. The choir cope well with his approachable Yet interesting harmonic language, particularly in the simple beauty of Be still and know that I am God. Throughout the disc there are some slight fluctuations of intonation and uneven balance where one hears individual voices rather than a truly, blended sound, but diction is for the most part good and the sound is vibrant and youthful The programme is entirely a cappella (apart from Stephen Cleobury's arrangement of the carol Joys Seven) and the two young organ scholars clearly know how to coax the best out of their singers.
Julian Thomas
MusicWeb
2005 marked the end of Daniel Soper’s period as Organ Scholar of Corpus Christi College and de facto director of the College Chapel Choir. To mark this occasion Lammas has issued this disc of sacred music loosely themed around works dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The programme carefully mixes the known and lesser known in a rather effective way.
The choir sings William Harris’s perennial favourite Faire is the Heaven but also include the lesser-known Bring us, O Lord God. This is a setting of John Donne. Like Faire is the Heaven it is for double choir and set in D flat. Bruckner’s Ave Maria comes over impressively despite the relatively small size of the choir, which numbers just 24, though I would have liked more refulgence of tone from the women.
A lighter note is struck by Stephen Cleobury’s arrangement of the traditional song Joys Seven. In Britten’s astonishing A Hymn to the Virgin, written when he was just 17, the choir displays a lovely blend. Grieg’s Ave Maris Stella is a charming miniature with much melodic charm.
Eccard’s Presentation of Christ in the Temple is another perennial favourite, though I could have wished that they sang it in the original German rather than in Troutbeck’s Victorian English. Stravinsky’s Ave Maria is simple and effective, rather different from his characteristic orchestral music.
I’m afraid that I felt that the choir rather bit off more than they could chew in Gesualdo’s motet O Vos Omnes. They sing the music with a good broad sweep but the heavily chromatic modulations sound uncomfortable.
It would be easy for the reviewer to simply pick holes in the performances. There are moments of unsupported tone, occasions when the tuning is not all it could be and the upper voices tend toward hardness of tone when under pressure. But that is to discount the passion and commitment which the young singers bring to this music; everything is sung with vivid intensity. And achieving the recording is a striking achievement given that the singers are all students and must fit in three services per week on top of their studies. Daniel Soper’s achievement with the choir seems to have borne fruit as from 2005 Corpus Christi have had a permanent musical director. The conducting honours on the disc are shared between Daniel Soper and Rebecca Drake, the College’s other organ scholar.
The programme as described so far would be impressive enough, but the choir has included a striking group of contemporary pieces. Tarik O’Regan’s Sub tuum praesidium was commissioned by Corpus Christi College for a reunion of former Choral and Organ scholars. It is a haunting piece that mixes plainchant-like melodies with quiet note clusters.
But if the disc is intended as a showpiece for Soper and his Corpus Christi choir, it is also something of a showpiece for the work of composer Andrew March as the choir sing seven of March’s motets. March is a former winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society composition prize and studied at the Royal College of Music. He was written a number of motets specifically for the Corpus Christi College choir. Phos Hilaron sets an ancient Christian hymn to striking and spiky effect. March’s harmonic language is often challenging but always within the context of music suitable for a college choir. Soper and his group perform the piece well, but it was obviously a challenge for them.
March’s Nunc Dimittis was dedicated to Corpus Christi College and was inspired by hearing the choir singing in Salisbury Cathedral. The piece uses rich homophonic chords to great effect though the performance suffers from some hardness of tone. The Magnificat is not strictly a companion piece and musically it is a contrast, using a spiky melodic idea with wide leaps in intervals. Be Still and Know sets an adaptation of words from Psalm 46. The piece is rather affecting, starting from and returning to quiet contemplation with more developed music in the central section.
March’s setting of the Regina Coeli text - called Marian Antiphon No. 3 - has moments of great power but is a remarkably contemplative setting of the text, with some lovely still moments. March’s Spiritus uses overlapping dissonant phrases in a spare manner, utilising the building’s acoustic to maximum effect. This group of pieces by March is completed with a setting of texts from Revelation.
I am not sure that either March or the choir was well served by including so many of March’s pieces on the disc. March’s music, striking though it is, is taxing to sing and perhaps the choir should have considered trimming the programme slightly. March’s music sounds as if it is wonderfully useful in the context of the daily life of a chapel choir, but gathering seven such pieces does not quite do justice to the breadth of his talent; some of the motets fail to rise much above the level of gebrauchsmusik.
The disc concludes with a fine performance of Gorecki’s Totus Tuus. The choir is at its best in the more familiar pieces. Though the disc could not be considered as a library choice, there is much to consider. If you think of it more as a live snapshot, then the young singers bring a freshness and vitality to the music which enables us to enjoy the fruits of Daniel Soper’s three productive years with the college choir.
Robert Hugill
Sounds Awesome
Robert Crowley plays music by Alan Ridout, Humphrey Clucas, Peter Wishart and Humphrey Searle on the organ of Canterbury Cathedral
Cathedral Music
Robert Crowley continues his advocacy of 20th and 21st century British organ music in this disc. Alan Ridout's Seven Last Words is preceded by a number of his smaller works (notably ajoyful Paean). The Seven Last Words are bold and atmospheric with hints of Messiaen in the writing and, as Crowley writes in the notes, Ridout's response to the text is "deeply felt and imaginative." The softer colours in 'Verily I say unto thee' and the pedal-only movement 'It is finished' are particularly effective. Humphrey Clucas's Psalm Prelude and larger-scale Symphony for Organ (written for Crowley in 2004) with its B-A-C-H references and Passion chorale variations are given convincing performances. The disc is completed with Humphrey Searle's Cyprus Dances and Peter Wishart's jaunty Pastorale and Fughetta. The Canterbury organ sounds well in Crowley's hands, though it occasionally lacks the raw passion that the music requires.
Julian Thomas
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - December 2006
This fine program is devoted to music by 20th-century British composers, primarily that of Alan Ridout and Humphrey Clucas (see also my appreciative review of Crowley playing Clucas at St Albans Cathedral in the September 2003 issue of this Journal).
The principal work of Ridout is "The Seven Last Words", a stunning work that has been recorded by Allan Wicks, now out-of-print. This elegant suite captures the sense of each of the seven sentences and, despite considerable technical difficulties, never strays into being a display piece. "It Is Finished" is scored entirely for the pedals and, while I imagine Christ's great "Tetelestai!" as a triumphant cry, this treatment still conveys a powerful impression. The recording would be ideal for private or small group meditations during Passiontide, each "word" being between two and four-and-a-half minutes in duration. Four shorter but enjoyable pieces of Ridout begin the program; the Epithalamium would be a wise choice for something "different" at a wedding.
The major work of Clucas here is the Symphony for Organ, written for Crowley. The first movement is in sonata-allegro form, as is the Scherzo which follows it and which, like so many works for organ, incorporates the B-A-C-H motive. The work concludes with a set of variations on the Passion Chorale, culminating in a triumphant combination of the chorale, B-A-C-H, and other themes of the Symphony. The other Clucas work is the short prelude on Psalm 22:16. A delightful Pastorale and Fughetta by Peter Wishart and the Cyprus Dances of Humphrey Searle complete the program.
Crowley's technique and rhythmic energy are in evidence throughout, but one never loses the train of his sheer musicality. Lance Andrews, as always, is a master recording engineer. Helpful program notes, a brief biography of Crowley, a stoplist, and credits are provided.
Victor Hill PhD
International Record Review
'Sounds Awesome' is the title of a recital of modern British organ music played by Robert Crowley on the organ of Canterbury Cathedral. The composers represented are Alan Ridout (with five works), Humphrey Clucas (who has two in this collection), Peter Wishart and Humphrey Searle. Searle's Cyprus Dances, Op.76, commissioned by this organist, was written in Limassol in l981, not long before the composer's death. It is an impressive piece, very well imagined for the instrument (how few contemporary composers have mastered the inherent nature of the organ!) and certainly deserves recording. Wishart's Pastorale and Fughetta is less distinguished (certainly in the short Fughetta, which tends to get somewhat lost towards the end); the two works by Clucas are more inherently individual and genuinely musical. The brief Psalm Prelude (on a verse from Psalm 22) seems to be a good introduction to Clucas's style, at least to judge by the extended Symphony for Organ which follows. I am not certain that this work is intrinsically symphonic as such; it is undoubtedly a serious composition, very cleverly laid out (the three movements are a large-scale Allegro followed by a Scherzo and a set of Variations, including what one might term a passacaglietta), yet there seems too little variety of mood within the work to be completely convincing, although repeated hearings may cause me to view this aspect more positively. There is no doubt in my mind that Clucas (born in 1941) is a genuine creative figure -as the symphony's finale moves to its powerful conclusion various familiar elements are combined in an impressive tapestry. The music by Ridout varies from quite short pieces to The Seven Last Words - naturally, a more important and much larger piece. All of this music is eminently worthwhile and is exceptionally well played. The recording, in this rather fierce acoustic, is outstandingly good. This excellent CD is well worth acquiring.
Robert Matthew-Walker
The Organ - Number 336
One of the aims of this disc is to bring the music of these contemporary or near-contemporary composers to a wider audience. Wishart and Searle wrote little for the organ, but the former's Pastorale and Fughetta and the latter's Cyprus Dances certainly deserve a place in the repertoire. The main focus of the disc is on Ridout's work, previously recorded by Allan Wicks on the Canterbury instrument in an earlier incarnation. The centrepiece, of course, is The Seven Last Words given a stunning performance here by Crowley. The Mander/Willis sounds stupendous too. But mention should also be made of the other Ridout pieces -Reredos, Paean, Prelude on St Thomas'Honour We and Epithalamium which together make up a significant addition to the modern organ canon. Clucas's recent Symphony for Organ, which I also found most appealing -especially when it came to the variations of the last movement -and his Psalm Prelude balance the disc. Clucas is less dissonant than Ridout, but none the less distinctive in his musical style. I recommend this disc as a means of getting to know exciting modern repertoire for the organ.
DB
MusicWeb
Robert Crowley and Lammas have already served Alan Ridout’s organ music well. After Sounds of Alan Ridout and Sounds Contemporary, both reviewed here some time ago, here comes another release in which Ridout’s organ music has the lion’s share. Ridout wrote for organ regularly and consistently throughout his composing life. The somewhat enigmatically titled Reredos, Ridout’s first acknowledged organ work, was written in the mid-1950s when he was music teacher at Holmewood House, Tonbridge. The music begins quietly and slowly before gaining momentum in the central Allegro section. It already displays several Ridout hallmarks: dissonant harmonies reminiscent of Messiaen and Kenneth Leighton. Paean of 1963 is a short brilliant Toccata all over in two minutes’ time. An ideal encore to any organ recital.
Ridout had a long association with Canterbury and its cathedral’s organist Allan Wicks who regularly played his organ works, some of which he committed to disc during the LP era. Some of Ridout’s great organ works such as The Fourteen Stations of the Cross (1978), Three Pictures of Graham Sutherland (1967) and The Seven Last Words (1965) were written for Wicks; and so was the beautiful Prelude on St Thomas Honour We based on a 14th century carol. The Seven Last Words is one of Ridout’s organ masterpieces, and one in which he explores a wide range of moods and textures, by turns harsh and dissonant, forceful and appeased, violent and meditative. Each of the seven sections is neatly characterised, without ever being programmatic or descriptive. No. 1 Father, forgive them lays more emphasis on the cruelty of crucifixion than on forgiveness. No. 2 Woman, behold thy son is calm and tender. No. 3 My God, why hast thou forsaken me? is another angular, brutal movement that stands in complete contrast to the preceding section and the one that follows (No. 4 Verily I say unto thee : Today shalt thou be with me in paradise), another quiet meditation. No. 5 I thirst is a fast, energetic movement. No. 6 It is finished is played on the pedals throughout and must be awfully tricky from the technical standpoint. The concluding section Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit provides an assertive and majestic apotheosis to what is a really great piece of organ music.
The short Epithalamium, composed in 1967 for the marriage of Reverend David Marriott at Guildford Cathedral, is a short, calm but lively piece of great refinement.
Humphrey Clucas’ music, too, has been well served by Crowley and Lammas (in Sounds of Humphrey Clucas and in Sounds Contemporary). Crowley chose two fairly recent works composed in 2004: the short straightforward Psalm Prelude and the rather more ambitious Symphony for Organ composed for him and first performed by him in Westminster Cathedral. The Symphony is in three movements: a weighty Allegro in sonata form. Incidentally, one of the two subjects reminded me of the theme of Mars in Holst’s Planets, but none the worse for that. There follows a nimble Scherzo into which the composer manages to weave the BACH motive. The third movement is a short set of variations, including a short Passacaglia. The conclusion is a summing-up of the main themes heard in the previous movements. Clucas’s organ music is on the whole more traditional than Ridout’s, but is nevertheless quite deftly done and superbly crafted. His Symphony for Organ clearly deserves wider exposure.
This generously filled and most desirable release includes two rarities by British composers not readily associated with the organ: Peter Wishart and Humphrey Searle. Peter Wishart’s music is still shamefully neglected, so that there is all too little of it available in commercial recordings. I can only think of his String Quartet No.3 in A Op.22 on Tremula TREM 102-2 and some songs and piano pieces on BMS 409 (cassette only). His delightful Pastorale and Fughetta Op.38 is a quite engaging miniature of great charm. Humphrey Searle’s Cyprus Dances Op.76, one of his last completed works, is another most welcome, unpretentious but colourful addition to the repertoire.
Robert Crowley plays superbly throughout and is evidently in empathy with the music. The recording is very fine indeed. I hope that he may be persuaded to record more of Ridout’s organ music - the Resurrection Dances and the Sinfonia, amongst others - and to continue exploring the neglected byways of British organ music. In short, this is a very fine release that should appeal to all those who enjoy the organ music of Leighton, Mathias and Messiaen.
Hubert Culot
Stabat Mater - Pergolesi
St Albans Abbey Girls Choir, Emma Kirkby, Catherine Denley, London Baroque
Cathedral Music
Pergolesi composed Stabat Mater on his deathbed, and what a wonderful work it is, well sung on both these discs. You should certainly buy one or the other, and of course the Naxos version, which contains also Pergolesi's setting of Salve Regina for solo soprano, comes at a bargain price (about £5.99) and is only about seven minutes shorter than its rival. The Lammas recording allots some of the movements in Stabat Mater to the St Albans girls, who also contribute motets by Charpentier, Dering, Lallouette Monteverdi and Verrijt, and are joined by Emma Kirkby for Hildegard of Bingen and by both soloists for more Monteverdi. How privileged they are to sing such music in such company, and how well they sing it! For your reviewer, they tip the balance in favour of the Lammas version, it being a pretty equal contest otherwise as he gives his vote to Emma Kirkby and Michael Chance who are unfortunately not on the same disc. Perhaps the only solution is to be extravagant and buy both.
Timothy Storey
Church Music Quarterly - March 2007
***
Emma Kirkby's name is sure to catch the eye of many readers. It was a shrewd move to enlist her services and, while her voice has inevitably matured over the years, it retains the essential Kirkby sound. This is, nevertheless, very much a choral disc, rather than merely a platform for the soloists. The programme opens with 0 Euchari by Hildegard of Bingen, sung by soloist and chorus. Pergolesi's Stabat Mater follows, performed not as one might expect by the two adult soloists, but by the chorus of girls for some movements, and the ladies (variously solos and ducts) for others. This format works well, not least because the girls are so good. Indeed, one might almost wish the entire work had been performed by ' v them, had practical considerations allowed. The accompaniment provided by London Baroque is admirable, capturing the moods of Pergolesi's writing from the desolate to the lambent. The remaining items are also accompanied and are by Lallouette (1651-1728), Charpentier (1636-1704), Richard Dering (c.1580-1630), Jan Baptist Verrijt (c.161o-5o) and Monteverdi. One of the pieces by Monteverdi is a setting of the hymn for the Nativity of St John the Baptist Ut queant laxis and the disc ends with the same composer's splendid Confitebor Terzo alla Francese for soprano, alto and chorus. On this disc, the Girls' Choir of St Albans Abbey demonstrate themselves to be not only among the finest cathedral girls' choirs in Great Britain, but worthy of ranking alongside the best boys' choirs.
Christopher Maxim
Choir and Organ - 2007
*****
The Lammas disc opens with Hildegard's 0 Euchari, a perfect introduction to the Pergolesi, which is accompanied by the beguiling sounds of London Baroque. This performance, five minutes quicker than the above, is flowing but never hurried. The girls sing on five of the tracks, the remainder of the work falling to the mature, vibrant tones of Emma Kirkby that now give her voice added depth, and the rich sounds of Catherine Denley. It's a stunning performance that has the girls delivering the ornamentation like true professionals. I found it very moving and it really shouldn't have been followed by anything else -unfortunately there are seven tracks left. One problem is the positioning of the main work. For me there is just too much music, however beautifully sung by this talented choir. Both performances are highly recommended.
Shirley Ratcliffe
MusicWeb - April 2006
This new release from the independent Lammas label contains nine sacred works from Renaissance and Baroque composers. It features Pergolesi’s magnificent ‘Stabat Mater’ for soprano, alto and chorus. The St. Albans Abbey Girls Choir are celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2006. It is good to hear them on this disc.
The St Albans Abbey Girls Choir was formed back in 1996 by a group of twenty-five girls aged between seven and fifteen. A significant development in the progress of the choir came in 2001 with the appointment of Simon Johnson as Assistant Master of Music and Director of the Abbey Girls Choir at St Albans Cathedral. The year 2006 marks the Choir’s tenth anniversary and this recording is a celebration of their achievements and continued development. The St Albans Abbey Girls Choir have already released two acclaimed recordings, Awake my Soul and Lo, the full, final sacrifice; both for the Lammas label. This recording came about following a sell-out concert in May 2004 featuring the same performers and much of the same repertoire.
One is immediately struck by the spirited and impassioned singing of the St Albans Abbey Girls Choir which contains that special ability to emotionally inspire the listener. They convey an abundance of confidence and provide impressive colour in their interpretations which easily overrides any episodes of patchy tuning and difficulties of security of ensemble in the lower passages.
For two generations the uniquely beautiful voice, incisive intelligence and brilliant musicianship of Emma Kirkby has delighted audiences both in concert performance and on record. The years have affected Kirkby’s vocal flexibility and consequently reduced her ability to thrill but her standards remain high. It remains a pleasure to hear her voice and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance in the Cujus animam gementem and Vidit suum dulcem natum of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater. Sadly, I was disappointed with the voice of Catherine Denley whose contralto was uncomfortably unsteady, especially in her lower registers and generally lacking in smoothness and focus.
Formed in 1978 the London Baroque ensemble, together with Terence Charlston on the Vincent Woodstock organ, provide impeccable playing throughout. Simon Johnson brings enormous conviction to his expert direction.
The Lammas booklet notes are of a high standard with full Latin texts and English translations. Recorded at the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, in St. Albans, there is no problem with the sound provided from the Lammas engineers.
Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater is a most frequently recorded sacred work with dozens of recordings currently available in the catalogues. Consequently, any recommended recording must be of the highest possible quality.
Michael Cookson
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - January 2006
In the fall of 2002, I visited St. Albans and was greatly impressed by the young choristers. Since there is no choir school, these folks come from around the city and must be dedicated to their singing. The Girls Choir is celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, and they form a most impressive ensemble, especially for one so new. In the May/June 2003 issue, I reviewed enthusiastically the recording Lo, the full final Sacrifice (Finzi), which also contains the Britten Ceremony of Carols and some shorter works. This new disc displays the same superior choral sound and interpretation.
I have heard the Pergolesi performed just by two soloists, but the use here of soloists and chorus in different movements provides good variety of sound. The eminent Emma Kirkby and Catherine Denley sing eloquently.
The program opens with the motet 0 Euchari (Kirkby and chorus) by Hildegard of Bingen, addressed to the third-century missionary St. Eucharius, who became Bishop of Trier. Following the Pergolesi are seven motets by Lallouette, M.-A. Charpentier, Dering, and Monteverdi, with the soloists joining the choir in the sumptuous Confitebor Terzo alla Francese of Monteverdi.
All of the performers understand the idiom and its requirements; performance practice is scrupulous. The recording, made at the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Alban, has superb sound and balance. Full texts, brief notes, and biographies are provided. Again, I recommend this disc most highly.
Victor Hill, Ph.D.
Sounds Baroque
Terence Charlston plays the IOFS organ in St Saviour’s Church, St Albans
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - April 2006
IOFS stands for the International Organ Festival Society; its organ was built by Peter Collins, who dedicated it as "A homage to Andreas Silbermann." The 11/27 specification reflects the work of Andreas Silbermann and of the French branch of the Silbermann family. Tuning is at A=440 in a temperament after Vallotti. For a handy reference, full registrations used are listed along with extensive notes.
The performances here are of the highest quality, but the primary interest is in the sound of the organ since almost all of the selections are standard works; exceptions are the opening Toccata secunda of Georg Muffat and Kirnberger's intriguing Musical Circle. The latter is an excursion through all 12 minor keys (and many major keys) in one movement, a means of checking tuning and temperament.
Other selections heard are the Purcell Voluntary in G major, the Kyries and Benedictus of the Couperin Parish Mass, four works of J. S. Bach (including the "Dorian " Toccata and Fugue), Böhm Prelude and Fugue in C major (a delicious piece!), Sonata in A minor of C.P.E. Bach, and two Stanley Voluntaries. The playing is as idiomatic as the instrument,and the sound is crystalline. Highly recommended.
Victor Hill, Ph.D.
Church Music Quarterly - March 2006
The instrument used for this recording was built in 1989 for the International Organ Festival Society (IOFS) by Peter Collins. Its design was inspired by the organs of Andreas Silbermann and the French branch of the Silbermann family. It has two manuals often stops each and a pedal department of six stops, and its gentle tones caress the ear and are as far removed from the chiffy and shrill sounds of certain 'neo-Baroque' organs of the 1960s and 1970s as they could be. The organ is versatile, too. Terence Charleston convincingly performs music by German, French and English composers: Muffat, Purcell, Couperin, Bach, Kirnberger, Böhm C P E Bach, and Stanley are all represented -and the music of other periods (Mendelssohn, Hindemith, Leighton) would be sure to sound good on this organ, too. Terence Charlston brings the music to life with playing that is strongly rhythmic, but not inflexibly so. His articulation is clean and musical, and his ornamentation is appropriate and never fussy, as exemplified by a moving rendition of the Benedictus from Couperin's Messe pour les Paroisses. Thanks to his sensitivity, musical commitment to the pieces, and evident enjoyment of playing the music by every one of the composers on the disc, Charlston persuades the listener that the organ music of lesser Baroque composers can be no less worthy of our attention than the masterpieces of J S Bach and Couperin. No small achievement!
Christopher Maxim
The Organ - Number 335
International Organ Festival Society's organ in St Saviour's is a deliberate copy of the work of Andreas Silbermann by Peter Collins. As such, it is much used and well renowned for baroque music. This is evident from the present recording. Charlston gives us a repertoire combining the music of J.S. Bach (the Dorian - where the balance was excellent -and some chorale preludes), Couperin, Stanley and Purcell, with lesser contemporaries such as Muffat, Boehm, Kirnberger and C.P.E. Bach. The organ proves itself to be very versatile, though not unexpectedly so, given the Franco-German influences of the builder to whom Collins is paying homage. There is no style or registrational requirement that the organ cannot accommodate, it seems. I particularly enjoyed the Couperin and the way in which the reeds fell into line. Even the English pieces worked well. The Tierce en tailed in the Bach prelude was a wonderful sound. Kirnberger's Musical circle was new to me -best summed up as a cornet voluntary using just about every key on a well-tempered clavier! I found Charlston's playing rather dry and academic, but there is much on the disc that I did enjoy in terms of registration and repertoire.
DB
Cathedral Music
Terence Charlston presents a fascinating cross-section of Baroque organ music ranging from well-known it works by JS Bach (Dorian Toccata and Fugue) and two Stanley voluntaries, to less familiar pieces by Georg Böhm, CPE Bach and Georg Muffat. The two-manual organ (after the style of Andreas Silbermann) copes well with the varied musical styles of the period and the recorded sound is clean and well-focussed. I found the softer combinations of sounds particularly pleasing, for instance in the Couperin Benedictus from the Messe pour les Pariosses. Organ aficionados will be interested to see the list of registrations used for each piece; and Kirnberger's Musical Circle (an intriguing exploration of all the minor keys) demonstrates the temperament of the IOFS organ to good effect. Right from the opening moment, it is clear that this is stylish playing from a real expert of this period.
Julian Thomas
Sounds Spontaneous
Improvisations Through the Church’s Year by Malcolm Archer and David Bednall at the organ of Blackburn Cathedral
Church Music Quarterly - March 2006
Extending from Advent to the feast of Christ the King and embracing each of the major seasons and feasts of the Church's year, this disc draws together improvisations inspired, not just by the occasions themselves, but (in all but two cases) by well known melodies associated with them, such as Veni Emmanuel for Advent, Ubi caritas for Maundy Thursday and Llanfair for Ascension. Malcolm Archer and David Bednall show themselves highly imaginative, sometimes fearless, improvisers. In general, Malcolm Archer's improvisations tend to be the more 'rounded' and conventional, sounding like notated compositions; while David Bednall's tend to be more experimental. That is not to suggest that one musician is better than the other, but listeners might possibly find themselves preferring the improvisations of one or the other, depending on their own tastes. On a disc like this, having improvisations by two men of differing musical personalities lends variety to the programme and thus makes the listening experience all the more enjoyable. Both organists have the ability to create convincing musical structures and to conjure-up magical sound-worlds, drawing upon the full spectrum of colours that the organ of Blackburn Cathedral has to offer.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music
You could say this disc serves two purposes. Firstly, there's the obvious appeal of hearing music moulded into shape on the spur of the moment. And indeed each track is a delight: most are based on Gregorian chant including Victimae Paschali lasting nearly 14 minutes!) or other well-known tunes. Those dealing with Lent and Palm Sunday are free meditations. Equally, however, the disc carries a more serious message. David Bednall”s comment in the cover-notes that improvisation in the UK is all too often “regarded as mere 'filling-in', a form of liturgical wallpaper whose function is simply to cover the sound of moving feet” is not unfair. “Sounds Spontaneous” then, sets out to prove that things don't have to be like that. And without suggesting that organists of the said crime are going to transform their playing overnight into something of the standard here, the disc may well prompt many to review the role of improvisation to enhance worship in the service as a whole. Track 6, for example – Lent - is a free meditation on Luke 4: 1-13 recounting Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. The magnificent Blackburn Cathedral organ provides a colourful sound palette.
Martin Wolf
The American Organist
Malcolm Archer, newly of St. Paul's Cathedral, and David Bednall, associated with Wells Cathedral, here combine their expertise, and exercise it on the extravagant Blackburn Walker. This is quickly becoming a favorite instrument of Lammas Records, and deservedly so. At tutti, there is almost five full seconds of decay in the room, and the open siting of the divisions allows all sounds great and small to be heard clearly. The reeds are strong, the strings plangent, the flues cool. A good organ in a good room equals a good start. The artists are obviously familiar with it; if in fact these are what they appear to be - that is, true improvisations - then this is indeed a “how-to” on how to improvise. As an organizing device (every pun intended), they have used mostly chant tunes illustrating the church calendar from Advent through Christ the King Sunday. Each “composition” follows the guideline they set for themselves which is “... Liturgical improvisation at its best should reflect and enhance the mood and meaning of the occasion and season.” There are large and small pieces, fast and slow, major and minor, rhythmic and still, grave and triumphant, calm and agitated.. “Innovative” is far too limited a word for these performances. One after the other, they tantalize and fulfil, producing the unexpected and the foregone, leading to a true sense of both occasion and season. There are preludes, postludes and interludes, all created at the moment with the excitement that attends creation. And never an insecure moment intrudes. From less than two minutes for All Saints to more than 13 minutes of improvisation for Easter, this entire recording is a bounteous treasure for anyone who values this art, this skill, this... creation? Heartily recommended.
Paul Aldridge
In His Temple - the music of Sir Edward Elgar
The Choir and Organ of St Paul’s, Rock Creek Parish, Washington DC USA
Church Music Quarterly - September 2006
It is very clear that this choir and its home have started 'going places' in recent years. When the building was restored in 2004, a new organ was installed by the American Dobson firm which 'thinks like a large organ, even though it is relatively small'.
This disc consists of just some of the masterpieces that Elgar wrote, ranging from delightful miniatures (Ave verum corpus and 0 salutaris hostia) to giant anthems (Great is the Lord and Give unto the Lord). The most effective and moving singing is in the miniatures, which contain many sublime moments and are elegantly handled by the eight singers and our previously mentioned largethinking-but-small organ. In the large pieces, I feel that the singers cope admirably, but one yearns for a richer and significantly larger sound. In any case, the quality of the sostenuto is worthy of note, as is the standard of playing from both organists.
Will Dawes
The Organ - Number 335
The sleeve notes begin: 'Elgar's sacred choral music possesses the same innate qualities so admired today in his orchestral music, namely an unerring sense for musical development and drama, allied to a glorious ear for melody. This selection follows him from early settings for the Roman Catholic liturgy... right through to his heyday as the Master of the King's Musick' I agree with the comments made. This is typical Elgar with that wonderful sense of nobility and 'Englishness’ about his writing. The big works dominate in terms of grandeur -'Great is the Lord’, ‘Give unto the Lord,' 'Te Deum' and the first movement of the Organ Sonata, but the smaller pieces all contribute to the overall effect of this disc. There are some rollicking accompaniments -brilliantly played by Neil Weston, who conjures some wonderful sounds from a smallish two-manual. Try track 7 -'0 salutaris hostia'-for example, and 1 think you will hear what I mean! Strangely, I found Graham Elliott's performance of the Sonata less convincing, though his choral direction was excellent, with a wonderful dynamic range being obtained from the choir, who clearly loved the music. There were times when the sound appeared distant, thought the balance was never in question.
DB
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians
Well, it's not quite all of "the music of Elgar," but it's a splendid selection, including some old favorites and some more rare offerings. I confess to being an Elgar enthusiast of long standing, so I loved every track of this recording. It opens with the extended Great Is the Lord, with a mellifluous solo by bass Douglas Bumey. The familiar Ave verum corpus features a sensitive solo by soprano Greta Getlein. In all of the choral works this choir of only eight singers moves from intimate sound to a chorus that sounds more full than just eight voices. A small jewel, new to me, is the short but compelling Doubt Not Thy Father 's Care, which would grace any Choral Evensong after what we call "The Third Collect." Graham plays the first movement of the Sonata in G (a wise choice since my own experience is that the second and fourth movements require three manuals, which the two-manual 2004 Dobson organ does not have). He takes it at a brisk tempo, but it works under his hands and feet. Full texts, the organ specification, and biographies are included. Producer Philip Cave and the always reliable recorder and editor Lance Andrews deserve high praise for the fidelity of this recording.
Victor Hill Ph. D
Musicweb
Elgar’s choral music divides into two periods. In his early days when he was trying to earn a living in Worcester he wrote a number of pieces for St. George’s Roman Catholic Church. Once he was famous he wrote for larger-scale Anglican occasions. Because of this religious divide, it is not just Elgar’s maturing style which differs between the two groups of pieces. The early ones were written to suit the abilities of the local church choir and to match the musical expectations of Roman Catholic singers and congregation.
As a result, Elgar’s early choral pieces are easily written off as slight, especially when compared to a major piece like Great is the Lord, which was written about the same time as the Violin Concerto. But, like Elgar’s early salon pieces, the early sacred music has great melodic charm and more than satisfies the needs of its performers; witness the continued use of the motets in Roman Catholic churches today. Elgar was sufficiently proud of his early Latin motets to revise three of them and issue them as his Op. 2. These are the Ave Verum, Ave Maria and Ave Maris Stella. Unfortunately, the choir of St. Paul’s Church, Rock Creek, Washington DC choose to omit the Ave Maris Stella setting, which seems a shame, especially on a disc with a running time of less than 60 minutes.
This repertoire has already been recorded by the choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge on a Naxos disc which has been very well received. The present one will attract interest partly because the choir is not English although their musical director, Graham Elliott, was previously Master of the Music at Chelmsford Cathedral. Another attraction might be that the choir is mixed (women and men), though the women produce a sound which is light, clear and bright and has elements that could be called boyish.
The choir is shown off at its best in the early Latin pieces. Here they respond well to the music’s charm and point up its sophistication without overdoing things. The solo in the Ave Verum is well taken by soprano Greta Getlein. These pieces also suit the size of the choir which numbers just eight professional singers.
In addition to the Ave Verum and Ave Maria from Elgar’s Op. 2, the choir also includes two settings of O Salutaris Hostia written in the 1880s. Again, these are charming settings which mix approachability and sophistication and the choir is shown off well in them.
Where I was less convinced was in the later English items - the Psalm settings Great is the Lord and Give unto the Lord, and the Te Deum and Benedictus. These are all bigger boned, designed for a larger group of singers and imbued with the feel of Elgar’s later symphonic and choral styles; Give unto the Lord was originally scored for orchestra, organ and choir. The choir sing very musically with a good feel for the shape and style of Elgar’s phrases. What I missed was the amplitude of tone that a larger body of singers would bring to the music. Admirable though these performances are, for me there were just too many moments when I was aware that I was listening to just eight singers and that they were having to work hard.
Part of the raison d’être of the disc is to show off the versatility of the church’s new organ, so Graham Elliott plays the first movement of Elgar’s organ sonata. This was written for a much larger organ and it says much for their 2004 Dobson Organ that Elliott’s performance was able to be so convincing. I’m sure there are people who will miss the sound of a bigger organ in this piece, but my own concerns were more over the excerpting of just the first movement. By and large I prefer to hear works whole.
This is in many ways an admirable disc. That the choir are able to tackle such large-scale pieces says much for them and for the organ. If you love Elgar’s sacred music then think about acquiring this disc as a companion to compare and contrast with the admirable disc from St. John’s College.
Robert Hugill
Sounds of Fotheringhay
Malcolm Archer plays the Vincent Woodstock organ at St Mary and All Saints Church, Fotheringhay
Church Music Quarterly - March 2007
**
Malcolm Archer plays the Vincent Woodstock organ Lammas, LAMM 191D For this CD Malcolm Archer swapped the lofty acoustic of St Paul's Cathedral for this more intimate setting at St Mary and All Saints, Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire where there is a two manual organ built by Vincent Woodstock in 2000 Archer has twenty-six stops to play with for this programme of works by Stanley, Travers, Sweelinck, Buxtehude and Bach. For each he follows appropriate or prescribed registrations to good effect; phrasing is also precise throughout. In four movements from Couperin's Messe pour les Couvents he shows off some of the instrument's contrasting sound colours; the'Elevation' (Tierce en taille) is especially effective. The gradual build-up of sound texture in Buxtehude's Ciacona in E minor works particularly well, though Archer does not let rip on this instrument until the finale -a performance of J S Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E flat which is given definite élan.
Stuart Robinson
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - April 2006
The 11/ 18 Woodstock organ (Op.22, 2000) sounds like much more than its modest specification. The Great consists of a full chorus plus stopped diapason, dulciana, and trumpet. The Swell is simply a five stop comet (with a gemshorn as the 2'). Under the hands of Malcolm Archer, whom 1 consider one of the finest organists in Britain today, the all-Baroque program shines with sonic joy. Archer opens with a charming Sonatina in D minor by the late 1711-century German composer Christian Ritter. Two English Voluntaries follow, a four-section one by John Stanley and an adagio-cum-trumpettune of John Travers. Then come four movements from the François Couperin Parish Mass-the Élevation Tièrce en taille is a special favorite of mine, and 1 greatly admire Archer's performance, even though 1 like to do much more with notes inégales than he does. 1 think of the Sweelinck Variations on "Unter der Linden Grüne " as essentially a harpsichord work, but this secular piece may have been performed on an organ recital at the Oude Kerk, and it works quite convincingly here. Three works of Buxtehude (Ciacona in E minor, Ein feste Burg, and one of the Komm, heiliger Geist preludes) complete the program, along with three of J. S. Bach (Fugue a la Gigue; 0 Mensch, bewein; Prelude and Fugue in E-flat). Archer's own notes illuminate the program. It's nice to have an informal photo of him at the organ along with the biography. His playing is exemplary throughout: secure, nuanced, and informed. Vincent Woodstock and Lance Andrews have captured the charming sound of this elegant small instrument with faithfulness and presence.
Victor Hill, Ph.D.
The Organ - Number 335
The organ by Vincent Woodstock installed in 2000 has two manuals and pedal, 15 speaking stops, and mechanical action throughout. Voiced with baroque works in mind,this new recording gives a very fine indication of the qualities of the instrument with works ranging from Ritter and Couperin to more familiar pieces by Bach and Buxtehude. Sweelinck's Variations on Unter der Linden Grune are particularly appealing, and the Bach works well. The organ produces a fine steely top but warmth where it is needed in the mid and lower registers. If I am less convinced by the Couperin it is only because my personal taste is towards a more florid French baroque sound whereas this is understandably more conservatively North-German! Nonetheless this gives us an excellence sense of the instrument and its merits.
BH
Musicweb
The wonderful 15th century church of Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire, received a new organ in 2000, built by Vincent Woodstock.
Conceptually it is difficult to quantify the instrument, and although much is written about it in the booklet, none of it concerns the basic concept. Superficially it seems stuck in the ‘neo-classical plus swell box’ mould typical of the artistic crisis which the vast majority of British organ builders have found themselves in for twenty years or more. Here the inevitable swell box (balanced!) houses just a cornet décomposée! However, I’m happy to report that on the basis of this recording, the conceptual fuzziness proves less important than the fine tonal qualities of much of the instrument. I was especially delighted with the principal chorus; there is a real singing quality to the principals, and the mixture seems very intelligently composed and voiced. The latter stop is calm and never threatens to tire the ear. The plenum is underpinned by an excellent fractional-length pedal reed. The trumpet seems to have too much of a solo characteristic for such a modest scheme. Archer doesn’t use it in the plenum at all (tellingly one suspects), except in the Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux of Couperin where the mixture of course isn’t employed. It proves a pleasing solo stop in the English Voluntaries. The flutes have some real beauty. Perhaps most impressive though, is that Vincent Woodstock has made a winding system which creates a vocal quality I’ve barely heard from a modern British builder! Congratulations!
Malcolm Archer, recently appointed organist of St Paul’s Cathedral, plays a programme of English, German and French music dating from between the late 16th and late 18th centuries. His playing is neat and well-controlled, with some very nice ornamentation. The most successful tracks are the English voluntaries and the Ritter Sonatina, long championed by Gustav Leonhardt, which is presented with a pleasing idiomatic freedom. However in order to become a really first-rate player of this literature Archer needs to become far more aware of the natural grammatical accents inherent in baroque music. His approach can be nicely summarised with a brief analysis of the Buxtehude Ciaconna. Firstly the pedal ostinato is played rather too legato to shape the bar effectively. Secondly his touch is not sophisticated enough for him to avoid the placing of accents on the smaller note-values, especially when the movement is in semiquavers. Here the feeling is very much of six impulses in the bar instead of three - or even one depending on how you look at it. The - unnecessary - manual changes, as throughout the disc, occur with a shortening of the last note before the change, frequently resulting in an accent on a weak part of the bar. I have also some small textual issues; Mr Archer should consult Michael Belotti’s Buxtehude edition.
Elsewhere the grammatical problem presents itself in other guises. During the third variation of the Sweelinck for instance the non-decorated right hand (playing the theme) becomes almost completely legato while the left hand plays the semi-quavers in contrast to the articulation of the theme at the outset. (Track 8, 2’56). Other issues I must mention are the strange added manual change for the third material in the famous E flat Prelude of Bach, and the rallentandos at the end of each section of the fugue which destroy the relationship between the time-signatures. Why, incidentally in 2005 does the English organ fraternity still insist on its silly tradition of giving the E flat Fugue its turn-of-the 20th century nickname based on an erroneous association with Croft’s hymn tune?
In general the surprisingly fine organ makes this an interesting release, and Archer’s playing, whatever my small gripes, presents it well enough; he is after all an excellent musician, and rightly one of the most highly respected figures in English Cathedral music.
Chris Bragg
Sounds Thrilling
Stephen Farr plays the organ in Blackburn Cathedral
The American Organist - March 2007
Lammas apparently intends to make an impressive series based on this instrument, and it is appropriate so to do. It is a unique organ, lovable by any devotee of Gallic music. The instrument has been spoken of favorably here before and there is no need to adjust that view. It is situated in an extremely reflective space that makes it sound even larger than it is, and it is no small installation to begin with. The room is part of the organ; the organ is part of the room. It is perfectly fitting, then, to use it to produce this 63-plus minutes of French inspired sounds. There are only two pieces on the disc: Duruflé's classic Suite, Op. 5, and David Briggs's Symphony "Missa pro defunctis," a work commissioned by the performer "... as an 'hommage' . . . " to Duruflé. Like the Suite, the Symphony defies verbal description and simply has to be heard. Farr performs the seven movements of this creative music with assurance, grace, and grandeur. The instrument is quite easily capable of the "Frenchness" of it. If there is such a thing as a "perfect" match of music and instrument, this may be it. If it's of particular interest to you, try it. If not, listen anyway - the organ alone could convert you.
Paul Aldridge
Church Music Quarterly
The organ-symphony genre is in the safe hands nowadays of organistcomposers such as David Briggs who studied with Jean Langlais at Notre Dame. Briggs has developed a successful career as a composer and recitalist, and this work shows that improvisation (and composition for that matter) in the French style is very much in his blood. 'Missa pro defunctis', was commissioned and premiered by Stephen Farr (Organist of Guildford Cathedral) in 2004, 'en hommage' to an abandoned and lost oeuvre of the same title by Maurice Duruflé. And thrilling it certainly is: in the first movement the 'Requiem aeternam' plainsong is intoned in the pedals, under some typically slow scrunchy French chords played on full swell with the box closed. It isn't long before the build up! There are seven movements of contrasting moods. If you enjoy the sonorities of Langlais and Duruflé then you will like this. The work is paired with an outstanding performance of Duruflé's splendid Suite Op. 5. Parr explores the full tonal range of the instrument at Blackburn Cathedral in this excellent recording. Sounds Thrilling is an accurate title.
Stuart Robinson
The Organ No 335
Considering the number of new commissions for organ music it is surprising how few of them get recorded. All the more welcome then is Stephen Farr's performance of David Briggs' Symphony Missa pro defunctis. Commissioned by the organist in 2003, it was premiered at St Davids Festival in 2004 and subsequently given a number of performances both in the UK and abroad. Readers will already have seen the reviews and articles about the work in the magazine so no further information is needed at this point. Given David Briggs’ breath-taking opening recital in Blackburn Cathedral it was not surprising that the organ was chosen as the right one for this first recording of his work, with Stephen Farr bringing his own enthusiasm and insight into the new work. As if this were not enough the recording also includes Duruflé's familiar Suite Op5. Listening to the whole CD straight through the Duruflé is a pleasing but highly satisfying desert after the main course.
BH
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - January 2006
Once again, recordings reviewed this month have a personal connection. I was with Lance Andrews (who is Lammas Records) in York during the preparation of this disc, to which the adjective thrilling applies accurately, and I have been eagerly awaiting its release. Here we have two large works, one by Duruflé and one inspired by his work.
The Symphony "Missa pro defunctis "was commissioned from the brilliant young British composer David Briggs by Stephen Farr. As the notes explain, this is an "hommage" to the solo organ Requiem that Duruflé had begun to sketch before he turned to the choral work that is now so widely known and performed. One hears overtones of the choral Mass here and there, notably in the incorporation of plainsong motifs, but the organ work is fully original. The seven movements are loosely linked to texts from the Requiem Mass (Kyrie, Domine Jesu Christe, etc.), but they stand on their own as pieces for a large and Romantic French organ. I find the style consistently compelling, even as it shifts from understated to pleno and from rich tone clusters to engaging cantabile. This 2003 composition should become one of the major virtuoso vehicles of our concert programs.
The companion work is the deservedly familiar Suite, Op.5, of Duruflé. Here, as in the Symphony, Farr demonstrates not only a transcendental technique, but an extraordinary affinity for the French style of the period.
The liner includes Farr's own notes, a biography, and extended details about the organ (including the role in its history played by our AAM colleague John Bertalot). Lance Andrews has done an exceptional job of managing the enormous dynamic range with consummate clarity. This recording is simply not to be missed by anyone who loves the idiom.
Victor Hill, Ph.D.
Tower, Washington DC
Most organ enthusiasts know David Briggs as one of today's finest organ virtuosos and improvisers, but this release proves beyond a doubt that he's also a great composer for that instrument as well. The symphony presented here was commissioned by the soloist on this disc, Stephen Farr, and for a very interesting reason. The great, French church musician Maurice Durufle was working on a suite for organ based on the plainsong Missa pro defunctis when he got a commission for his now, world famous requiem (later dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy). At that point he abandoned the suite and incorporated what he had done into the new composition. Durufle was a truly remarkable composer and anyone familiar with his music would have to agree that it's a shame he wrote as little as he did. Farr must have felt that way and his fascination with the thought of a lost Durufle work prompted him to ask Briggs for a "homage" piece honoring it. Well, he came through in "grand orgue" fashion! His seven movement "Missa pro defunctis" symphony is a masterpiece, and right in keeping with the many, romantic, French composer-organists he's championed at the keyboard for so many years. The spirits of Charles-Marie Widor, Louis Vierne, Marcel Dupre, Pierre Cochereau, and of course Maurice himself, all waft through this opus; but, in the grand scheme of things it's a unique Briggs creation. Very appropriately the disc is filled out with a magnificent rendition of Durufle's ever popular "Suite, Op. 5." This release is entitled "Sounds Thrilling" and, if anything, that's an understatement, because, quite frankly, organ CDs don't get any better than this. The instrument is superb, the performances, exemplary and the sound, to die for! Having heard it you'll undoubtedly want to try some of the other discs in the Lammas label's "Sounds..." series.
Bob McQuiston
Sigfrid Karg-Elert - Symphonic Canzonas
Gough Duo
Organ: Rupert Gough
Violin: Rachel Gough
Soprano: Natalie Clifton-Griffith
The Organ - Number 335
Karg-Elert is of course well known to countless generations of organists around the world. But I strongly suspect that his renown is based on a relatively small number of pieces of which Nun danket-included on this recording -is the single jewel in an undeservedly small crown. This disc is especially welcome, then, for it shows us so much more of this prolific man's output. We begin with a Symphonic Chorale (opus 87/1) in which Rupert Gough demonstrates his mastery of the instrument and the period. Here we have an excellent match of technique, interpretation and registration. Playing like this cannot be bettered. The disc ends with a second Symphonic Chorale (87/3) but this time with soprano and violin added. In between times, we have a mixture of organ, organ and violin, organ and soprano, and all three. I was captivated by much of this music, with the composer treating the violin and voice as additional solo stops, intertwined most effectively with the other registers. The lyric chromaticism is most especially, with many shades of Richard Strauss -as for example in opus 66/1-3 which I hope will receive many more performances. The pieces for violin and organ were particularly impressive, and the Gough Duo clearly enjoyed playing this music. I was less impressed by the soprano, whose lack of variety of tone and over-vibrato detracted from the smoothness of the lines. This was a pity, as the music for the trio was some of the most moving: I defy anyone not to be moved by the opening of track 3! Highly recommended, despite some reservations about the singing. I hope that more volumes of Karg-Elert's music for these combinations will follow.
DB
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - December 2005
With the exception of the ubiquitous Nun danket alle Gott, this program unearths some elegant and rarely performed works. The notes refer to the composer's "association with the Avant-Garde," but this music sounds quite conservative to 2005 ears. Only two of the works recorded here would likely be called "symphonic canzonas," but all are worthy of hearing. Sphärenmusik and Ich steh an deiner Krippe hier, for voice, violin, and organ would charm your Christmas Eve congregations. The Sanctus and Pastorale for violin and organ are elegant pieces; find the scores and a good string player!
Clifton-Griffith has a clear, limpid, lyrical voice -just a delight to hear. The Gough duo have superlative technique and a genuine sense of the Karg-Elert style. Rupert uses the enormous (142-stop) John Compton organ at the Basilica of St. Gregory the Great, Downside Abbey Church, with sensitivity and taste.
Thoughtful notes and full texts (English translation only) are augmented by biographies and full specifications of the organ. The sound is true and admirably balanced. I've never been much of a fan of Karg-Elert, but this disc might change my thoughts!
Victor Hill Ph.D
Musicweb
This recording of Karg-Elert’s so-called Symphonic Canzonas is a triumph for all concerned.
The repertoire on this disc is unusual and yet should be so much better known one feels. Sigfrid Karg-Elert is best known as a prolific composer of organ music, but it was news to me, I must confess, that he had also written music for various combinations of organ, soprano and violin. The wonderfully melodic shorter settings of 17th and 19th-20th century religious texts, mostly strophic, are particularly attractive. The musical style can be compared to that of Reger, but Karg-Elert’s sweeter harmonic language, chromatic without becoming saturated in endless modulatory twists, and his more human feel for emotional gesture, and tension-building, remind me, in a way, more of Richard Strauss. His use of the organ as an accompanying force is extremely imaginative. Of the shorter settings, four are scored for violin, soprano and organ, and the beautiful ‘Abendstern’ for soprano and organ alone. Much of the musical material is derived from Lutheran Chorales; ‘Vom Himmel Hoch’ is a setting of the whole melody, ‘Ich steh an deiner Krippe hier’ presents the melody with only minor alternation in the latter verses. ‘Sphärenmusik’ also quotes ‘Vom Himmel Hoch’ extensively.
Perhaps the most remarkable work on the disc is the Symphonic Chorale, ‘Nun ruhen alle Wälder’ featuring all three performers. The work begins with the organ alone which comments, in improvisatory fashion, on the opening four verses of the text. The violin enters, after nearly seven minutes of music, and the voice enters finally some two minutes later with the text of verse 7. The subsequent fantasy, during which the Cantus Firmus is passed between the forces, concludes with the organ alone; the final calm section including a quote from the famous Lullaby of Brahms.
The disc also includes two solo organ works, including the famous ‘Nun Danket alle Gott’ op 65 op 59, and two works for violin and organ, both ravishing, but perhaps the Pastorale could have been a little more succinct.
Rupert Gough’s organ playing is marvellous, with a tremendous sense of colour and atmosphere and a wonderful ear for the challenging acoustic. His choice of organ is ingenious, the big 1931 Compton at Downside Abbey is one of the most extended non-theatre organs ever built I suspect, (142 stops!), providing with its total enclosure (in three boxes), an almost inexhaustible range of kaleidoscopic colours and dynamic flexibility. It is both the ideal instrument for the literature and the ideal accompanying tool for the soloists. Rachel Gough’s effortless and musical playing - what a wonderful sound, never drawing undue attention to itself - and the beautiful singing of Natalie Clifton-Griffith make this a real success-story. Perhaps the latter’s German vowels are just a little too anglicised?
The booklet is first rate with excellent notes by Anthony Caldicott, and the recorded sound is enchanting.
Very highly recommended.
Chris Bragg
Peace on Earth
Sacred and Secular Music by Orlando Gibbons
Truro Cathedral Choir
Church Music Quarterly
The Gibbons disc is a little unusual in that it features both sacred and secular works. They include unaccompanied pieces (Almighty and everlasting God, Hosanna to the Son of David etc.) and others that are accompanied on a chamber organ by Tickell. Of the choral pieces that use the organ, some are verse anthems (This is the Record of John n; 0 thou, the central orb; See, see the Word is incarnate), while others are for solo voice (The silver swan; Nay let me weep), or unison singing (e.g-Song 46) The Truro Cathedral Choir is well disciplined: the boys are clearly highly trained and the lay clerks have a pleasingly light tone. Sometimes, however, the boys sound rather mannered: an example of this being Rs that are, on occasion, rolled far more than is needful. One suspects that the style is intended to ensure maximum clarity of words in the acoustic of the cathedral, but it would have been better to moderate it for performances on disc. For me, the highlights of the disc are the organ solos that punctuate the programme. The Truro chamber organ is a sweetly toned instrument that enhances the sensitive performances by Robert Sharpe.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music
There is something uniquely satisfying about the music of Orlando Gibbons, to this reviewer at any rate, and the Truro choir's singing is always rather special. Nor did this disc disappoint expectations; performances are vivid from singers clearly full of zest and enjoyment even if as a result some of the solo singing is only just within the bounds of good taste! One can have too much 'ghastly, good taste' anyway and even if the speeds are sometimes a little on the fast side one's attention is held throughout. The experiment of including a few secular consort songs is perfectly successful, the dividing line between sacred and secular being by no means clear-cut in Gibbons's day; and it is good also to hear amid more familiar fare Great Lord of Lords, If ye be, risen again with Christ and 0 thou the central orb,. and what fine music there is ill 0 God, the King of glory and 0 Lord in thy wrath rebuke me not. Are these still sung regularly in our cathedrals? So, add this one to your collection, and prepare to enjoy yourself.
Timothy Storey
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - April 2006
Some of Gibbons' best-known sacred choral selections appear here along with the justly loved The Silver Swan (sensitively sung by treble Max Spreckley) and four instrumental offerings. The cathedral's 1997 Kenneth Tickell chamber organ is used throughout.
Other familiar Gibbons works include This is the record of John, 0 Thou the central orb, Hosanna to the Son of David, and 0 Lord in thy wrath.Less familiar are the exquisite verse anthems If ye be risen again with Christ and See, see the Word is incarnate with crystal clear contributions by the soloists. The touching lament Nay let me weep (text presumed to be by Sir Walter Raleigh) was probably written on the death from typhoid of Henry Prince of Wales in 1612; treble Patrick Windsor has just the right sound and inflection. Another fine treble, Benjamin Comeau, presents the somber What is our life? (text definitely by Raleigh). The choir is just as accomplished as are the various soloists: clean Renaissance tone, beautifully shaped phrases, thorough understanding of the idiom. The acoustical ambience is just right, and the sound is captured with admirable authenticity.
Victor Hill, Ph.D.
Musicweb
With its tranquil cover depicting a lake and hills at
sunset, "Peace on Earth" is an apt title for this excellent collection of music
from the marvelous English composer: Orlando Gibbons. From the beginning of the
disc I knew that this was going to be a winner. Max Spreckley, treble gives a
splendid rendition of "The Silver Swan"; sung many times at Madrigals at my old
school (MCS) in Oxford. You may possibly also recognize Song 1 as a hymn tune.
The stand-out piece is "This is the Record of John" and this is sung with great
feeling and sensitivity. Indeed the soloist Matthew Reeve¹s voice almost cracks
with emotion on the line "voice cries out in the wilderness". I've not heard it
bettered and have played this several times already and will return to it often.
Incidentally, this magnificent anthem was written for Dr. Laud who became
Archbishop of Canterbury and was executed in 1645. The autograph is in the
library of Christ Church, Oxford where the choir often sings Gibbons. This piece
is sung a week before Christmas.
The disc works well on several levels and I hope that it introduces people,
including visitors to Truro, to the wonders of Gibbons' art. The Choir is in
good voice throughout and the acoustic is well captured by the engineers. The
instrumentals are nicely played on a chamber organ although there may be people
out there who would prefer to hear virginals or harpsichord. In the piece "See
see the word", a recording I have by "The Clerkes of Oxenford" (Calliope), a
more "authentic" sound is achieved with viols and viola de gamba (unaccredited).
The atmosphere there is quite different from Truro where the counter-tenor and
choir are accompanied by the chamber organ.
I love the sound of treble and counter-tenor in these works. They sound very
good on a home system. The difference is that between a chapel choir and
cathedral; unless you're averse to the latter you'll enjoy this disc.
Mention must be made of very informative notes by David Cheetham. For example he draws attention to the anthem "O thou central orb" and that the "blissful amen" was sung after the blessing at Edward VII¹s coronation. As with some other works the choir sings words which were written well after Gibbons¹ time. I doubt, however if the choir in 1902 would have rendered the music any finer.
I love Gibbons' music and I am certain that any admirer of fine choral music will enjoy this CD. It works on three levels: a good listen to "chill out" and relax to; a fine statement by a splendid choir whom it would be lovely to hear in their own Cathedral; most of all it is a wonderful affirmation of the genius of Orlando Gibbons.
David R Dunsmore
Loving Shepherd
Hymns sung by the Choirs and Congregation of Blackburn Cathedral
Cathedral Music
This is a highly satisfying anthology, well sung by the many and various groups of musicians who make up the lively musical establishment at Blackburn. Particularly to be commended is the Young People's Choir, whose unaccompanied singing is quite delightful even if a little youthful immaturity is detectable in the vocal tone. The programme has been chosen imaginatively, the term 'hymn' having been widened to include choral music such as Let all the world (Vaughan Williams) and the Jubilate from the Collegium Regale service by Howells and old favourites rub shoulders with less familiar material. The quieter and more reflective interpretations are the most successful, for speeds are often too fast (the curse of BBC Songs of Praise strikes again) and there is a tendency to romp through such classics as Crown him with many crowns without much thought for the words; the Howells Hymn for St Cecilia also is also sung in a brisk matter-of-fact manner that releases nothing of the music's emotion. As for the brass arrangements, the less said the better, though fortunately the ubiquitous holy flute has a day off. Your reviewer's personal dislikes notwithstanding, this is a much better disc than most of its kind, well worth buying.
Timothy Storey
MusicWeb
This is an excellent collection of hymns in sometimes new arrangements.
We begin with Richard Tanner’s own tune with a text by Jane Beeson ‘Loving Shepherd of thy sheep’, written for the Baptism of his son James. This is an unusual but very apt beginning as it also highlights Tanner’s undoubted talents and his choral forces. The unfamiliar is followed by the well known ‘Thy hand, O God, has guided’, to the tune by Basil Harwood.
This assembly of 24 hymns and anthems is good in juxtaposing the popular and the more obscure. For example ‘God be in my head’ is reborn in a new tune by Herman Brearly; it is followed by the ‘Angel Voices’ in familiar clothing. I was particularly taken by the arrangements of ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Steal Away’ (used by Tippett in ‘Child of our Time’), here reworked by John Bertalot. ‘Hymn for Cecilia’ is sung and played with great aplomb! There is also terrific brass accompaniment in an exuberant version of the lovely ‘Ye Watchers and ye holy ones’.
Vaughan Williams’ ‘Let all the world in every corner sing’ and Herbert Howells’ ‘Jubilate’ (Collegium Regale) are familiar to visitors to Cathedrals and are what I call anthems. At my school we had to sing the ‘Jubilate’ by Stanford at our Commemoration; fortunately no-one was around to hear me attempt singing along to these tuneful choirs! However I loved both of these very English pieces written by composers who both had tough lives but gave us life-affirming music. An earlier great choral composer Orlando Gibbons is represented by a moving rendition of ‘Peace Perfect Peace’.
For collectors of hymn anthologies this is a ‘must buy’. There is a feeling of spiritual uplift and freshness to the whole enterprise. This is ideal for the car or to unwind to. You might only want to play a few hymns at a time but every track has something to offer. Congratulations to all concerned!
David R Dunsmore
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - March 2005
What a delight it is to find a recording of hymns that is not just the most egregious chestnuts of all time! Some of the 24 selections, to be sure, are familiar to all, but even these are heard in refreshing arrangements. I can heartily recommend this disc for various purposes: ideas for a hymn festival, suggestions to expand the repertory of a choir and/or congregation, careful listening, or even – as I have gratefully used it – to help to pass the tedium of a long and all-too-familiar auto drive.
The program opens with Tanner’s own tune for Jane Beeson’s text Loving Shepherd of thy sheep, his tune written for the Baptism of his son James. When I first put on the CD, I immediately said, “Aha! More John Rutter” – which I did not mean as a criticism. The liner, in fact, acknowledges a debt not only to Rutter, but to Barry Rose and Simon Lole. It’s a lovely tune and an interesting contrast to Buckland.
Next comes Thy hand, O God, has guided, set to Basil Harwood’s stunning tune Thornbury. Thornbury does appear in The Hymnal 1982, set to a paraphrase of The Song of Zechariah, but I can’t recall having sung it more than once in the USA. The program continues with many relatively unfamiliar but highly worthy texts and/or tunes. I had not realized, for example, that there is an additional and first verse to Holy Spirit, ever living. Attached as I am to Abbot’s Leigh, Herbert Howells’ elegant tune Salisbury brought me bolt upright in my chair (I was not driving at the time!). God be in my head, which has splendid tunes by Sydney Nicholson and by H. Walford Davies, receives here a new and equally apt tune by Herman Brearly. We hear How shall I sing that majesty to Ken Naylor’s exquisite tune Coe Fen, an interesting contrast to Tallis’ Third Mode Melody. I loved Lord for the years with its stirring tune by Michael Baughen. A gem is Close thine eyes, an evening hymn of King Charles I, with a touching tune by Mary Plumstead – said to have been sung by the beloved contralto Kathleen Ferrier.
There are some old standbys here, but in appealing arrangements. The two American selections, Amazing Grace and Steal away to Jesus have magnificent reworkings by our AAM colleague John Bertalot. Philippa Hyde adds a sumptuous solo to the latter. A few selections may push the definition of the word hymn, though the liner points out that they do fit Saint Augustine’s definition of that noun. Among these are the Vaughan Williams Let all the world in every corner sing and Howells’ Jubilate (Collegium Regale). No matter – they fit the program well.
Finally, we have three concerted hymns for choir, congregation, organ, brass, and percussion. The creativity and excitement of Tanner’s arrangements of Crown Him with many crowns and Ye watchers and ye holy ones brought to my mind a comparison to the fantastic work of Richard Webster, which I greatly admire.
Buy this CD, turn down the lights, sit back in your armchair, and let some glorious music wash over you. Then use it for good ideas. And put it in your car to release tension the next time you’re stuck in traffic!
Victor Hill Ph.D.
Geistliches Lied
German Choral and Organ Music in the Romantic Tradition sung by St Albans Cathedral Choir
Church Music Quarterly
Other pieces on the St Albans disc include Brahms's Ach, arme Welt, Rheinberger's Abendlied, two melodious pieces by Mendelssohn and Bruckner's Os justi and Locus iste. The most substantial work m the programme is Rheinberger's Cantus Missae (Mass in E flat). Unaccompanied, and featuring arching vocal lines, there are many melting moments in which the choir clearly revels ~ and so will the listener. The organ of St Albans Cathedral is well suited to accompanying German choral music and it is a very successful medium for the solos on the disc; Brahms's 0 welt, ich muss dich lassen and Reger's sumptuous Benedictus. ...warmly recommended.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music
Much of this music has become quite well-known of late, and for this recording the choir has selected Brahms, Bruckner and Rheinberger from its copies of the OUP anthology European Sacred music plus Rheinberger's mass in E E flat for double choir and Mendelssohn's Ave Maria for tenor soloist and eight-part choir. Organ music by Brahms and Reger completes a highly satisfying and enjoyable programme, all well performed; the singing of this most capable choir is strong and expressive, with only occasional moments of dubious intonation in that quite marvellous but very taxing Rheinberger Mass. My only serious quibble is with some of the speeds: Ave Maria is distinctly ponderous (pity the poor soloist) and you would never guess from this performance that Bruckner's familiar Locus iste is marked Allegro moderato. That apart, it is an excellent disc, and well-worth buying, especially if some of this music is still unfamiliar to you.
Timothy Storey
The Organ - Number 333
I have reviewed a number of CDs of music from this period and this genre over the last couple of years. 1 have found all the music to be a delight, and this disc is no exception. We hear pieces by Brahms and Rheinberger (including the whole of his Cantus Missae in E flat), Mendelssohn and Bruckner. Apart from the last composer, 1 had not heard the music before, but I will certainly be hearing it again. The textures are rich, and the harmonic language varied. St Albans Choir excels, showing off a fine technique and approach. The disc is completed with organ music by Rheinberger and Reger.
DB
Organists' Review - November 2005
How splendid that we have a recording of these mostly unknown German Romantic choral works with two well-known and gently played solo interludes. Perhaps it is doubly splendid as this vibrant sounding choir fly their own standard from that internationally renowned organ establishment, St Alban's Cathedral. My first youthful introduction to this repertoire came from the very same place when Simon Preston recorded Brahms's Geistliches lied there in the last century. but here today, Andrew Lucas has honed a truly fine choir which is most ably accompanied by Simon Johnson who also plays the two apt, reflective solo inclusions. The German repertoire, presented here with at times an animated and searing sound, especially from the enviable force of 18 trebles, holds some true beauties. It is also well chosen for the key relationships between tracks. Mendelssohn's Ave Maria perhaps 'hits the spot' more than any other (the fine lyrical tenor of Mark Bushby adding much to this performance). However, within the grand Cantus Missae of Josef Rheinberger we hear the chief performances of the disc. It is a truly committed and first rate reading of thes unaccompanied double-choired work dedicated to Pope Leo XIII and which gained its composer admission to the Order of St Gregory. Buy the disc, just for this or go to Mass, or, of course, do both! Intonation is first class and the somewhat tortuous modulations are negotiated with total professional ease. It is a tour de force in every respect. How lucky the faithful of this provincial cathedral are to have such music performed for their Liturgy. the luxurious ambiance of the building is well captured and balance between organ and choir is judged perfectly throughout. Perhaps, for me, I would have liked the gentlemen to have had more recorded gravitas when the trebles take flight. But that's a titchy niggle! There is an excellent informative booklet by the Master of Music. Such a fine professional production is only faintly marred by a slightly inaccurate running order in the booklet (but correct on the case), and a Scottish artist's work on the cover. Why no Caspar David Friedrich?
Nigel Allcoat
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - March 2005
This superlative program begins with the Brahms Geistliches Lied, Op. 30 (known variously in English as 0 Heart Subdued with Grieving and Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee). I was immediately struck by the unusually bright and clean choral sound, a contrast with the rather mushy ensemble I've often heard in this work (and repertory). The composer's superb canons at the second and ninth come through clearly. In recording and editing, Lance Andrews has produced an admirable balance between intelligibility of the text and richness of the acoustical ambience. The British choir's German diction is excellent.
A brief Brahms motet and the first of the 0 Welt chorale-preludes follow. Simon Johnson is as gentle and sensitive in this organ solo as he is imaginative in the subsequent (and familiar) Reger Benedictus, where he explores the Romanticism with understanding and restraint -and with steady and secure rhythms.
Next on the program are the Abendlied and Cantus Missae in E-flat of Rheinberger, both new to me. The former is a three-minute gem that would make a wonderful introit or short anthem for a service of Choral Evensong. The boy sopranos have a lovely pure sound, especially in the upper register. The Mass is a more ambitious and more creatively conceived work than the four fine Rheinberger Masses on the Blackburn Cathedral recording. The Kyrie and Agnus Dei, both more expansive than in many settings, are highlights, as is the splendid contrapuntal writing at the end of the Gloria. The choir retains secure and reliable pitch throughout the double-chorus writing in this unaccompanied work. Even if you have no parish use for this Mass, its intrinsic beauty makes it rewarding listening. A curious but fascinating Ave Maria by Mendelssohn features tenor soloist Mark Bushby. Although he occasionally tends just a bit to the "operatic," his singing is fluent, and he integrates it nicely with the eight-part chorus. Running just under eight minutes, this piece might (again) not fit many worship services, but it would be an enriching addition to a concert program.
Victor Hill, Phd
Sounds Romantic
Organ Music of Elgar and Stanford played by Christopher Stokes on the organ of Manchester Cathedral
Cathedral Music
Chris Stokes has picked a programme to display the tonal quality and expressive power of the Manchester Cathedral organ. The programme really does sell itself, and the organ, though not terribly well known, bears a striking resemblance to that in King's College Chapel, Cambridge, making it ideal for this music. Every sound you would expect to hear in this orchestral music is heard. The rather more unusual Solo French Horn is heard to good effect. Christopher Stokes's playing is crisp in its precision, and he uses just right amount of rubato. The programme book includes notes written by the organ scholar Tom Bell, together with a succinct history of the instrument, though it is a shame that the swell division is missed off the stop list. A recording of an instrument in a dry acoustic might put some people off, if you compare this with the well-known recordings of the Sonata, in particular Sumsion at Gloucester (recorded too close?) and Scott at St Paul's (with those long gaps for the echo), this has the advantage that no detail or sense of momentum is lost.
Stephen Power
Choir Schools Today - 2005
Elgar's career as an organist is usually under-represented in biographical notes. His father had been organist of St George's Catholic Church, Worcester, and Edward played there for Mass at the age of fifteen. When he moved to London in 1889 he quickly had a grand piano installed at home, and very soon after followed an organ (though no details of its provenance survive). In addition to the Opus 28 Sonata there is a second Sonata, the result of Ivor Atkins' attempt to persuade Elgar to make an organ arrangement of the Severn Suite. Other original works include the Vesper Voluntaries op. 14, Cantique op. 3/1, and a charming original transcription of his Loughborough Memorial Chime, originally for Carillon. In the 1970s Novello published two volumes of transcriptions and Boosey & Hawkes have recently made available William MeVicker's transcriptions of all five Pomp and Circumstance marches.
This disc contains fine recordings of the opus 28 Sonata and the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4, the former receiving an especially fine rendering of the Allegretto. The remainder of the disc contains a noble performance of Stanford's Fantasia and Toccata and a suitably supple rendition of the second set of his Six Short Preludes and Postludes. The recording is of a very good quality and aside from the lack of 'Swell' in the specification, the booklet is accurate and well set.
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - March 2005
The first time that I heard Tom Murray's dazzling recording of the Elgar Sonata in G, I said, "I've got to learn that and to play it!" I've listened to many performances and to some recordings, but the work always sounds fresh to me. My review of John Butt's recording in September 2002 shows how highly I thought of his performance. Well, Stokes plays it just as convincingly. His approach is, of course, now and then, different from mine, but how intelligent and cohesive his reading is! In particular, the Manchester organ is ideally suited to this work.
The program continues with the rarely heard Stanford Fantasia and Toccata and the second set of the Short Preludes and Postludes (later works than the set of six that most of us know) - and a simply stunning transcription of the Pomp and Circumstance March #4 of Elgar - this last knocked my proverbial socks off! For organ buffs, this disc is not to be missed. We do have a full-page description of the organ and a complete stop-list. The recorded sound is excellent.
Victor Hill, Phd
So Rich a Crown
The Choir of St Edmundsbury Cathedral
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - March 2005
In September 2002, I reviewed the fine disc Godspeed from St. Edmundsbury; this recording shows the choirs in even finer form. It is, however, one of those special editions intended for a largely local audience. The liner notes, honestly, "This recording ... was undertaken ... [to provide] each singer (and his family) with a permanent record of his time in the Cathedral Choir; it provides visitors to our Cathedral with a memento of theirjoumey to St. Edmunds; and it enables us, in due course, to raise sufficient funds to make another in two years' time." A few of the selections may provide repertory suggestions - notably the Mendelssohn Say where He is born and James Thomas' brief but lovely The Edmund Prayer (with words by Martin Shaw). There is much fine singing here, and those who collect choral CDs will want to add this disc to their libraries, but this is probably not the recording one would buy for a definitive performance of, for example, three of the Parry Songs of Farewell. I would suggest, on the other hand, that this disc might be an inspiration to choirs (American or otherwise) who might like to produce a recording that would make both them and their parish friends very happy indeed.
Victor Hill, Phd
The Spirit of the Lord
Manchester Cathedral Choir
Cathedral Music
Like the solo organ disc front Christopher Stokes, this recording which couples Stanford with Elgar is successful. There is a good balance between large scale works and smaller and lesser known music. It is shame that Great is the Lord was not added to this fine list. The choir sings with an unusually expressive tonal vocabulary as well as with dynamic variation which makes it distinctive from other choirs which might have recorded this repertoire. Jeffrey Makiinson's organ accompaniment is exemplary in every way; listen out for the orchestral tuba in the Magnificat! The mixed line of trebles give a good account of A song of peace, followed by its partner Pray that Jerusalem. The sound from the choir in this is more like that of a small chamber choir than what you might expect from a traditional cathedral choir. The whole thing is very refreshing.
Stephen Power
The American Organist
These pillars of the Victorian Age are here memorialized by some less-often recorded works as well as by some true classics. There will be few who have not heard "The Spirit of the Lord Is Upon Me" and "Beati quorum via." Probably fewer are familiar with Stanford's "Justorum animae" or Elgar's "Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars." They and the other works deserve the good hearing they get by this competent choir of both adult men and boys and girls. There is fine music here that is little heard elsewhere.
Paul Aldridge
The Organ - September 2005
The first eight pieces on this CD are given over to Stanford. They included the well-known Three Motets, opus 38 and the A major evening canticles, as well as A Song of Peace, Pray that Jerusalem and For Lo, I raise up, opus 145. The compilers are to be congratulated on this juxtaposition of familiar and less so. I particularly enjoyed the opus 145 -written in 1914 and an extended anthem with an intriguing organ part. But the best is yet to come. The last 5 pieces are extracts from Elgar's oratorios The Light of Life and The Apostles, and an anthem Give unto the Lord, opus 74.This is wonderful stuff -classic Elgar and not often heard. There are some rollicking organ parts too. Choir, director and organist have clearly enjoyed themselves in making this recording and it is of a very high standard throughout. The Manchester Cathedral organ comes over well throughout. Highly recommended.
DB
Choir Schools Today - 2005
In recent years, Manchester Cathedral Choir has explored works from Gibbons to Maxwell Davies. In The Spirit of the Lord the choir returns to more standard fare, with music by Elgar and Stanford. In opting for a programme orientated by composer, the choir follows a well-trodden road which inevitably invites comparison with similar recordings, such as Worcester Cathedral Choir's 1982 Hyperion LP and the Stanford and Elgar discs of St John's College Chapel Choir on Naxos. While there are duplications between these series, including the Stanford unaccompanied motets and For lo I raise up on both Worcester and St John's, and all but one of the five Elgar tracks are found on St John's, yet this recording stands successfully on its own merits. Stanford's Evening Service in A is sung at a brisk and buoyant tempo, the performances of the three Latin motets are luxuriously indulgent, and his two anthems A Song of peace and Pray that Jerusalem may have peace (from the Bible Songs and Six Hymns respectively) are welcome additions to the Stanford discography. There are also strong performances of Elgar's Give unto the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord. The disc is completed with three chorus movements from the oratorio The Light of Life Seek him that maketh the seven stars (for four-part male chorus), Doubt not thy Father's care (for unison sopranos) and the chorus Light of the World. Perhaps the greatest distinction between the recordings is Manchester's intimate sound, with a drier acoustic, fewer male singers, and a more focussed, less 'blooming' sound in the treble line (in Manchester, consisting of boys and girls). Mention, also. of the soloists names would have been welcome in the accompanying notes. The blended sound of the trebles is evident in the delightful A song of peace and Doubt not thy Father's care. Occasional over-articulation feels a little fussy (such as detached notes of Give onto the Lord), but on the whole the choir demonstrates fine control of dynamics in an acoustic where there is little note decay. Manchester Cathedral Choir is to be applauded for exploring this rich early-twentieth-century repertoire and producing a disc that is a worthy addition to the canon of existing recordings.
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - March 2005
Lance Andrews continues his exemplary collection of recordings from English Cathedrals with this disc of classic works. Many of the pieces here will be familiar to my readers, but there are a few welcome rarities. In addition to the Stanford Three Motets, Op.38 and the Evening Canticles in A, we have the lesser-known anthems A Song of Peace, Pray that Jerusalem (both of these from a set of Six Hymns dating from 1909), and the dramatic For lo, I raise up (1914). These works call for a fine choir, but why not rise to the challenge, if one has the voices?
Elgar is represented, first, by two excerpts (taken out of order) from The Light of life the Das Rheingold prelude to his trio of larger oratorios (only The Apostles and The Kingdom having been completed). Still, in my view, The Light of Life is unjustly neglected in our time. Two other Elgar standards are augmented by Doubt not thy Father's care, which was new to me and is a lovely short anthem, worthy of consideration for many service settings. For those who do real Evensong in the Anglican Cathedral style, this disc has many fine ideas.
Victor Hill, Phd.
Sounds Romantic
Organ Music of Elgar and Stanford played by Christopher Stokes on the organ of Manchester Cathedral
Organists Review - May 2005
Able professional hands have been the hallmark of Christopher Stokes' years at Manchester, where the musical scene has continued to go from strength to strength. But what of the organ? It evolved in a very curious manner, moulded by major brushes with Norman Cocker, Hitler's bombs, and Harrison & Harrison in a post-war crisis of confidence. Its great strengths are its glorious Swell and Solo organs (though now sadly shorn of the big Tuba for which Cocker wrote THAT piece) and the strength and profundity of its Pedal. Its weaknesses have been its Choir Organ, which knows not what it is, and its Great chorus -though this has been greatly improved in recent years. The full spec (no fewer than 89 speaking stops) should have been available to read in the CD booklet, but unfortunately the accidental omission of the entire Swell division puts paid to that!
Christopher Stokes has chosen a programme which plays to the organ's strengths and to his own. His interpretation of the Elgar Sonata is a richly mature reading, revelling in the Manchester organ's ability to score Elgar's music orchestrally -including the delicious use of the velvety French Horn and a vast range of soft solo colours. Stokes finds speeds which seem always apt -quite an achievement in a work often recorded but whose soul remains just as often illusive. Stokes manages to make Stanford's stirring Fantasia & Toccata sit alongside the Elgar with no feeling of anticlimax -an achievement which, remarkably, he also brings to CVS's second set of Six Short Preludes & Postludes, which here receive readings which suggest these modest pieces are well worthy of more frequent performance -and not just by teenage pupils. This is a sumptuously rich and enjoyable feast of British high romantic organ works, revealing a player and an organ which put them up there with the best things coming out of France or Germany at the same time.
Paul Hale
Sounds from St Albans
David Humphreys plays the organ at St Albans Cathedral
Cathedral Music
Clattering stop-changes aside. 22-year old David Humphreys' playing is never dull. always imaginatively exploring the St Albans organ, and this, coupled with an attractive -although not altogether unknown - programme makes for enjoyable listening.
Martin Wolf.
The Organ 332
David Humphreys gives us an exciting set of performances of standard 19th and 20th century organ music: Widor (1st movement of the 5th Symphony); Langlais Prélude une Antienne, Peeters Suite Modale Eben, Moto Ostinato, Reger, Benedictus, Franck Choral Ill, Hurford Meditation, and Messaien Dieu Parmi Nous. Rather predictable, one might think, with many recordings of most if not ail the pieces already well embedded in collections. That may be true, but Humphreys plays with an exciting verve and the Harrison sounds magnificent - especially when you get the reeds going! This is a good recording to have if you want lots of 'pops' on one disc very well played.
DB
Britten - Missa Brevis and other works for treble voices featuring Kieran White
The Boy Choristers of Wells Cathedral featuring Kieran White
Cathedral Music
The repertoire on this disc is designed to tug at the heart strings. As we have come to expect the Wells Cathedral Choir under Malcolm Archer is superlative. For a disc that says "featuring Kieran White" we learn nothing of him. In fact, a Cathedral Music correspondent wrote to tell me. He was a chorister at Sherborne Abbey before joining Wells Cathedral in 2000. After two and a half years in the choir he became head chorister and was a frequent soloist. He has sung at the Edington Festival and been a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Choirboy of the year competition. However, the biographies on Archer and Bednal take up nearly two pages of the accompanying booklet. It is a well-recorded CD, and will appeal to those who enjoy this type of repertoire.
Andrew Palmer
Church Music Quarterly
Several trebles are featured on this disc: Ned Berry, Daniel Macklin, Harry New and Kieran White the star of the show. The purity and clarity of Kieran's voice is amply demonstrated in his performance of If with all your hearts from Mendelssohn's Elijah. So brevis is Britten's Missa that it occupies only the first ten minutes or so of the programme. It is followed by a mixture of solos and pieces for an the trebles together. Three pieces by Malcolm Archer nestle between compositions by Vaughan Williams (The call) and Ireland (Ex ore innocentium )The first piece of Archer is an arrangement of Be still for the presence of the Lord The next two are wholly original: Brightest and Best and Lead kindly light. It is perhaps in the last of these that Kieran Mite sounds at his best. Of two further pieces by Malcolm Archer, When I survey the wondrous cross features a solo by Ned Berry, who has an impressive range with a rich lower register. The other boys should not be forgotten. They have very good blend and diction and they work together to make a lovely sound, as exemplified by Dyson's expressive Nunc Dimittis in D, which rounds off the programme.
International Record Review - April 2005
The voices and instruments of the English cathedral music tradition can sometimes look like a threatened species. Yet appearances are deceptive: somehow the species survives, almost without mutation, and the ancient foundations look like bastions of strength, bulwarks against the ravages of the Zeitgeist. Come back with me, then, to Wells Cathedral, where history is now and England, for an hour of gentle consolation, spiritual uplift and some beautiful singing.
Star of the show is the treble Kieran White, who gets eight solo tracks to himself, ranging from a familiar aria in Elijah to a clutch of items by the Cathedral Director of Music until last year, Malcolm Archer. White's voice is a wonder: clean and pure, no hint of strain or stress, smooth and even across the entire treble range, neither prissy nor booty: the ideal sound in the very spacious (but not over-reverberant) acoustic in which he and his co-soloists and chorister colleagues are recorded. He tackles everything from Britten to modern organist-composers - Stanley Vann, Noel Rawsthorne, Philip Moore - with shining aplomb, whether he has organ or piano to accompany him. (There is only one track which I think is a dud, and that is because the composition itself reminds me too much of Lloyd Webber junior - I am not going to identify it.)
Ned Berry, presumably another chorister, seizes his moment in the sun with another Archer setting, When I survey the wondrous cross. The massed trebles of the choir are nicely if distantly recorded in such standards as the Pie Jesu from the Fauré Requiem and Dyson's kunc Dimittis in D, which makes an appropriate end to the collection. The organist, David Bednall, has little opportunity to shine - perhaps I should say rather that he is commendably discreet! A lot of the music is slow or contemplative: no crime, but this is not a disc to play straight through or for those seeking drama: about the only real forte comes at the end of Leonard Blake's too brief And now another day is gone.
After all this, what of Britten's Missa brevis, which is the disc's marketing tag? There is plenty of formidable competition hereabouts of course, beginning with old and new versions from Westminster Cathedral, for where it was written. (The original George Malcolm record is surely a historic document which Decca ought to keep available on CD.) The Wells Cathedral Choristers and Archer show that they can more than hold their own when, as now, the music is suddenly out of another and much higher league. I suspect, though, that this excellent performance of a masterwork is not going to be the decisive factor in a purchase: more, it will be a question of whether the musical selection appeals. Connoisseurs of the Anglican treble tradition need not hesitate over Master White's considerable abilities as displayed here.
Piers Burton-Page
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - March 2005
The Britten Missa brevis is, of course, one of the finest modern works for treble voices that one can find, and it enjoys a superlative performance here. Still, this disc presents some repertory that may provide fruitful ideas for our colleagues. Some of us may know the Nadia Boulanger Lux eterna, but for any who have yet to meet this stunningly beautiful short motet, this version (the original was for soprano solo, harp, violin, and organ) is heard here in a superlative version for organ by the admired David Briggs. No publication information is given in the liner, but this piece is one that conductors of good treble choruses should take the trouble to track down.
This disc contains other treasures, many by Malcom Archer, who has gone on to London, as well as by Philip Moore (York), Stanley Vann, Leonard Blake, and Noel Rawsthorne. Of special interest is the brief (two-minute) motet A grateful heart by the Cornwall-Devon composer Mary Plumstead (1905-80), which should be an inspiration to girls or young women who aspire to be choral composers - it's an unheralded gem!
As to Kieran White, who is featured, the voice is quite lovely, though we have no biographical information. (He is generally accompanied on a piano.) He has all of the high notes, securely, but what I notice in particular is his security and rich tone in the middle register, which is not where boy sopranos always excel. Is his, perhaps, a career to watch?
Victor Hill, Phd
The World Of Trebles and Boychoirs - 19 January 2005
First, it is worth noting that Kieran White was one of the finalists in BBC's Radio2 Young Chorister of the Year (2002) when James Eager won.
Unfortunately, aside from that small piece of information, I cannot seem to find anything else on him. Suffice it to say, he has a sweet Treble voice - and deserves recognition for his work. First, let's start with the Britten "Missa Brevis in D".
I am always excited when a choir I haven't heard releases a CD with Britten's Missa Brevis. It is an extraordinary piece of music and the vocals are "fun" for choristers to sing! They, each as a team, get to "punch" their voice instrument in a number of places, and the Well's Boys are no exception to this. I seem to be at a severe disadvantage when it comes to hearing the various Cathedral Choirs throughout the U.K. (perhaps the world) in that I don't really "know" what the sound should be like within the walls of the church. At the Wells Website, it is noted that "Wells is peaceful and joyful cathedral." and that "It is a prayer in stone and glass" which I think is interesting since the first time I put the CD into the deck in the AudioMobile, I noticed a ring (a good one) in the tone of the church itself. Sometimes, and I remember this well, an organ is overwhelming and the organist plays as if it is their solemn duty to have the entire countryside hear only them - and the beauty of their work. Left off to the side or in the background are the voices of the choir. Mr. Bednall plays to the boys and does not overwhelm them. His skill in reducing the air through the pipes at the appropriate time is very noticeable on this particular recording. So, when one of the soloists draws in his breath, on the release (in song) the organ has "piped down" and we are allowed to let the boys human instrument take over - as it should.
Easily one of the best tracks on the CD is "Be Still For The Presence of the Lord" which features Master White as the soloist. I really like the boys tone in this song. In classical Treble singing, what is normal should also be unique - to the soloist. As a boy, Sr. Pierre would remind me over and over that my voice was my signature and therefore it should be something that when the eyes of the listener are closed, it is possible to distinguish between Treble "A" and Treble "B". In my case, I punctuated my voice with power that sent quality notes across the pews. With Master White, it is his intonation that I will remember. Brought out again in "Lead Kindly Light" we are treated to his singular style by his holding the notes without pause for enough time for the "signature" to be made for all time. Later, in "I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes", he carries his voice across the church in tone and spirit that you almost wish the organ was never playing, although it is soft anyway. Maybe the organ is keeping his timing, I don't know, however he runs the scales of notes beautifully and skillfully as he gets "his message" across to the listener. I don't want to leave out tracks without a featured soloist. "The Call" is stunning and probably the best track on the CD. I had to listen to that piece three times to burn it into my mind for replay on my human iPod anytime I wish. It's a short piece at 2:23 however, it is the tuning of the boys voices that produce the memory and the radiance of the song! (It may also have to do with the acoustics!). As the organ gets louder so do the boys. The convergence of the sound of the organ "pipes" with the sound of the human "pipes" occurs and drops in a free fall of emotion - while still holding the echo of wonder that was produced on the high. You have to repeat this track to allow you time to think that it's possible that you haven't heard "The Call" as well before. I certainly can't think of another choir producing Ralph Vaughan Williams' piece as well. You get to hear this convergence again in Faure's "Pie Jesu" - which while typically traditional, is masterfully sung by these choristers!
Outstanding!
Sounds of Celebration
Kevin Bowyer plays the organ works of Paul Fisher at Blackburn Cathedral
The American Organist
Lammas seems to want to make a career out of recording this one instrument. That in itself is no bad thing; it has often been praised here for its many fine sounds, power, and acoustic. Further, recordings by different artists provide a basis for comparison of usage, and prove that there are few bad sounds able to come through this organ. This collection includes such oddities as a suite for pedal and left hand, a piece for organ and flute, and a "suite of pieces for trying out a new organ" called The Colours of the Spirit. If nothing else, at least this is a fresh and humorous look at the organ as instrument. Another piece celebrates the Vietnamese Potbellied Pig. There are more "sedate" works based on "In dulci jubilo," "Amazing Grace, " and "Noel nouvelet." On all of this, including a version of the popular tune, "Misty," Bowyer plays well, and the Walker performs well, though at times like a sophisticated lady forced into charades. For something different, give this a turn on your system. You'll at least hear the strangest Voix humaine ever; one hopes this is not how an Englishman thinks a Frenchman sings.
Paul Aldridge
Church Music Quarterly - March 2006
Some months ago, I reviewed -and recommended -in CMQ a
disc of music by Paul Fisher played by Kevin Bowyer, and having enjoyed that
first disc, I was pleased to receive a second. The programme opens with
Bradford, a fantasia and fugue composed to celebrate the centenary of the
building of the organ in Bradford Cathedral. As one might expect of such a work,
it explores a great range of textures and timbres. There are some lovely
harmonies and fine melodic lines. Next come Three Fancies for Organ Pedal and
Left Hand: based upon well-known melodies, they are a significant cut above mere
left-hand-and-pedal exercises. The first, Your Feet's Too Big is appropriately
jazzy in style; Misty perfumed and sexy; while the final piece, Yorkshire,
Christmas, incorporates the Yorkshire tune for 'While shepherds watched'
(nowadays better known as the tune for the song ‘On Ilkley Moor') and In dulci
jubilo. It has an anxiety that seems to suggest that the composer, a retired
clergyman, regards Christmas as a time of challenge, maybe on a range of levels.
The next two pieces are for organ and flute. The Shadow of the Sun is based on
Amazing Grace, while For Helen uses plainsong melodies, together with a motif
derived from the letters of the name of the person in whose memory piece was
composed. This work contains passages of arresting beauty and puts the listener
in mind of the magic of the hills that the music seeks to evoke. Wild Spirits
celebrates 'the wildlife of creation' with a blaze of colour and both wit and
wistfulness. It takes a brave composer to write a set of variations on Noël
Nouvelet, given Dupré's monumental creation -but Fisher is probably not the kind
of man to pay much regard to such matters. Magus-like, he has the e confidence
to follow his own musical star and to create a work that is distinctively his
own. You might say that it is less bourgeois than the Dupré. Finally, Colours of
the Spirit is a set of variations on Veni Creator Spiritus. Each short variation
explores a specific stop combination and a different mood. Structures such as
this, comprising mosaic-like contrasts that are united by a common cantus firmus
seem to suit Paul Fisher's musical temperament. He explores the potential of
both the theme and the instrument with a refreshing inquisitiveness.
As with the first disc of Paul Fisher's organ works, Kevin Bowyer's
interpretations show a remarkable affinity with the music. The composer could
not hope for a more persuasive advocate.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music
Don't be put off by the fact you may never have heard of Paul Fisher! Kevin Bowyer, that great champion of contemporary music, certainly presents a convincing case and uses the Blackburn organ to excellent effect. Fisher's style ranges from shades of Dupré through English Romanticism to jazz (with the Three Fantasias for pedal and left hand), but is always accessible and tuneful -in the best possible way. The two items for flute and organ, The Shadow of the Sun and For Helen work well and the balance is handled sensitively. Definitely worth exploring - the perfect gift for the music lover who already has everything on CD.
Julian Thomas
MusicWeb - April 2005
This album brings us two unique personalities: composer Paul Fisher, and organist Kevin Bowyer. Paul Fisher is a bright newcomer to the music scene, having only begun composing for organ in 1996. His music is very improvisational in nature, often taking the listener in unexpected directions. He uses the sounds of the organ well to weave great tapestries of musical color. Throughout the wandering phrases, Fisher, using various methods, weaves in familiar melodies that reveal themselves like the sun appearing from behind the clouds. Also relatively new to the organ, Fisher understands the instrument and its capabilities very well, writing music that sounds and feels very natural. One can’t imagine a transcription of these works succeeding on any other instrument or group of instruments. The very first track, Bradford, sounds much like a talented organist improvising on a hymn tune, although with a harmonically complicated fugue developing on the simple theme. The end makes grand use of the entire tonal resources of the organ. The only criticism I feel this album deserves is in its titling. While the spirit of celebration exists in some of this music, much of it exceeds such a simple description. In fact, if I had obtained this CD expecting a full hour of sound of the organ most often thought of as celebratory, I would have been disappointed.
Standing alone here is a group of pieces titled "Three Fancies for Organ Pedal and Left Hand." Fancies is a good word for these three, short works, the longest being not even 3½ minutes long. For these themes, Fisher chooses "Your feet’s too big" in tribute to Fats Waller, the popular tune "Misty", and "On Ilkley Moor" the original tune to "While Shepherds Watched" for the third piece, titled "A Yorkshire Christmas". There’s not much repertoire for any keyboard instrument utilizing only one hand, and composing within these limits must be challenging. Fisher succeeds in giving us three very interesting adaptations of these tunes.
We’re also treated on this album to two works for flute and organ, again, sounding very improvisatory, but with the flute carrying a clear and familiar tune above the noise. The enigmatic work "For Helen", written in memory of a girl killed in an accident at the age of one, is beautiful and moving, and shows Fisher’s talent for careful use of the softest stops in the organ. The final work on the CD, "The Colours of Spirit" also shows the composer’s appreciation for the colorful, softer stops of the organ; stops that are frequently overlooked and overshadowed. Again, while beautiful in themselves, these tracks don’t uphold the album title of "Sounds of Celebration".
Having said much about the composer, I feel there’s little to say about the organist. Kevin Bowyer is always a fantastic organist. It’s very hard to put him in a comparative light because there is little to compare him with. Few organists are willing to tackle as much new music as Bowyer does, while still retaining such a great knowledge of the classic repertoire. His playing is seamless and moving. A listener could easily believe that the organist himself is improvising these works. He gives them great expression and color, and does a wonderful job of bringing this unique music to life.
The organ at Blackburn Cathedral was an excellent venue for such a recording. This versatile English organ with its multitude of stops of full-foundation power, and its brilliant reeds allows both organist and composer many musical freedoms. The resonant space gives the organ room to breathe and allows the music to grow and fade just as intended. The recording engineers did a wonderful job of capturing the sound of the instrument and the room. The works for flute and organ find both instruments speaking clearly. This is a unique album of beautiful music. I highly recommend it for the true enthusiast of the sounds of organ music.
Brent Johnson
Maurice Duruflé - complete sacred choral works
Truro Cathedral Choir with Dawid Kimberg Baritone
Church Music Quarterly - September 2006
With the immense popularity of the choral works of Duruflé it still amazes me that his entire oeuvre tragically lasts just over an hour. As the notes state, 'Duruflé' was a slow composer, constantly revising his work'. This disc presents his work in chronological order (Requiem, Quatre Motets, Messe cum jubilo and Nôtre Père). The understanding and recognition of Gregorian chant is essential when performing any of these works, since all of these works (with the post Vatican II exception Nôtre Père) are based on such chant. I am delighted to see the opening page of the marvellous booklet notes dedicated to explaining the nineteenth-century revival of chant.
There is some fine expressive singing; the tenors and basses (who are excellent in the Messe) provide a firm foundation, and the trebles full-bodied sound is perfect for the repertoire. Their singing of the Pie Jesu in the Requiem (tutti) is very moving and solves the problem of what to do with the exceptionally long final phrase -tricky for a soloist! The playing is also very fine, especially in the fiendishly tricky Sanctus of the Requiem. Overall, the disc is very fine and rewarding in many ways.
Will Dawes
Choir and Organ - November/December 2005
The price of the cathedral atmosphere is loss of precision and clarity in the recorded sound; with that caveat, you experience the Requiem here as you would in a service. There's a wider stylistic range than you might expect: the change from the Fauré-esque Requiem to the carollike simplicity of Ubi caritas et amor is striking. And from the folky exuberance of the Motets, the heady explosion of the full organ at the outset of the Messe cum jubilo brings another stark contrast.
Martin Anderson
Cathedral Music
The Truro choir's strengths are well displayed in this latest recording. Its strong but sweet-toned treble hue and an impressively well-blended group of lay-clerks and choral scholars plus the excellent Dawid Kimberg (baritone) give an assured performance of Duruflé's Requiem together with the Mass Cum Jubilo for unison mens' voices, the four motets founded on plainsong themes and the Lord's Prayer. Robert Sharpe's speeds are brisk, but not unacceptably so, and Christopher Gray finds all the right sounds on the cathedral's wonderful Father Willis organ. Recommended.
Timothy Storey
MusicWeb - May 2005
Maurice Duruflé’s setting of the Requiem Mass, heavily indebted as it is to the legacy of plainsong, is one I’ve loved ever since I first encountered it while at school. I’ve subsequently been fortunate enough to sing it on a number of occasions. I suppose I should nail my colours to the mast and admit that in some respects I actually prefer it to the sublime setting by Fauré. Having just recently taken part in a run of three performances (of the organ version, as presented here) I was particularly pleased to receive this CD for review.
There is a great deal to admire in this performance. I like Robert Sharpe’s tempi, which without exception flow nicely and very naturally. He is very faithful to the score in his observance of dynamics and the relation of one speed to another. He has clearly trained his choir very well. They make a very pleasing, well-blended sound and the voices are nicely balanced against each other. The engineers have recorded the choir (and the organ) very well and have used the resonant acoustics of Truro Cathedral intelligently. The Father Willis organ sounds absolutely splendid and is played very well indeed by Christopher Gray (hear his dexterity in the staccato figurations of the passage ‘Libera eas de ore leonis’ in the ‘Domine Jesu Christe’ movement (track 3); these are terrifyingly difficult to articulate clearly and precisely but Gray’s playing is pinpoint accurate.
Of course, it may be objected that the sound of an English all-male choir was not the sound that Duruflé had in mind. That may be so but I suspect he would have enjoyed the purity of the Truro trebles and the cutting edge of the sound of their alto colleagues. The choir’s singing is pretty refined but they are also capable of producing a good deal of volume when it’s called for. So, for example, they provide a powerful, unforced climax at ‘Hosanna’ in the Sanctus (track 4). That moment is all the more exciting because just for a few vital seconds it’s underpinned by a terrific pedal sound on the organ.
The two brief baritone solos are well taken by Donald Kimble who projects his voice very well. If I have an issue with this performance it concerns the fifth movement, ‘Pie Jesu’. Like Fauré, Duruflé sets this for a female soloist but whereas Fauré calls for a soprano Duruflé specifies a mezzo-soprano. Here, however, Robert Sharpe has his trebles sing in unison what should be a solo. To be sure, they sing it beautifully, but it’s not what the composer asked for (there is a very specific note in the front of the vocal score detailing some modifications that may be made in performance) and the trebles have a completely different timbre, of course. The range of the solo (from top F sharp down to bottom B flat) is much more suited to a mezzo and this is particularly true of the very end of the piece where the vocal line consists of s series of soft low Cs. The boys just don’t have the body of tone to make these notes tell quietly. It’s ironic that this movement is done in this way when the option that Duruflé specifically allows, for the baritones in the chorus to sing the two short baritone solos, is not taken.
However, though I take issue with the decision over the ‘Pie Jesu’ it’s the only flaw that I find in an otherwise highly recommendable performance. Sharpe and his singers capture beautifully the gorgeous timelessness of the ‘Lux Aeterna’ and the concluding ‘In Paradisum’ is wonderfully done, with the trebles singing angelically. For me this movement is even more otherworldly than the comparable (and much better known) movement in Fauré’s setting. Here Duruflé surely gives us a glimpse of the Beyond. It’s typical of Christopher Gray’s first-rate organ playing that the crucial, questioning G sharp in the very last chord registers discreetly but to perfection.
Duruflé’s output of music was so slender that it’s possible to accommodate all of his sacred vocal music on this one CD. The four motets are, like the Requiem, suffused with the influence of plainsong. Indeed, their full title is Quatre motets sur des Thèmes Grégoriens pour Chœur a cappella. They are all very brief and are lovely little creations, exquisitely crafted. The music ranges from the exuberance of ‘Tu es Petrus’ to the pellucid beauty of ‘Ubi Caritas’. The Truro choir make a splendid job of them.
The Mass ’Cum Jubilo’ is performed here in the version for baritone solo and a chorus of baritones. Again, it is very well done. The choral baritones make a very pleasant and committed sound and David Kimberg is in fine form for his two important solos. Once again Christopher Gray makes a distinguished contribution.
Finally, we hear Duruflé’s very last work, a setting in French of the Lord’s Prayer. This exists in two versions, for four-part choir and for solo voice with organ. It’s the latter version that’s given here, sung by the trebles in unison. It’s a simple, sincere and direct piece and it receives a lovely performance. As it’s so short it would have been interesting to have heard the other version as well, but no matter.
This is a most enjoyable and well-produced disc. Despite my one reservation over the ‘Pie Jesu’ I found this a very satisfying recital and I’m very happy to recommend it.
John Quinn
Living Bread
Truro Cathedral Choir
Cathedral Music
What a fine choir this is! There is an unusually good set of men (a mixture of lay clerks and choral scholars) and the boys' singing is confident, mature and full-toned even if their words are riot always as clear as one could wish. There is an enviably good supply of capable soloists for Allegri's famous Miserere, Mendelssohn's Hear my prayer and (a welcome rarity ' ) Michael Wise's classic The ways of Sion do mourn with its extensive bass and treble duets, hard to bring off but balanced to perfection here. SS. Wesley Palestrina, Lobo, Franck and Battishill make up the remainder of the programme, with Finzi's Lo, the full, final sacrifice a substantial finale which allows us to hear the full resources of the magnificent 'Father' Willis organ. Well worth buying.
Timothy Storey
Choir Schools Today - 2005
A previous issue of CST enthused about a Truro Christmas disc so it will come as no surprise to hear that this is another 'must have' disc for listeners and collectors. True, there are 'plums' that are recorded elsewhere and the Allegri Miserere although well performed, is so often heard and recorded, that one wonders in familiarity why Mozart is so renowned for having transcribed it by ear: verse after verse of the same harmonies. However, this is mere carping since Wesley's Wash me thoroughly, Mendelssohn's Hear my prayer (with great solo singing from Charles Murray) Walton's Litany and Finzi's electrifying masterpiece Lo the full final sacrifice are all performed with mastery. Delightful, also, to hear The ways of Zion do mourn by the eccentric Michael Wise. The pathos of this Restoration masterpiece is greatly moving, with drawn out ducts sung by Joshua Brooksbank treble and Peter Braithwaite bass, adding to the charm. The chorus parts with their subtle dissonances owe something to Purcell. Moving, also, is Versa in Luctum Lobo's funeral anthem for Philip II of Spain. Truro may seem a long way away from metropolitan centres but it is heartening to know that such high standards prevail: it is surely one of our best cathedral choirs (still all boys? ...). The choristers are educated at Polwhele School, which has its own notable standards of music and education.
Choir and Organ - January/February 2005
***
Truro Cathedral Choir's primer of penitential music ranges from the ubiquity of Allegri's Miserere mei Deus and Franck's Panis angelicus, to lesser known works such as The ways of Sion do mourn by Michael Wise, 17th-century organist of Salisbury Cathedral and St Paul's, and Walton's A Litany, written at the precocious age of 15. The solid and thoughtful performances that fill the disc don't pretend to add anything profound to the recorded repertoire, but are attractive.
Matthew Simpkins
MusicWeb - September 2004
"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing." In one form or another, these words have inspired countless composers and innumerable choirs and vocalists through the last several millennia. This CD is a collection of pieces for largely unaccompanied male chorus, with twelve adult and eighteen boy choristers performing sacred music from a rather diverse collection of traditions and epochs. The two things which tie this music together are the focus on the divine inspiration of the texts and the largely unaccompanied choral tradition designed to highlight the texts from which all of the music is derived. Where any instrumental accompaniment enters into the compositions, it is by nature almost exclusively in support of the vocals, and intended to augment and give more body to the choir rather than to contrast or ornament the arrangements. Thus this is a sacred choral album in the purest sense, recorded by a church choir in a cathedral, intended to inspire the faithful and echo the choirs of angels in the most literal sense.
By selecting vocal works from different languages, times, and lands, this collection does a good job of appealing to many tastes. However the variety is limited due to the constrained nature of the performing group and the intended audience. Church audiences are notoriously conservative, even in the realm of musical accompaniment to worship. Thus the Walton and Finzi have no difficulty coexisting beside the Allegri and da Palestrina works, nearly four centuries their senior.
The works from the 16th century are the unaccompanied, openly chorded, nearly unmetered sounds so indicative of Renaissance church music all set for the Mass. The Gregorio Allegri work Miserere mei, Deus includes sections of plainchant alternating with harmonized choral work and stratospheric treble melodies, and the Versa est in luctum contains some of the most luscious harmonizations written in the era. The ways of Sion do mourn is a duet also hearkens to the same tradition with open sounds and free flowing rhythms, but includes a simple organ part, probably written for the portative organ rather than a choral backing.
The other works tend to make use of the organ, though generally in a very restrained way. The Franck work Panis Angelicus, for instance, uses the organ to supplement the boys' choir singing in unison rather than adding an adult choir for support the way that William Walton does in A Litany. The concluding work, Lo, the full, final sacrifice is the only work on the album with an extended organ section, and even here it is used mostly to introduce and transition between different material.
As far as the individual performances, there are a couple of places in Hear My Prayer where the soloist seems to falter and fall below pitch, but otherwise each song on the album is excellent. The choir blends well and the soloists tend toward a vocal purity that is truly outstanding. The selections presented are very representative of music that has stood out as true masterworks of church literature through the ages. The choir does a very nice job of performing, and it is doubtless that one could see how such music would make a listener feel closer to heaven. The performances give one a sense of calm and serenity. A very nice set of performances, this is an album that Truro Cathedral Choir should truly take pride in and be proud of.
Patrick Gary
In Tune with Heaven
The Girls and Men of Norwich Cathedral Choir
Choir Schools Today - 2005
Calling a CD "In tune with Heaven" is something of a hostage to fortune, but in this case the tuning is good, and the loved gems of Parry, Stanford and William Harris are well sung. Some might question the need for a recording of "Blest pair of Sirens" in an organ transcription: it does sound somewhat different from the orchestrated version but this does give the choir a chance to sing an undoubted masterpiece, perhaps in a diminished form. It is hard to cherry-pick a disc like this since it is full of cherries. However, there are some Harris anthems with which I was unfamiliar "Come my way," and "Come Down 0 Love Divine" for instance: his beautifully crafted work is always informed by all that is best in the Anglican choral tradition. Two others, "Faire is the Heaven" and "Bring us 0 Lord God" are great classics. Parry's motets including "My Soul there is a Country", and "Never weather-beaten sail" remind us of this composer's genius with words. Both they and the Stanford Three Motets (Justorum animae, Coelos ascendit and Beati Quorun are consummate masterpieces: a joy both to sing and to listen too.
The sleeve notes do not relate much about the background of the Norwich Girls, but I believe that they are drawn from an older age group. Let us not enter controversy here, but suffice it to say that this listener prefers to hear older-age girl choristers. Moreover, the excellent Norwich musical system allows both boy and girl choristers to flourish without trespassing on each other's territory. The Girls and Men of Norwich Cathedral Choir clearly relate well to the music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are well blended. By the sound of it they are also extremely well-trained by Julian Thomas who clearly has had the right background: Salisbury Chorister, Charterhouse Music Scholar, Jesus College Cambridge Organ Scholar, with prizes at the RCO thrown in. A good disc and recommended.
Church Music Quarterly
Norwich Cathedral has a girls' choir that allows its members to carry on singing until the age of 18. Resulting from this, it is a pleasant, colourful but blended sound that the top line produces on this disc. The recording features a selection of choral anthems by three of the most influential church composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries Hubert Parry, Charles Stanford and William Harris, with a mixture of well-known and less familiar pieces, including Blest pair of sirens, the Songs of Farewell, and the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in G. The accompaniments are all inventive and colourful on the mighty five-manual Norwich instrument. Overall, a very pleasing disc, but one that doesn't necessarily 'break the mould' in its choice of repertoire or performance. Recommended.
Kit Perona-Wright
Cathedral Music - February 2004
This CD is a fine collection of staple English cathedral choral music by Harris Parry and Stanford Like many cathedrals, Norwich has a girls' choir and again, like many cathedrals, they get judged critically - being the relatively new institution they are to the English cathedral music scene. Like many, I agree that girls' voices have quite a different tone to boys but I have to say that there is variance between different girls' choirs ~ the usual comment being that they sound feeble and without spirit in their singing. In this recording by Lammas, the singing is full of spirit both on the girls' part and the gentlemen. In the accompanied pieces we are delighted by the superb playing of Tom Leech especially in Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens.
Graham Hermon
Choir and Organ - January/February 2005
***
As the Girls' Choir at Norwich Cathedral heads towards the 10th anniversary of its founding, it has released its first CD: a packed selection of music by three mainstays of the English romantic choral tradition. The choir produces a focused and pure tone, with a warmth that is particularly suited to the lush, almost symphonic textures of Harris's Faire is the Heaven and Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens two of the most satisfying performances on the disc.
Matthew Simpkins
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - September 2004
This recording opens with Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens, mentioned in the following review; it is a work that was highly regarded by Ralph Vaughan Williams. I am more accustomed to hearing both a larger all adult chorus and a full orchestra, but the Norwich forces make an impressive case for performance with 24 girls, a dozen lay clerks, and organ. Being reminded of Richard Seal's demonstration for the 1997 AAM Conference in Salisbury, I could not necessarily have discerned that the trebles were girls rather than boys if the liner had not given away that fact. The choral sound throughout is smooth and vital. The program also includes four of Parry's six Songs of Farewell, eloquently sung.
Most of the selections are well-known, including four standard anthems of Stanford, his Evening Canticles in G, and some of the more frequently heard selections of William Harris. New to me was Stanford's A Song of Peace for girls' voices and a couple of lesser-known works of Harris. Treble Rebecca Greenfield and bass Matthew Cann are especially effective in Stanford in G, as is tenor David Burrows in Harris' festive Strengthen Ye -the Weak Hands. Director Julian Thomas is Assistant Organist and Director of the Girls' Choir at Norwich; he has a keen grasp of the Parry/Stanford/Harris idiom and communicates the style with vitality and sensitivity. The liner includes notes, full texts, brief biographies, and choir personnel-but also a half-page of blank space that might have been used for at least a brief note about the organ. Production and engineering are exemplary.
Victor Hill, Ph.D.
The Journal - Norfolk Organists' Association - Autumn 2004
This excellent CD brought home more than a whiff of nostalgia, indeed it was a powerful reminder of long-gone 1950s student days spent at the Abbey, Paul's, Temple and Southwark when this repertoire was performed regularly. I must confess that my personal delight in this music has been strongly reinforced by this recent recording from Norwich Cathedral.
The Girls' Choir have made immense strides under the leadership of Julian Thoms and their contribution is almost faultless. The cathedral men display sensitive musicianship throughout the demanding programme -and only on rare occasions does the balance waver. The fine rapport between girls and men is a deserved reward for increased combined opportunities over the past year or so.
Parry, Stanford and Harris all had the knack of choosing quality texts which stimulated imaginative word-setting; a considerable choral challenge which has evoked a marvellous response from the Norwich singers. Julian Tbomas obtains subtle dynamic shading in all the fight places, while diction is crystal clear throughout.
I am too biased to pinpoint highlights, but if pushed 1 would go for the six-part 'There is an old belief. however', I know that my knowledgeable wife would plump for 'My soul there is a country'. Julian and the choir really get it all together in Parry's 'Songs of Farewell'. We both rated 'Blest pair of Sirens' very highly too, a flowing performance that easily overcame the problems created by the sectional nature of the music.
Stanford's glorious 'Song of Peace' is the one girls-only contribution, and they relish the opportunity! The deceptive simplicity of Harris's 'Come down 0 Love Divine' is movingly performed, while the atmospheric 'Strengthen Ye the Weak Hands' contains exquisite moments.
Soloists Rebecca Greenfield David Burows and Matthew Camm deserve congratulation, while Torn Leech's able organ accompaniments are sensitively wrought.
This high quality CD reflects excellent teamwork between musicians and Lance Andrews of Lammas Records. The accompanying booklet containing informative programme notes by Tom Leech complements a superb package. Enjoy!
Gordon Barker
Rheinberger Masses
The Choirs of Blackburn Cathedral sing the music of Josef Rheinberger
Church Music Quarterly
This disc consists of performances of four masses Messe in A Op. 126 (sung by the Ladies of the Renaissance Singers), Messe in F 0p. 190 sung by the Men of Blackburn Cathedral Choir), Missa Puerorum Op. 62 (sung by Blackburn Cathedral Girls Choir) and Missa Brevis in F Op. 117 sung by Blackburn Cathedral Choir (boys and men). All four choirs sing well and the ladies have an impressively pure tone. The masses are elegant and expressive compositions and these qualities are matched in the performances. The organ accompaniments are perfectly balanced, supporting the singers and adding colour, but never detracting from the vocal parts.
The American Organist
In bringing these works to the public, Richard Tanner displays the wide-ranging choral program of Blackburn Cathedral. He includes no fewer than five choirs performing the somewhat obscure choral works of Rheinberger, a name more famously known for organ sonatas and other instrumental works. Tanner's choirs include all age and gender groups (the Children's Choir [mixed], the Renaissance Singers [adult mixed], the Cathedral Girls' Choir, the Young People's Chorus [mixed], and the mixed Cathedral Choir), each of which performs admirably in these works. The organ, praised in earlier reviews, is perfectly registered here by Greg Morris in all the works. It is a magnificent solo instrument and here shows itself to be a most manageable accompanying instrument as well. The splendid acoustics of Blackburn Cathedral "sing" as well as they "play." It would be a simple matter to overwhelm any singing group, but that never happens. The choral sound, further, is always appropriate to the piece performed in music that could easily be over-dramatized. This collection is a welcome addition to Lammas's growing catalog.
Paul Aldridge
Choir Schools Today - 2005
Rheinberger's reputation as a composer rests on his 20 organ sonatas; yet he also was a prolific writer of sacred music, including 18 masses and numerous motets. So long the preserve of archaic German editions, they are now readily available in modern format, and this recording is further indication of a revival of interest in his sacred music. Rheinberger was composing at the same time as Liszt and Wagner but, as in his organ music, his sacred music shows the influence of earlier composers such as Palestrina, Bach and Mozart and is based on strong contrapuntal organisation. This also reflected the concerns of the Cecilian movement, who wished to re-establish a Palestrina-like purity to Catholic sacred music, though Rheinberger's music was evidently "tainted" as it was never officially endorsed by the Cecilian Society. The four masses featuring on this recording include the Mass in A major for 3 -part unbroken voice choir, the Mass in F for 4-part men's chorus, the Missa puerorum for unison choir, and the Missa Brevis in F for four-part unaccompanied choir. Through the different vocal groupings, Rheinberger's style remains consistent. Typical traits of the classical mass such as imitative counterpoint, homophony and unison writing for important text, are mixed with more romantic features such as chromaticism and wide dynamic range. These are particularly evident in the Mass in A major in the outer sections of the Kyrie for instance, are imitative and the more expressive central Christe set with homophonic writing laced with dissonances; functional sections of the Gloria and Credo are dealt with swiftly with chordal writing. At Et incarnatus est all voices enter in unison chanting on a single note before an imitative passage for Cricifixus. The Sanctus opens with a rising sequence of dissonances evoking a more baroque formal control of harmonic movement similar to Lotti or Scarlatti, eventually released at Dominus Dens Sabbaoth. Each individual choir is impressive with the Renaissance Choir (Mass in A major) and the Girls Choir Missa Pueroram) in particular giving strong performances. However, there is a striking contrast between the half of the disc performed by unbroken female voices, and the sound of boy trebles (with some lapses of intonation) in just one mass (Missa Brevis). The variety of the scorings for these masses is a clear opportunity for Blackburn to use all four of its various musical ensembles that were praised highly on these pages last year, and overall they deliver another powerful performance.
Choir and Organ - January/February 2005
****
Any charge of repetition in recording four short masses by Rheinberger is skilfully avoided on this recording of Blackburn Cathedral's four choirs. These atmospheric and sympathetic readings stand as a testament to an imaginative music programme being run by Richard Tanner, and each choir has much to offer, from the full blooded sound of the boys to the nicely shaped, supple phrasing of the ladies; from the plangent men's voices setting to the smooth and well blended sound of the girls, topped off by sensitive accompaniment.
Peter Barley
Cathedral Music - February 2004
Recorded 100 years after his death, this disc presents four mass settings, half his output of such works of Joseph Rheinberger. As the booklet notes tell us, Rheinberger was a master teacher of composition during the second half of the nineteenth century which is reflected in these settings. The Renaissance Singers start the ball rolling with assured phrasing which ensures that the imitative part writing is clearly heard. The cathedral lay clerks follow suit, adding a richer timbre to the brighter organ colours. It is worth purchasing this disc just for the haunting moment at the centre of the opus 190 Credo. The cathedral girls choir produces a confident sound, if a little flat at times. The vowel sounds which young females singers make are sometimes a little 'pop-ish', but there is none of this here, and the consonants are superb particularly in the opus 62 Sanctus. The sublime unaccompanied Kyrie of opus 117 from the c boys and men works well in the generous acoustic at Blackburn. This group sings with a uniform lyricism clearly a characteristic of Richard Tanner's ideal choral sound world. This is an unusual disc, but one well worth listening to.
Stephen Power
Organists' Review - November 2004
Musically, the second half of the 19th century was dominated by Romantic revolt. Vaguely religious yearnings found expression in forms detached from the Church; Wagner created his own temple at Bayreuth. It is refreshing to come across a Germanic composer from that period who followed traditional paths, but without sounding stale or banal. Significantly, Rheinberger's Masses (he completed eighteen in all) did not altogether meet the purist standards of the Catholic Cecilian movement. The four examples on the Blackburn recording illustrate not only the ease with which he handled different choral groupings but also his fluctuations between homophony and polyphony, and between diatonic and chromatic language.
The women's voices of the Renaissance Singers perform the Mass in A major, Op 126, for three-part chorus and organ. It was first given (with string quartet and flute) on Christmas Eve 1881 but has no apparent seasonal connotations, other than the confident mood. In his booklet notes, Greg Morris claims for the organ an individual part in the polyphony. The men of the Cathedral Choir luxuriate in the mellow lyricism of the second of Rheinberger's two late Masses for fourpart male chorus with organ: the Mass in F major, Op 190. Any boys' (or girls') choir in search of new repertoire should seize with alacrity on the seven movement Kleiner und leichter Meßgesang, Op 62, which gained the alternative title Missa Puerorum in an Italian edition published after Rheinberger's death. His wife Franziska sketched the work's beginning, and Rheinberger dashed off the rest. For all its simplicity, which extends to the organ part, the musical response to the text is constantly imaginative.
The boys and men of Blackburn Cathedral round off a fine disc with the Missa Brevis in F, Op 117. Here a recurring triadic figure seems to reflect the work's sub-title, Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis.
We tend to forget that Rheinberger was a choral conductor and opera coach as well as an organist. On this evidence, his vocal music is well worth cultivating.
Peter Palmer
International Record Review - November 2004
Josef Rbeinberger's 20 organ sonatas achieved real popularity in Britain before the last war, and they include both some of his best and dullest music. Moments of facile melodic sentimentality are balanced by movements of great power and strength -the Bachian Passacaglia that forms the finale of Sonata No. 8, for example, is one of the finest organ pieces in the nin eteenth-century repertoire. His church music is much less well known: although the sonorous contrapuntal doublechoir Mass in E flat is performed fairly frequently, many other works are more or less forgotten, including a dozen or so Mass settings. This new disc from Blackburn Cathedral therefore does a real service by including four modestly scaled Masses, written between 1871 and 1898. Several of these were intended for parish use -the Missa Puerorum, for example, has a Benedictus with a range of only an octave, and a deliberately simple organ part. Rheinberger set himself the task of writing this movement in less than half an hour, and some measure of his facility can also be seen in the fact that the Missa Brevis in F was composed in only five hours on April 24th-25th, 1880. To describe the music as competent but dull is to miss the point: there was and is a need for well written, straightforward liturgical music like this, and one hopes other choirs will be stimulated to investigate Rheinberger further.
Blackburn Cathedral is fortunate in possessing five choirs, all voluntary, three of which are heard on this disc. As well as the traditional ensemble of boys and men, there are a girls' choir and a chamber choir called the Renaissance Singers. The programme has been cunningly constructed so that each of the four Masses is allocated to a different group: the women's voices of the Renaissance Singers, the men's voices of the Renaissance Singers, the girls' choir and the Cathedral Choir proper. In each case, Richard Tanner directs and Greg Morris accompanies (the latter also supplies the booklet notes), and Tanner's stamp is set on the production by the fact that all the ensembles take a remarkably consistent approach to tone production and interpretation. The results are good -a few weaknesses among individual boys and lay clerks aside -as good as you would expect from voluntary choirs of this typ C. Lammas has been producing a valuable series of choir and organ recordings in recent years but could make more of an impact on the market with better artwork and availability. After all, commercial success is determined not only by the quality of the product but whether you can find a copy to buy! The recording quality is certainly not in doubt, and Lance Andrews's engineering places the choirs effectively within the impressively spacious acoustics of the building -the former parish church, enlarged in the 1930s, became a cathedral only in 1926.
Francis Knights
MusicWeb - August 2004
Romantic composer Joseph Rheinberger was born in the Principality of Liechtenstein in 1839, the son of the Treasurer to the Crown Prince. A child prodigy, Rheinberger had his first organ lessons at the age of five and two years later served as organist at Vaduz church, at which time he also made his first attempts at composition. He had a most successful and highly productive career which spanned more than 45 years, composing almost 200 published works. Early during his three years of formal study at the Munich Conservatory, he showed remarkable ability both as a virtuoso pianist/organist and as a master of counterpoint and fugue.
He was classed by many as the finest composer in Germany and attracted pupils from all over Europe and the USA. He became a most sought-after teacher of composition as well as the organ and established himself as an eminent music theorist. When the present Conservatory was founded in Munich, Rheinberger was appointed to Professorships of Organ and then Composition; posts he held from 1867 until death in 1901. Enjoying the loftiest reputation as a teacher, Rheinberger’s pupils included the distinguished names: Humperdinck, Wolf-Ferrari and Furtwängler. The Munich Conservatory also bestowed upon him the distinguished title of ‘Royal Professor’.
He wrote in a wide variety of genres including symphonies and the opera, with a large proportion of his works composed for the voice; a substantial number of which were for liturgical use. Biographer J. Weston Nicholl writes favourably of Rheinberger’s choral works stating, "His twelve Masses, Stabat Mater, De Profundis and many other examples of church music are marked by earnestness and deep religious feeling." It is however rare to hear much of his output other than the compositions for organ of which the twenty organ sonatas are regarded as being particularly important.
The Mass in A major, ‘Missa in Nativitate Domini’ for three-part chorus and organ, op.126 was composed in 1881 and is performed here by the spirited female voices of the Renaissance Singers. The name ‘Missa in Nativitate Domini’ was given to the work owing to having its first performance on Christmas Eve. This highly optimistic yet profoundly reverent score is performed with deep respect in a cleanly focused account by the Renaissance Singers.
Rheinberger achieved popular acclaim with his Mass in F, for four-part chorus and organ, op.190 which he composed towards the end of his life in 1898. The male voices of the Blackburn Cathedral perform the Mass in F with polish and style and substantial bite.
Rheinberger described his Kleiner und leichter Messgesang, op. 62 as leicht ausfurhbane (easy to perform) and composed the work extremely rapidly in 1871. The performance given here is of the ‘Missa puerorum’ which is the name given to a revised Turin edition of 1903. The girls choir of Blackburn Cathedral come across as an impressive team ably interpreting the melodic fluency and brimful variety of the work with considerable assurance and affection.
The buoyant and positive Missa Brevis in F major, ‘Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis’ op.117 was composed in 1880. The score, which has been praised for its sheer quality of counterpoint writing, is the only work on the release without organ accompaniment. The men and boys of the Blackburn Cathedral choir in the Missa Brevis in F offer a splendidly characterful performance of considerable intensity and high on expression.
The naturally recorded sound is first class and the concise booklet notes from the organist Greg Morris are interesting and informative. Excellent preferences all-round from the Choirs of Blackburn Cathedral under the accomplished direction of Richard Tanner. This release is worthy of inclusion in any serious collection of choral music. A rewarding disc!
Michael Cookson
The Organ
I was not sure what to expect when I received this CD for review. There can be few organists and organ music lovers in the western world who do not know and love Rheinberger's music for the organ. I just wondered how well his style would translate to music for voices and organ.
I was entranced from the first chord of the first Kyrie, both with the music and the very high standard of performance. Greg Morris¹s subtle and deft accompaniment should be mentioned too. This is not difficult music to listen to, and ostensibly, it is easy to perform too. However, I suspect that the choir makes it sound a lot easier than it will be in practice. The singers have a rich and mellifluent sound that makes one want to listen to this music time and time again. Somewhat to my initial surprise, I strongly recommend this CD. I would also like to see a lot more choirs bringing this music back into the repertoire, both in concert and especially, as far as I am concerned - in liturgical performance.
DB
Sounds of Arthur Wills
Robert Crowley plays the music of Arthur Wills on the organ of Ely Cathedral
Church Music Quarterly
Wills' style is a blend of the acidic and the sweet, the angular and the lyrical. This tangy mixture is dished up in varying permutations in each of the pieces. Icons, a five-movement work that opens the disc (and was commissioned by Robert Crowley), and Trio Sonata are at the acidic/angular end of the Wills musical spectrum. Lullaby for a Royal Prince is at the other; while Homage to Howells sits somewhere in the middle. The longest work on the disc is Symphony 'Bhagavad Gita -The Song Celestial', a substantial and colourful work in four movements inspired by ancient texts. The disc concludes with the no less colourful Diptyque, inspired by two poems by Robert Browning.
The Ely organ is, one might presume, the ideal instrument for the performance of Wills' music (despite its having been rebuilt between 1999 and 2001) since the composer presided as organist of Ely from 1958 to 1990. Robert Crowley explores an astounding array of colours in the course of the disc. It is another one for the connoisseur, perhaps, but definitely recommendable.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music - February 2004
Known to many as a performer of great distinction, it may well come as a surprise to some that Arthur Wills is also a composer. Here, Robert Crowley and Lammas Records presents his music as they did that of Humphrey Clucas. The music is extreme in its variety of moods and dynamics, and all the colours in the Ely organ's spectrum are put to good use. It is particularly apt that the disc opens with Icons which is dedicated to the performer, and takes its inspiration from the Icons found in the Royal Monastery in Cyprus. Homage to Howells Postlude on Michael also dedicated to Robert Crowley uses a similar harmonic language to that used by Howells.
Stephen Power
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - November 2004
For those of us who know Josef Rheinberger principally as a composer of organ music, these choral works are an expansion of our horizon. They will never displace Mozart or Schubert in my affections, nor even the more recent French school, but they are fine works in their own right. What makes this disc particularly pleasant is the changes of vocal resources. The Mass in A, Op. 126, is sung by the [adult] Ladies of the Renaissance Singers; the Mass in F, Op. 190, by the Men of the Cathedral Choir; the Missa Puerorum, Op. 62, by the Girls Choir; and the Missa brevis in F, Op. 117, by the Boys and Men. It's intriguing to hear how Rheinberger used these different resources in his writing.
The Blackbum forces give all of their care to these performances. Despite a few small pitch uncertainties above the staff, vocal production is commendable, and the recorded sound is superb. Greg Morris is always there affirmatively with the organ parts, but never in the way.
Victor Hill
Organists' Review - November 2004
Dr Arthur Wills has contributed a considerable number of works to the English organ repertoire, and Robert Crowley has recorded an interesting cross-section here (including two pieces which he commissioned from Wills: Icons and the Homage to Howells). The Homage... and Lullaby,... are undoubtedly, together with the last movement of the Trio Sonata, the most accessible works for newcomers to Wills' distinctive music. A wide range of influences affects his musical voice in these works, from the Messiaen of Icons third movement to the atonality of much of the Symphony and neo-classical overtones in the knotted Trio Sonata. Crowley gives committed and rhythmically vital performances, and the Ely Cathedral organ sounds well after its recent rebuilding (captured excellently in the recording). This will be a disc relished by Wills aficionados.
Daniel Moult
The Organ
Dr Arthur Wills has a significant reputation as organist-composer, one of the most recent in a long and noble tradition that has been fostered in Anglican Cathedral organ lofts since the Reformation. This disc brings together a representative sample of Will¹s prodigious output organ. An eclectic composer, Wills is at one and the same time grounded in the cathedral organist tradition, but with a broad range of influences adding to this baseline to form a rich and exciting tonal and stylistic mix that provides so much that is worth listening to and playing. It is especially fitting that this CD was recorded on the Ely Cathedral organ, at which Wills presided for so long and through his music can be so effectively realised.
Icons is a four-movement work commissioned by Robert Crowley and taking its inspiration from a visit to Cyprus. Notwithstanding the Orthodox Church background, this is a composition that is firmly set within a late 20th century French organ music idiom. The last "turbulent" movement is especially exciting. Lullaby for a Prince (Prince William) on the other hand, seems to owe more to late Howells. The three-movement Trio Sonata is just that, with shades of Flor Peeters on top of a classical texture, updated in Wills¹s indomitable style. I particularly enjoyed the haunting slow movement. The Symphony Bhagavad Gita is also contemplative in nature, but with a large-scale tonal architecture at its heart. Homage to Howells, is based on the latter¹s hymn-tune ŒMichael¹, though is worked through in Wills¹ style. The CD ends with the Diptyque two movements inspired by poems of Robert Browning.
Robert Crowley was a pupil of Arthur Wills and Lance Andrews, Head of Lammas, was a chorister at Ely when Dr Wills was Assistant Organist. There are extensive programme notes by Arthur Wills himself. These make very interesting reading, not least because they describe the motivation behind the creational process. A specification of the Ely Cathedral organ is also included. Do not be put off by a disc that is dedicated to a single composer who writes in a decidedly modern idiom. I found all the compositions very accessible and stimulating; and the Ely Harrison sounds magnificent. Just wait for the Tuba at the end of the Howells Homage! Highly recommended.
DB
MusicWeb - August 2004
One of the doyens of English Cathedral music, Arthur Wills is also a prolific composer whose works span not only church music, but also song cycles, concertos for various, sometimes unlikely, forces, and even an opera.
He is undoubtedly best known for his contribution to the British organ world both as a concert and recording artist and as a composer. Indelibly linked with Ely Cathedral, where he served as Director of Music from 1958 until 1990, he left his mark on the organ there in the mid 1970s when he commissioned a radical, though at the time not unfashionable, rebuild of the 1908 Harrison. The result of which was not without its critics. Despite recent substantial work, including 6 new reeds, the overall effect on the basis of this recording is still dictated more by the ethos of the 1970s than by that of the original instrument. It should be said, however, that the effect is also coloured by the rather dry acoustic and a very slightly claustrophobic recording; probably down to a very high microphone position?
The stylistic elements in Wills' organ music, perhaps unsurprisingly, reflect the nature of the organ. His style is difficult: there are neo-classical elements, atonal elements though his harmonic language is not exclusively atonal by any means, a somewhat free approach to form in the larger pieces and frequently non-musical inspirations. The latter include in this instance religious icons in Cyprus, the pre-Buddhistic 'Bhagavad Gita' and the poetry of Robert Browning. The most attractive pieces are the little Lullaby for a Royal Prince and the Homage to Howells, based on the latter's famous hymn tune 'Michael' ("All my hope on God is founded"). Icons forms an interesting set of miniatures which satisfy more with repeated listening. The larger works are less accessible. The huge and often very virtuosic symphony Bhagavad Gita is especially difficult to follow. What unifying elements are there to classify it as a symphony I wondered?
Robert Crowley is a former student of Arthur Wills and Susi Jeans. He is currently Chapel Organist and Director of Music at St George's School in Harpenden. He deals with the technical challenges in Wills' music with ease, but perhaps lacks the last ounce of commitment needed to bring Wills' music off the page. Still, this is a relevant recording; Wills' larger-scale music deserves to be recorded and the decision to ask one of his former students to perform on the organ Wills knows so well is very sensible.
The booklet contains extensive programme notes, a brief organ history and full specification.
Chris Bragg
Sounds of Alan Ridout
Robert Crowley plays organ music of Alan Ridout at Canterbury Cathedral
Church Music Quarterly - March 2006
The centrepiece of this disc is The Fourteen Stations of
the Cross, a moving and appropriately tortured work: a set of variations on a
theme that is not heard in its entirety until the final movement. Some movements
are almost
unbearable in their intensity. In'Jesus is nailed to the cross', for instance,
each of the hammer blows is heard with almost literal portrayal. The other
pieces in the programme are Processions (four pieces), Easter Fanfare (not as
jolly as one might expect!), Dance Suite (four movements of different moods,
textures and rhythms) and five pieces from Canticle of the Rose (Earth, Fire,
Air, Water and Postlude). Given the intensity of The Fourteen Stations of the
Cross, the more relaxed moods of the other works on the disc come as welcome
relief, while being no less imaginative in conception.
Robert Crowley plays with real insight into Ridout's musical vision, bringing the music alive.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music
For some, the name Alan Ridout may not be quite so familiar as his teachers, Tippett and Howells, but his style is as individual his compositional output is huge and well worth delving into. Ridout has a strong Canterbury connection, having taught at both the King's School and at the Choir School. He wrote many choral and organ pieces for Alan Wicks and the choir at Canterbury Cathedral. Robert Crowley continues his documentation of organ works of one composer on one disc (see also Sounds of Arthur Wills and Sounds of Humphrey Clucas). Most of the music is inspired by the sacred rather than the profane. It is a shame that, due to the sheer volume of music Ridout wrote we couldn't hear the whole of Canticle of the Rose. The playing is assured, and the organ, though criticised by many for being a compromise, sounds well in this recording.
Stephen Power
Choir Schools Today - 2005
Following on from 'Sounds of Humphrey Clucas' (Crowley at St Alban's) and 'Sounds of Francis Jackson' (Simon Neiminski at St Mary's Edinburgh), here are two more single-composer instalments from Lammas. However, whereas the two earlier discs principally focus on melody variants and familiar formats respectively the two here both feature unusually shaped larger works. Ridout supplies The Fourteen Stations of the Cross, 'suggested' by the sculptured reliefs in the Cistercian Church in Altenburg. The four-movement Icons and the gnarly Symphony Bhagavad Gita are offered up on the Wills disc-The playing on these discs, and especially in these larger works, has real verve and panache, and the Ely organ sounds particularly splendid since its rebuild. As for the music it is a mixed bag. Despite his diverse and sometimes radical influences, Ridout's music, as personified on this disc, is often over-restrained and at times frustratingly clichéd Listen to the Dance Suite for example, which Crowley notes as exploring 'different styles of writing for the organ'. Indeed it does, but it has no individual quality. or harmonic ambition. The Fourteen Stations of the Cross keeps its head above water, but it fails to live up to the earlier promise of The Seven Last Words (not on this disc, but available on Nimbus with Kevin Bowyer at the Tonbridge School Marcussen organ). The five pieces from Canticle of the Rose are the most convincing on the disc, most especially the moto perpetuo of 'Fire', which is compelling on every level. Wills also fares better with his shorter works, a sweet-and-sour Trio Sonata and a well- balanced and sculpted Diptique. The larger works, as with Ridout, fail to live up to earlier potential: for Wills this is his 1974 cri-de-coeur, Tongues of Fire (not on this disc). They are characterised by a façade of sound that combines that 'splendid emptiness of much French music written during the hey-day of symphonic organ composition', as someone once put it, and Ely's fenland Imps. Propping this up are some excellent motivations and the tonal architecture, as always with Wills, is very strong. In spite of' all of the above, the promotion of composers such as Clucas, Jackson, Ridout and Wills must be applauded. There are gems out there, as Crowley undoubtedly demonstrates with Wills' Trio Sonata. Where next I wonder, Malcolm Williamson? John Joubert Graham Whettam? Or perhaps choral discs to match the composers these organ discs have already represented: I am convinced that both Ridout and Wills would be served extremely well.
The Organ No. 332
This is a stupendous recording. Alan Ridout is a must for devotees of 20th century British organ music and it is fitting that this recording was made on the organ of Canterbury Cathedral, with which much of his organ music was associated. We are given Four Processions, The Fourteen Stations of the Cross, Easter Fanfare, Dance Suite, Five Pieces from Canticle of the Rose. The Willis/Mander seems a perfect fit, and Robert Crowley explores the music and the instrument in series of most moving and thoughtful interpretations. Highly recommended.
DB
MusicWeb International - January 2005
The late Alan Ridout was a very prolific composer whose large and varied output has still to be properly re-assessed, let alone assessed. He composed in most genres, including operas and children’s operas (some may remember a long-deleted recording of The White Doe written for Ripon Cathedral once available on Alpha ACA 562), eight symphonies (none of which has been recorded so far), twenty five concertos, choral music and a sizeable body of organ music (which fared somewhat better, i.e. as far as recordings are concerned), ranging from short occasional works such as Easter Fanfare (heard here) to large-scale pieces such as The Fourteen Stations of the Cross (also heard here) and The Seven Last Words, and including a number of "secular" organ works such as Suite Bretonne, Scots Suite and The Night Watch (all three recorded by Robert Crowley and available on Lammas - Sounds Contemporary - that I reviewed here some time ago).
The present release again juxtaposes "religious" and "secular" organ works, of which The Fourteen Stations of the Cross composed in 1978 for Allan Wicks, who recorded it many years ago (Wealden WS 209 nla), is the most substantial. This imposing masterpiece is laid-out as a theme and variations, or rather thirteen variations in search of a theme, since the theme is heard complete in the fourteenth Station only. The music is brooding in mood, slow-moving but nevertheless full of telling contrasts. The whole piece, however, is quite accessible (even if it needs and repays repeated hearings) and communicates with some considerable expressive strength, actually a typical hallmark of Ridout’s music. This impressive and powerful work compares most favourably with Ridout’s The Seven Last Words as well as with some of Messiaen’s large-scale organ works, although the idiom is somewhat less adventurous but no less interesting than Messiaen’s.
The shorter Dance Suite was also written for Allan Wicks, and is of course completely different in mood, and exploring other expressive characteristics of the instrument. The four dances make for a highly contrasted piece, in turn bouncing with energy, tenderly meditative, lively and majestic. The second dance is quite beautiful, and a little gem indeed.
Canticle of the Rose is another substantial work written for the unveiling of the Laporte Window at St Albans Cathedral. The work is in eight movements that may be played as a cycle lasting some twenty four minutes, as separate items, or in one of two suggested suites : (a) Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Postlude (i.e. the suite recorded here) and (b) Father, Son, Spirit and Postlude (hopefully to be recorded soon). Again, the four movements make for a contrasted and varied suite of vivid miniatures, with Fire a brilliant Scherzo in stark contrast to the lightness of Air and the fluid, capricious motion of Water, the whole being capped by an imposing hymn-like Postlude ending with triumphant, assertive fanfares.
This fine selection of Ridout’s organ music opens with the somewhat shorter Processions, actually yet another suite in four movements laid-out along the same line as Dance Suite, and includes a still shorter, occasional but quite effective Easter Fanfare of some improvisatory character.
As already mentioned, the present release is an apt and timely sequel to Crowley’s earlier recording of some of Ridout’s organ music (Sounds Contemporary) and will hopefully be followed soon by some further release(s), for there are still some sizeable organ works by Ridout that still await their first recording in CD format, e.g. Sinfonia, Three Resurrection Dances and the second suite of Canticle of the Rose, to name but a few that come to mind. Crowley obviously loves this music that he plays with assurance and dedication, and is thus the right man to do the job. Excellent performances and very fine recording. Warmly recommended.
Hubert Culot
En Prière
The Girl Choristers of All Saints’ Church, Northampton
Marie-Louise Langlais - composor's wife
Coming back from Canada this week after a tour, I listened to the Cd "En prière" you have sent to me. I am happy to tell you that I felt it extremely good, with a good choice of French works in a very wise alternation. Great job!
The voices, and your very good organist make this cd an exemplar of what to do to interpret French music of the 20th century as it was intended. It is not the case with French choirs in the majority of cases, believe me.
So, congratulations. The 5 Motets and Missa in Simplicitate sound very well.
Cathedral Music
The singing on this disc is absolutely stunning - hardly a note less than perfectly tuned, blend and balance well-nigh perfect, words clear, speeds nicely judged. As the title would suggest, this is an anthology of French music for upper voices; did the composers write for convents, or were there choirs of boy choristers without men in pre-Vatican II France? Either way there is some highly attractive music to be explored here, with the Missa in simplicitate of Jean Langlais surrounded by five of his motets and others by Main and Fauré (two settings of Ave Maria and En prière a meditation on Christ's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, from which the disc takes its title). There are also movements from an unfinished Mass by André Caplet and an organ piece by Duruflé plus Pie Jesu and In paradisum from his Requiem a very accomplished rent-a-choir supplies the lower pacts in the latter, and might with advantage have been given more to do. This is not a long programme (54 minutes), but surely I am not alone in finding the almost obligatory hour-and-a-quarter of most CDs a somewhat mixed blessing: this one feels just the right length and I recommend it unconditionally.
Timothy Storey
Choir Schools Today - 2005
This recording of French nineteenth and twentieth sacred music marks the tenth anniversary of the Girls Choir at All Saints' Church Northampton; the choir sings services and concerts separately to the established choir of boys and men. The familiarity listeners may have with these composers belies the difficulty of this repertoire: the problems for tuning that modal phrases and awkward melodic leaps typical of the French style of this period might introduce, could be particularly evident in the predominant unison or two-voice scoring of this disc. Yet the fourteen young voices of the Girls Choir sing as one in this magnificent musical tour de force It is difficult to praise one work above any other. The title of the disc is taken from Fauré's En Prière a setting of a text by Stéphane Bordese that draws on Jesus' prayers to his Father in Gethsemane; the emotional intensity of the words is balanced by arpeggio figures in the accompaniment and sweeping melodic ideas. This is also evident in two settings of Ave Maria (unison and two-voiced) by Fauré and 0 Quam Suavis Est and Ave Maria by Alain. This equilibrium between form and emotion runs through the programme. Liturgical music includes Langlais' functional unison Missa in Simplicate, for the most part syllabic, and austere in comparison to the lush scoring for three unaccompanied voices of Caplet's Sanctus and Benedictus mass movements. Duruflé is represented by two movements from the Requiem, In paradisum and Pie Jesu. The real gem however is Langlais' Cinq Motets, for two voices, illustrating a precious religiousity with plainsong-like phrases, melodies moving in parallel motion (unison or perfect fifths) and ethereal organ textures. The choir are not let down by the two soloists: Charlotte Olgivie takes on the mantle of deaconess leading the faithful in dialogue with the full choir in Langlais' short Chant Litanique; of special praise is Katy Crompton's singing in Pie Jesu sustaining well against organ and cello in high and low passages; in the lower phrases, in particular, her slight vibrato produces a warmth of tone that is sometimes lacking in performances by boy trebles.
All Saints, Northampton deserve great praise for encouraging this musical ensemble over the last ten years: the polished singing of this testing repertoire is a formidable achievement for a choir of this size and age.
Choir and Organ - July/August 2005
The still fledgling practice of girl choristers in England needs champions, and En prière shows the standard of training in children's voices within the church tradition is encouragingly high. The sound these girls make is open and relaxed all the way through their range.
Caroline Gill
MusicWeb - December 2004
To a certain extent, this release is the choral equivalent of several earlier discs of French organ music from Lammas. It explores some little-known aspects of mostly 20th century French sacred music. All choral works here are for treble or female voices, with the exception of In Paradisum from Duruflé's beautiful Requiem Op.9 in which the girls receive support from a select group of gentlemen.
Jean Langlais has the lion's share, since he is represented by his Missa in Simplicitate from 1953 and five motets (composed between 1932 and 1942) as well as by a movement from his Triptyque for organ, composed in 1956 and dedicated to Duruflé. Missa in Simplicitate is, appropriately enough, fairly straightforward but, by no means, as simple as its title might suggest. Langlais was a supreme craftsman and artist who always managed to be his own self in whatever medium he chose to compose. So, his Mass has its tricky bits, but is on the whole fairly direct in idiom and expression, the music being often modally inflected, but not without harmonic surprises either. The Five Motets, written at various periods between 1932 and 1942, are equally straightforward, since they were all composed for two equal voices and organ or harmonium, and designed so as to be sung by less experienced parish choirs. As already mentioned, Mélodie is the first movement of Langlais¹s Triptyque dedicated to Duruflé, and a short piece that perfectly fits within the context of this release En Prière.
Jehan Alain's tragic and untimely death in 1940 was one of the great losses for French music, for he was a prodigiously gifted and personal composer whose extant output is much more than merely promising. Some of his organ works, such as Litanies, Trois Danses and Deux Danses à Agni Yavishta, are now organ classics, although they may not still be heard and recorded as often as they undoubtedly deserve. His choral music may be less familiar, so that the present performances of O Quam Suavis Est (no date given) and of the Ave Maria written in memory of his young sister Marie-Odile who died in a mountain accident at a quite early age, are most welcome additions to his discography.
Duruflé is represented by his short Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons ("a long title for a short piece", as Rubbra once wrote to me when asked about his A Tribute Op.56, originally titled Introduction and Danza alla Fuga), an occasional piece, but superbly crafted and brilliantly effective; and two excerpts from the Requiem, viz. the deeply moving Pie Jesu with its cello obbligato and the concluding In Paradisum.
Fauré is present too with two different and equally fine settings of Ave Maria as well as a rarity, En Prière, which gives this collection its collective title. Caplet¹s Sanctus and Benedictus are in fact two sections from his beautifully moving Messe à trois voix "des petits de Saint-Eustache-la-Forêt" (1919/20), a missa brevis in all but the name, i.e. without the Credo but ending with a setting of O Salutaris Hostia.
All choral items receive beautifully poised readings, and are all well recorded; and this release, as a whole, is one of the finest I have heard from this label so far. A bit short in terms of total playing time (could Langlais' Triptyque not have been included here for good measure, although the other movements probably do not fit with this release's title); but this is really not enough to deter anyone from enjoying the superb singing on display here.
Hubert Culot
American Record Guide - 2005
In spite of the all-French program, I wasn't sure this would appeal too much to me--a program sung by girl choristers with minimal accompaniment couldn't be that exciting. However I was delightfully surprised by the artistry of this ensemble. Fourteen young ladies who appear to be about junior high-early high school age make up the choir, ably assisted by Mr. Pinel, an organ scholar at Magdalen College since 2002. The selections are brief, ranging from two to six minutes. The recording was made at Exeter College; the resonance and somewhat distant miking enhance the angelic vocal lines splendidly. There are some familiar works here, along with little known gems by Alain and Langlais. Most of the pieces, written originally for a soloist, are done in unison with organ accompaniment, with a few pieces having two or three vocal parts. Faure's pieces are predictably smooth and melodic, with simple accompaniment. Alain's reputation rests on his organ compositions, which is unfortunate as his melodic writing as evidenced here is quite lovely. Both `O Quam Suavis' and `Ave Maria' are brief but tender settings of text, the latter written in honor of the composer's sister Marie-Odile who died in a mountain climbing accident. Langlais 'Missa in simplicitate' was written in 1953 for solo or unison choir,and dedicated to his favorite mezzo Jeannine Collard at Ste Clotilde. I've never heard a choir do this work, and the girls perform it beautifully. Tempos are accurate, and I believe Pinel might pull some more stops on the concluding cadences in the Gloria, Credo, and Sanctus. Langlais calls for Swell reeds there and did not hesitate to use them when he recorded this piece years ago with Collard at Ste Clotilde (MHS 3745). Andre Caplet (1878-1925) wrote a good deal of vocal music, though is perhaps better known for having orchestrated Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien . These two extremely brief unaccompanied pieces are probably the most demanding on the program. Scored for three voice parts, the Benedictus includes moments of unison followed by passages of parallel intervals and unusual harmonic shifts. The choir's purity of vowel sound and dead-on pitch accuracy is a joy to hear. For the conclusion of this program, 13 gentlemen from the Oxford area join to girls for the `In Paradisum' b y Durufle. This is a first-rate performance, well balanced and perfectly registered on the organ. Pinel's two organ solos, the Fugue (Durufle) and Melody (Langlais), are intelligently handled with an obvious sense of musicianship. Finally, the popular `Pie Jesu' is heard with a member of the choir--Katy Crompton--as soloist, accompanied tastefully by the cellist Simon Wallfisch. My only negative observation is that Miss Crompton needs to develop more notes in her lower register. The vocal line is buried here and there for lack of ease in projection. She frequently combines a flat tone only to then shift into vibrato. That style doesn't make it with this piece.
Overall, a superb recording, one that should appeal to general listeners as well as to music teachers in schools or church work who work with young female choirs. The All Saints Choristers have impeccable intonation and purity of sound. They deserve to be heard by a wider audience. Hats off to Whiting for his excellent work with them.
METZ
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - February 2005
This disc is devoted to the treble-chorus work of five French composers: Gabriel Fauré, Jean Langlais, Jehan Alain, Maurice Duruflé, and André Caplet. Two organ works, the Langlais Melody and the Duruflé "Soissons Fugue" complete the program. The 14 girl choristers are joined by ATB men for the In Paradisum of the Duruflé Requiem. The one composer who may not be familiar is Caplet (1878-1925), a friend of Debussy who also conducted at the Boston Opera. His brief unaccompanied Sanctus and Benedictus from 1919 is a real "find" for unaccompanied SSA. The harmonies are close and somewhat spare; the use of rhythmic variety adds considerable interest. These are not at all easy pieces to perform, but they were new to me, and I believe they would be a welcome addition to the repertory of a secure treble ensemble. The Northampton girls negotiate the difficulties with aplomb. The Langlais Missa in simplicitate (unison choir and organ or harmonium) has a harmonic pungency that contrasts nicely with the lush romanticism of two Ave Maria settings and the En Prière of Fauré Likewise compelling are the Cinq motets of Langlais. Alain is represented by two short unison works, a bright 0 quam suavis est and the familiar Ave Maria, the latter written in memory of the composer's adored sister Marie-Odile, who died in a mountain accident. The choir's tone is unusually pure, but always vital; intonation and diction are admirable. Pinel's organ accompaniments are sensitive and supportive. The recording, made at Exeter College, Oxford, displays Lance Andrews' always-reliable ear and engineering. The liner includes notes, texts, personnel, and photographs.
by Victor Hill, Ph.D.
MusicWeb - November 2004
The Girls’ Choir was formed at All Saints’ Church, Northampton, in 1994. The church had had an all-male choir of Lay Clerks and Choral Scholars for the preceding 450 years. This continues but is now joined, for some services, and on tour, by the Girls’ Choir. This recording was made to mark the 10th anniversary of the choir’s foundation.
The programme is taken from the works of five French composers four of whom (Alain, Langlais, Duruflé and Fauré) were also church organists. The fourteen-strong choir has a really beautiful ensemble tone, with clarity of diction and expression. The overall effect is at times wonderful, the deceptively straightforward melody in the Langlais Sanctus, followed by the more dramatic Benedictus present no problems for the choir, and their sensitive interpretation of the Missa in simplicitate is a joy to hear.
There are three contrasting settings of the Ave Maria, two by Fauré and the third by Alain. The Op. 93 of Fauré has always been a favourite of mine, and the choir do it full justice, with the changes in mood and emphasis well stated. The part-singing is particularly fine, with well observed dynamics. The Alain setting was unfamiliar to me, and is entrancing, with the choir interpreting the composer’s music in a very moving way, with some fine quiet passages.
I had not heard anything by Caplet before, and the two works on this disc are little gems, and perhaps an indication of what might have been to come, had his life not been cut short as result of the First World War.
The final track is In Paradisum from the Duruflé Requiem, and the sleeve-notes indicate that “the girls are joined by a specially assembled group of Oxford-based gentlemen.” Although less than three minutes in length, this track gives some indication of the added richness that this choir must have brought to the musical life of their church.
The Duruflé organ fugue is powerfully played by the choir’s Director, Edward Whiting, and the organ accompaniment of the choral works is sensitively accomplished by Richard Pinel.
The overall sound is very good, and the accompanying notes give full words and translations.
Bob Bamlett
Sounds Parisian
French organ music played in Blackburn Cathedral by David Bednall
The American Organist
Play music by a Lebanese composer on an English organ and call it "Sounds Parisian"? Naji Hakim's Le Tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen and Vexilla Regis prodeunt have a connection in that Hakim is currently successor to Messiaen at La Trinitié The works employ plainsong, folk melodies, and hymns. The remainder of the disc is allotted to Messiaen's L'Apparition de l'Église Eternelle and Vierne's Messe Basse Pour les Défunts, Op. 62. Given the diverse backgrounds, all sound appropriately Frankish on this Walker creation. As has been noted many times, the organ is of great power, diversity, and color, all of which are here used to advantage. Hakim's pieces are fresh and easily evoke the Messiaenic spirit. There is little on this disc that has been presented in recording heretofore. That is to be commended. L'Apparition is given a rare performance equal to few ever heard. It is one long crescendo/ decrescendo from beginning to end, supposed to illustrate the passage (physically) of a vision in space, complete with somewhat of a "doppler" effect. It is perfect for the instrument, which grows smoothly to an enormous forte and subsides to the beginning pianissimo with no audible break. It takes a mature listener to comprehend fully Messiaen's purpose, but the performance here is as clear as can be. Lammas is taking a chance at over-recording this instrument, but not here. This is an addition to anyone's collection worthy of the price.
Paul Aldridge
Cathedral Music
David Bednall's first solo CD is an exciting display of Parisian delights. It opens with the stunning Le Tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen by Naji Hakim: quasi-improvisatory in feel, the, harmonic language of Messiaen (Hakim's predecessor at La Trinité) underpins the work, but there are shades of Stravinsky too and the dance-like rhythms sparkle, especially in the first movement. Messiaen's Apparation de l'Église eternelle works superbly well on the Blackburn organ and, combined with the generous acoustic of the cathedral. One could almost be in Paris Vierne’s Messe Basse pour les défunts makes a welcome contrast in this programme and explores the more Romantic colours of the instrument to good effect. Altogether a most enjoyable disc.
Julian Thomas
International Record Review - July/August 2005
The organ built by the English firm of Walker for Blackburn Cathedral in 1969 made a dazzling sound; its blazing reeds and shrill upperwork were sometlfing very different from what was then expected from an English cathedral organ. Naturally the ravages of time (albeit a mere three decades) significantly dimmed its brilliance to the point where a rebuild was required. Heard here in this superb Lammas recording -which has faithfully captured the cathedral's distinct acoustic -it is obvious that the 2002 organ has regained not only the original instrument's brilliance, but given it added depth and substance. Only a weird reed with its own idiosyncratic approach to pitch (shamelessly provoked into action in the first and fifth movements of the Vierne) seems out of place. In this programme of French music written over the past century the instrument is obviously very much in its element. Equally in his element is David Bednall, currently sub-organist at Wells Cathedral, who, as a student of Naji Hakim, might be expected to offer an authoritative view on his teacher's own music. He doesn't just do that, he performs it with all the proselytizing earnestness of a true disciple and, it would seem from both the Hakim pieces here, considerably more communicative persuasiveness than the composer himself. In the case of Veyilla Regis Prodeunt, Bednall also offers rather more in the way of musical insight than Wayne Marshall, who, I suspect, relishes its virtuoso demands considerably more than its emotional message. Similarly, in Hakim's strongly Messiaenic Le tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen, composed in 1993 for the opening of the rebuilt organ in Messiaen's own church (La Trinité), Bednall comes across as a persuasive advocate who combines outstanding virtuosity with a real sense of musical commitment, greatly enhanced by the sheer joy of listening to such glorious organ sound.
For spine-tingling organ sound and stunning virtuosity in the works of Naji Hakim, this disc is a sure winner.
Marc Rochester
The Organ No.332
Naji Hakim's Le tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen is a 20 minute work which incorporates melodic and harmonic ideas of Messiaen. The first movement has a strong feel of Dieu parmi nous, has some unusual registrations and is a real tour de-force. It is well played with real panache and energy. The second movement also has exotic coloration and quotes from Les Offrandes Oubliées. It is generally quieter and musically more calm, before making way for the shattering opening of the final movement, quoting from the Trois Petites Liturgies and Harawi. Like the first movement and the Final from the Hommage à Igor Stravinski, the dance flies along at a frightening pace with huge vigour and a relentless quality. For me some of the music is like written-down improvisation perhaps that's what it is. In any case, it is very well presented by David Bednall. Messiaen's Apparition de l'Eglise éternelle sounds very well on the Blackburn instrument, an organ having gained a few new stops à la Notre-Dame thanks to the consultancy of David Briggs. The 11 minute Vexilla Regis by Hakim is through-composed with several distinct sections which refer musically to the seven stanzasof the text of this hymn to the Holy Cross for the vespers of Passion Sunday. A wide variety of registrations provide some relief from the power of the tutti, and musically the piece has some strong moments. Vierne's Messe Basse pour les enfants défunts is not as well known as the Symphonies and has a lot of chromaticism. The piece was his last work, and much of the anguish of his life is reflected in music which is frequently sombre and poignant. A highlight of the piece is the beautifully crafted Communion. David Bednall finds appropriately 'French' registrations on the Blackburn organ.
GMS
Dr. Naji Hakim
It's really excellent. Bravissimo!
All the pieces are beautifully played and in particular you gave outstanding performances of both Le Tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen and the Vexilla Regis prodeunt, accuracy with a great sense of poetry. And the organ or Blackburn cathedral is very effective!
Congratulations and many thanks again for all the real artwork you have done!
Mixing their Music
St Albans Chamber Choir
Choir Schools Today - 2005
Founded in 1958, the St Albans Chamber Choir have been
involved in some exciting projects over the years: commissions from John Joubert
and John Tavener, the mixed-media event Images where Russian Orthodox music was
combined with an exhibition of Iconography, and most recently collaboration with
the Jewish choir, Zemel. The subsidiary fruit of this last project was a setting
of the Hundreth Psalm by Zemel's director Malcolm Singer. It is not surprising
then that this work gets a stunning performance as the concluding work on this
disc. Further highlights include a dense but lively performance of Victoria's
Regina Caeli and the premiere recording of Kenneth Leighton's 1968 Te Deum
laudamus. This setting, and its companion Venite and Jubilate Deo (not recorded
here), is exciting, clear, practical and, above all, passionate. All three
deserve to be much better known. Of course, with the demise of Matins, most
establishments do not perform these Canticles often, but the Jubilate Deo would
make an effective anthem, and the Te Deum would conclude any festival Evensong
splendidly. The disc also includes a good deal of German repertoire from
Schütz's Tröstet tröstet mein Volk to Mendelssohn's Richte mich, Gott.
Choir and Organ
This varied programme was recorded in Aldenham School Chapel, Elstree. The disc includes a little-known, yet important, work by Howells, A Sequence for St Michael, and a world premiere recording of the 1968 setting of the Te Deum by Leighton that stretches the choir's vocal technique. Sensitive accompaniment and assured direction combine for a richly contrasting programme of music ranging from plainchant to contemporary items.
Robert Fielding
MusicWeb
The St Albans Chamber Choir was founded in 1958 and has been under the direction of David Hansell since 1997.
I think the first thing I should say is that, as a choral singer myself, I’d be delighted to be a member of this choir which performs a very wide-ranging repertoire with evident commitment and no little skill. This CD gives what appears to be a good overview of the choir’s repertoire. It is, in many ways a very thoughtfully planned disc. Little things deserve praise: for example the musical programme has been devised as a satisfyingly varied concert sequence but the useful booklet note (by the conductor) discusses the music in chronological order, which makes for a more logical essay. A more substantial touch, of which I approve very much is the decision to preface the two Marian Vespers antiphons by Victoria with plainchant settings of the same texts. Again, what a good idea to preface one of Bach’s motets with a short motet by one of his distant cousins! (Johann Ludwig Bach was mainly employed at the court of Meiningen.). As David Hansell observes Johann Ludwig’s piece is relatively old-fashioned but it’s valuable to hear it and it’s marvellous to find a non-professional choir exploring such rare repertoire with evident relish.
Yet, for all the virtues of the programme planning I’m not sure that I’d recommend listening to this CD straight through for I may as well mention my main reservation straightaway. The choir consists of 19 sopranos, 10 altos, 6 tenors and 8 basses and much of the repertoire that they sing on this disc is for double choir. It seems to me that the choir is shown at its best in the twentieth century repertoire with which the CD opens and closes. The trouble with the middle of the programme is that, so far as I can tell, the full choir is deployed in all the pieces. Unfortunately, though they sing well the choral textures, at least as recorded, sound somewhat unvaried.
For, example, as I said, I think the inclusion of some plainchant is admirable. But it appears to be sung by the full choir. If the men’s voices only had been used this would have provided a much more effective contrast with Victoria’s polyphony (it would also have been more authentic.) The polyphonic items themselves, while sympathetically sung, would have sounded better, I believe if a smaller group of singers had been used. As it is, the use of some 43 singers (I presume) results in the sound being somewhat diffuse and there is insufficient clarity in the polyphony. Of the two Victoria settings, Regina c¦li comes off best in terms of clarity, perhaps because the two choirs are of differing sets of voices (SSAT and SATB).
The same criticism applies, I’m afraid to the pieces by both Bachs and by Schütz. Things improve when we get to the Mendelssohn piece (and again, a nice programming touch to follow a piece by J. S. Bach with one by one of his earliest champions.) Here it seems that the contrasts that Mendelssohn builds in between high and low voices works to the choir’s advantage.
As I indicated earlier, the twentieth century items are very successful. Finzi’s marvellous Ascension anthem makes for a strong start, with the tenors showing to particularly good advantage. The Howells piece is a demanding choice and it’s good to hear it, as it’s a comparative rarity. As David Hansell observes, much of this music is "absolutely the quintessence of Howells." The choir copes admirably with the complexities of Howells’ harmonic palette. The work opens and closes in dramatic vein but the middle is much more subdued. The unnamed tenor soloist sings the taxing solo at "Thou wast seen in the temple of God" (track 2, 3’44" 5’15") very well and the imaginative quiet choral passage that follows is done with equal sensitivity.
The Leighton Te Deum, here receiving its first recording, is an interesting and arresting piece. It starts in a subdued mood but Leighton ups the tempo before too long and the singers articulate the punchy rhythms very well. The last few pages are much broader, building to an impressive climax on the words "O Lord, in Thee have I trusted." The piece includes an important organ part and this is a good time to mention the excellent contribution, in a variety of styles, by Roger Judd.
Judd was at one time the Master of the Music at St. Michael’s College, Tenbury, the very place for which Britten wrote his Antiphon in 1956. This setting of words by George Herbert makes imaginative use of three distinct groups of singers. It’s very well done here. To close the recital, we hear another first recording. Malcolm Singer’s Jubilate was commissioned by the choir to open the concert with which they celebrated their fortieth anniversary in January 1999. It’s an exciting and resourceful piece for unaccompanied choir and it makes a strong impression, especially when sung as well as it is here.
This recital is something of a mixed bag, then. I can’t give it a wholly unqualified recommendation, much though I would like to. But there’s much here that will give pleasure and the enterprising programme is one of the more thoughtfully devised that I’ve come across on CD for quite some time.
John Quinn
Sounds Idyllic
Peter Dyke plays the organ of Hereford Cathedral
The American Organist
Peter Dyke, assistant organist at Hereford Cathedral since 1998 gives sensitive performances of lovely English miniatures from the early 20th century. The title is well chosen: most of the music is reflective and quiet, with occasional forays into the realms of the organ's full glory. A Little Organ Book in Memory of Hubert Parry presents single works by 13 composers. These are well complemented by Charles Villiers Stanford's Six Short Preludes and Postludes, Op. 101, and Frank Bridge's Six Organ Pieces of 1914 and 1919. Dyke explores the instrument's fine array of quiet and color registers, as well as its full power. His well-controlled crescendos and diminuendos are effective. The instrument, like many English cathedral organs, has a complex, fascinating history. The earliest pipework dates from 1696; S.S. Wesley directed one of its rebuilds. This was the final recording prior to yet another rebuild scheduled for 2004.
James D Hildreth
Cathedral Music - February 2004
This CD is a gem - consisting entirely of little pieces the programme provides a veritable kaleidoscope of styles and sounds. Virtually all the music is rarely heard (including the other Thalben Ball Elegy!) and I made many a discovery along the way. I could not possibly single out any particular piece -suffice to say that all were worth hearing, and all conveyed with the utmost musicality. I had not heard Peter Dyke's playing before, but I look forward to my next opportunity. Every piece, the shortest barely two minutes, the longest almost five, is given equal care and attention. The organ sounds beautiful, with plenty of space around it. Recommended.
Tom Bell
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - September 2004
Back in 1980 I purchased a slim volume, A Little Organ Book in Memory of Hubert Parry. This collection began when "a few of [Parry's] friends made a small wreath of melodies, which were woven together and played" at his funeral in 1918, then augmented and prepared for publication in 1924. I1 have used most of the 13 pieces extensively during Communion, for funerals, or to fill in when the bride is late. They are lovely miniatures in the style we call "school of Stanford": most are quite easy to learn and play. For me, the finest piece in the collection is Frank Bridge's gentle Lento, though it may be a trifle somber for wedding use. Alan Gray's Slow is nice in that it includes two brief lines from Parry's masterful Blest Pair of Sirens, and Stanford's contribution is based on Parry's song Why Does Azure Deck the Sky (1865). Peter Dyke plays these modest (but useful!) pieces honestly and without pretension, making imaginative use of the colors of the Hereford organ (most have no specific registration suggestions). The memorial volume is readily available in the U.S.A. from Lois Fyfe, Cliff Hill, and no doubt others.
The program continues with Stanford's Six Short Preludes and Postludes, Op. 101, another collection that I have found useful for church work. The last of these is especially attractive, being based on the tune St. Columba.
The final segment is the Six Organ Pieces of Frank Bridge, a composer who (in my opinion) deserves to be much better known than he is. These works (all under five minutes in duration) are more adventurous than the others on the disc, even though they date from as early as 19051919. Again, Peter Dyke's playing is thoroughly idiomatic and very pleasant to listen to. The liner includes extensive notes, a brief biography of the performer, and notes and specifications for the organ (including a whole page of "Accessories"). Recording by Lance Andrews is sympathetic and nicely balanced.
Victor Hill, Ph.D.
American Record Guide
The traditional English cathedral organ of the late 19th or early 20th Century was designed primarily to accompany the Anglican choral service. These instruments can be very large, but often they are housed in side chambers that do not speak directly down the nave, and in addition to some stops of great power, they often have a rich variety of quiet colors that blend well. Even the powerful sounds speak with a feeling of lofty distance consistent with the ethereal quality of the quieter registers. On such an instrument, the accompanist can use quite a lot of organ without overwhelming the choir. Much solo repertory, on the other hand, is apt to suffer from a lack of immediacy unless the repertory in question, as on this recording, was written explicitly for this kind of organ.
The organ of Hereford Cathedral includes some pipes built by Renatus Harris in the late 17th Century, but its predominant character derives from the extensive rebuild carried out by Henry Willis in 1892. Rebuilding by Henry Willis 111 in 1933 and restoration plus a great mixture by Harrison and Harrison in 1978 produced the instrument heard here. According to the notes in the booklet, this recording (made in 2002) was the last before the organ's 2004 restoration. It is, in a sense, a snapshot of its former condition. There may be some audible action noise and wind leakage, but the sound is glorious in a program perfectly suited to its qualities.
As part of Sir Hubert Parry's funeral at St Paul's Cathedral in 1918, several short pieces by contemporary organist friends were played in his memory. These along with some additional pieces were published in 1924, beginning with a short piece by Parry himself headed "For the Little Organ Book so the title chosen for the collection was A Little Organ Book in Memory of Hubert Parry The contributors are a veritable who's who of English church music at that time. Peter Dyke, who became assistant organist at Hereford Cathedral in 1998, plays these mostly gentle and valedictory pieces with a delicacy and restraint that suits their character, but without neglecting the subtle play of colors that many of them call for. He clearly has an affinity for the idiom and plays with great understanding. The character of music and instrument described above is perhaps epitomized in the eighth piece in the collection, an Andantino in C by Harold Darke. As heard here, the opening is barely audible and somewhat indistinct, as if coming from deep in the walls. The music gently rises to a mezzo forte, then fades back into silence at the end.
While I am entranced with these performances, some listeners may possibly find them a trifle understated. It is worth noting that James Lancelot includes the Little Organ Book in his recording of Parry's complete organ works at Durham Cathedral (Priory 682 [2CDI; Nov/Dec 2001). His tempos tend to be quicker, and the recorded sound is less ethereal. Some listeners may prefer that.
Two of the Little Organ Book composers reappear in the two sets of six pieces that fill out this recording. Stanford's Opus 101 (1907) is the first of two sets of short preludes and postludes. (The second set, Opus 105, appeared a year later and has been recorded along with the five Stanford organ sonatas by Desmond Hunter on Priory 445 [2CDI; Nov/Dec 1994.) I have often thought that Stanford is at his best when he is at his most Irish, so the two concluding pieces from Opus 101, based on Irish hymn tunes, are for me the prizes of the set.
Frank Bridge is the pedagogical link between Stanford and Britten. As program annotator Hugh Thomas points out, Bridge's output traverses considerable stylistic territory, from the late romantic idiom of his early works to an intensely chromatic later style "rubbing shoulders with the early works of the Second Viennese School". Bridge's contribution to the Little Organ Book always strikes me as a standout: a striking and mysterious utterance surrounded by estimable but far more conventional organ-loft concoctions.
The six pieces that conclude this program were published as two sets of three in 1914 and 1919, though some date back as far as 1905. They are more conventional in style than the Little Organ Book piece, but it is worth noting the impressionist flavor of the opening Allegretto Grazioso in A and the bittersweet elegiac quality of the penultimate Andantino in F minor with its heartbreaking extended coda. The famous Adagio in E is not part of this set.
GATENS
The Organ
The main work featured on this CD is A Little Organ Book in Memory of Hubert Parry. This work was published after his death and contains music by his contemporaries and successors. Some the music was played at his funeral. The pieces are all relatively straightforward and are just the kind of 'voluntary fodder' that is still very useful, at least in the Anglican tradition. This is not to decry or belittle the music, for in this anthology is encapsulated all that was good about the English cathedral organist tradition of the Late Victorian and Edwardian period. There are more 'modern' contributions from Frank Bridge, Harold Darke, George Thalben-Ball, Charles Wood and others.
The other two anthologies both have six pieces and both are by a single composer: Stanford's Six Short Preludes and Postludes, Opus 101 and Bridge's Six Organ Pieces. Both sets repay further listening and playing perhaps the lesser-known Bridge pieces in particular.
The real star of this recording is, of course, the organ. The fact that there are so many short pieces (25 in all) means that there is ample opportunity to show off the diverse riches of the Hereford Cathedral organ, which sounds magnificent, not least in its quieter registers. Peter Dyke clearly understands the music, the organ, and how best to bring the two together as a homage to a fine English composer and a great tradition.
DB
MusicWeb
In February 1924 the Year Book Press issued "A Little Organ Book in memory of Hubert Parry" with the following note:
At Sir Hubert Parry’s funeral in St. Paul’s Cathedral on October 16th 1918, a few of his friends made a small wreath of melodies, which were woven together and played. The pieces in this Book have been written and given by these friends and a few besides, as a rather larger wreath, in loving memory of him. The title of the book was suggested by the original heading on his own piece (which stands as the first of them), "For the Little Organ Book".
I have known this volume since my schooldays my teacher was fond of Parry’s own piece but I don’t remember her playing any of the others and indeed until this disc arrived I had never heard any of them except by courtesy of my own efforts. In spite of the overall elegiac tone imposed by the occasion the book makes an attractive sequence, for the pieces are individually of good quality and offer a useful cross-section of the composers who were writing for organ in Georgian England. Many of the names here will be familiar to readers of the biography of Elgar; the Three Choirs Festival is something of a leitmotif in the careers of many of them, so the choice of Hereford as a venue could not be more apt.
Not all the high and low points are where one would expect. Parry’s own piece is charming if hardly profound, and the working out is perfunctory. Parry’s organ music is mostly on a large scale (and usually magnificent); the title of this brief movement suggests that he had in mind to compose a book of brief introductory voluntaries in the manner of S.S. Wesley, but he got no further with the project.
Stanford was devoted to Parry although for temperamental reasons they were destined to cross swords to the bitter end. This brief improvisation on one of Parry’s earliest published songs parades all that is weakest in late Stanford, principally a tendency to use fidgety modulations and augmented note-values as a prop for failing inspiration. The Stanford we love shines forth fitfully towards the end, but the master’s voice is heard more potently through his favourite pupil Charles Wood, whose Andante sounds at the beginning almost too Stanfordian to be true.
Gray, Macpherson, Alcock and Ley fall gratefully upon the ear without leaving an abiding impression, but Brewer’s "Carillon" and Atkins’s prelude on "Worcester" are made of sterner stuff while Walford Davies offers some wafting, almost French-sounding harmonies. On this showing Darke and, to a lesser extent, Thalben-Ball belong to those pastoralists to whom belongs also Alec Rowley and of whom Gerald Finzi was the supreme poetic voice, genuine artists who could speak of the transience of life, their idyllic landscapes ever threatened by the chill of a passing black cloud. The most remarkable piece, however, is that by Bridge, full of his characteristic bitter-sweet harmonies and sounding decidedly modern in this context.
The remainder of the disc is dedicated to collections of pieces by the two composers who, together with Parry, were surely the major figures present in the "Little Organ Book". In all his period as an active organist (some twenty years from his arrival in Cambridge to his resignation from Trinity College in 1892) Stanford wrote, as far as we know, only two pieces for the instrument, an unpublished Chorale-Prelude on "Jesu Dulcis Memoriae" (now published by Cathedral Music) and a Prelude and Fugue in E minor. Apparently he preferred playing orchestral music, which he transcribed at sight, rather than music actually written for the organ. With the turn of the century, however, the market for his larger choral-orchestral pieces was declining while good organ music could always be sold. His by then rusty skills as a performer stood him in good stead and between 1894 and his death in 1924 he amassed a considerable production including five sonatas, several large-scale recital pieces and a number of sets of smaller voluntary-style works. Of his two sets of Preludes and Postludes (1907 and 1908) the most ubiquitous single piece, at least on record, is the last of the second set, but the first set, recorded here, is perhaps more inspired as a whole and generations of organists have seized upon it gratefully for service use. It is not music that grabs you by the throat, as some of Stanford’s Irish Rhapsodies and large-scale choral pieces can, but you realise after a time that only a true composer could have written music which so unfailingly does the right thing. It’s music you can trust.
The organ loft does not appear to have formed part of Bridge’s curriculum (he was a very fine viola player) but he was too consummate a craftsman to write ineffectively for any medium. Most of his organ works, including the present group, are early pieces (though he returned to the instrument at the end of his life), belonging to the period in which elegance, charm and fine workmanship predominated long before the radical turn which began with the Piano Sonata of 1921-4. Even so, they brought a breath of fresh air to many a parish church and, such is the innate conservatism of the organ world, may yet do so today.
This recording was the last to be made in Hereford Cathedral before the recent (2004) restoration of the organ. Oddly enough, the first recording to be made following the previous (1978) restoration also contained the Parry "Little Organ Book" piece, as part of an all-Parry recital by Peter Dyke’s predecessor Roy Massey (a Vista LP, VPS 1086). At the outset the two performances sound remarkably similar; the tempo is the same, Parry’s clearly-marked phrasing is scrupulously observed by both organists and the registration seems identical. But as the music proceeds there are two differences; one is that Massey allows the music to move forward more urgently in the central part of the piece, the other is that he changes stops more often. Already at the fifth bar he introduces a new colour while Dyke proceeds without a change. While it is true that such a simple piece can be effective on a small organ with a limited number of stops, when you have all the resources of the Hereford Cathedral instrument to hand, it seems a pity not to use them.
One the whole, I have to take this as symptomatic of a certain lack of boldness on the part of Peter Dyke, something of which Massey certainly cannot be accused the instrument leaps to life in his hands. We are allowed a brief but glorious outburst of tuba stop in the Brewer but in general Dyke seems afraid to let the organ roar its guts out, to the detriment of some of the Stanford and Bridge pieces. It’s all very tasteful but a bit polite.
Nor does the recording help. The organ, ecclesiastical reverberation and the human ear are strange bedfellows. If you sit half-way down a reverberant but acoustically well-calculated Cathedral or Church, the organ sound is before you while the reverberation surrounds you, and yet the human ear manages to sort it out, allowing you to hear the organ with complete clarity even while the echoes of it are swirling all around you. If you put a pair of microphones in place of the human ears, they will hear the same things as your ears, and if you listen to the result on headphones you will get the same effect: the organ before you, completely clear, with the echo all around. But if you listen to this same recording on the loudspeakers of your sitting-room, you will hear the original organ sound and its echoes all in front of you, your ears will be powerless to separate the two things and you will hear smudged harmonies and a confused melodic line.
There would seem to be two ways round this. In the first place, the composer should write in such a way that the music remains clear even in an acoustic which has a long reverberation period (i.e., calculating the echo as a built-in part of the musical effect). It would appear from this disc that Bridge was not able to do this, while Stanford and some of the "Little Organ Book" composers were. The Stanford pieces are totally clear, the Bridge ones are often confused. (Indeed, the Bridge pieces come off best in a smallish Church without too much reverberation, while Stanford can seem rather arid in such circumstances).
In the second place, the engineers should place their microphones with a view to what the effect will be when replayed through loudspeakers, rather than simply reproducing what they hear. Basically, I suppose this means recording closer up. The Massey Vista disc sounds clear to a fault on headphones, but truly magnificent over loudspeakers. The more distanced Lammas recording sounds rather mushy. I don’t want to say it is bad, but anyone seeking evidence that recording techniques have declined over the last 25 years will find grist to his mill in Hereford.
In conclusion, then, this is a nice disc which might have been something more than that. There are useful notes and full specifications of the organ.
Christopher Howell
Sounds French
David Briggs plays the organ of Blackburn Cathedral
Cathedral Music - February 2004
Improvisation is essentially composition 'on the wing and by definition cannot be repeated, unless the medium of sound recording is involved. For fifteen years Pierre Cochereau's virtuoso improvisations on the 5-manual Cavaille-Coll in the Paris cathedral of Notre-Dame where he was titulaire were recorded. This has enabled David Briggs to transcribe and thereby play many of them, including the two which open this stunningly good programme. Briggs himself studied with Jean Langlais in Paris and developed the great talent for improvisation which enables him to sit down at an organ and improvise a four movement symphony, such as he does here. The result is a very satisfying musical experience. Without being at all derivative, it has immensely evocative qualities and one does want to hear it again. Clearly the listener to an improvisation is not always seized with this desire! How fortunate that this Symphonic was recorded inJune 2003 and can now be heard by a much wider public. Briggs the interpreter is also represented with distinction; he gives the most expressive and sensitively controlled performance of the Franck Choral No1 of all the many that I have on disc, with finely judged tempi and authentic registration. All the organ works of Franck should be recorded on [he Blackburn Walker, it is the ideal instrument for it. It is equally suited to the works of Langlais, Dupré and the latter's pupil, Jeanne Demessieux, the titulaire of La Madeleine, who was an important figure in the Paris organ world until her untimely death in 1968. Briggs gives a highly charged reading of her hauntingly beautiful Attende Domino and then ends with a taut rendering of one of Dupré's best known works. The recorded balance on this magnificently rebuilt organ does it full justice, set off by the cathedral's natural reverberation time of six secs.
Roger Tucker
MusicWeb - November 2004
In the very good acoustics of Blackburn Cathedral, the Walker organ sounds at its best after its restoration ... and remarkably French! The new Solo department, ‘Clarinette’ and ‘Hautbois’, again very Gallic, the two digital ranks in the pedal, a great number of couplers - all of these are great enhancements made by David Wood. I agree with Richard Tanner when he writes in the very informative booklet that ‘the result is an incredibly versatile and reliable instrument with tremendous range of dynamic and tonal colour, coupled with a sense of sheer power, but also great subtlety and tremendous beauty.’
In the hands of David Briggs this organ finds its master. The programme is cleverly selected achieving the necessary balance between the pieces. Briggs’ use of the full range of stops and swell pedals, offers fantastic moments: breathtaking crescendos and diminuendos, as well as melodic embroidered miniatures especially in the slow passages.
The two improvisations of Cochereau, whose influence looms large in Briggs’ musical development, show his ingenuity in the art of improvisation. It also reveals the organist’s big commitment to spend a great amount of time transcribing some of Cochereau’s recorded improvisations from LP and later CD. The result is the unique Symphonie en Improvisation, which is so well structured and carries an immense feeling of long-breathed symphonic phrasing. Above all, and in spite of any influences, it sounds uniquely Briggs! The Langlais and Franck pieces are performed with commitment to the composers’ style, great clarity and musicianship. The Attende Domine is presented with sensitivity and its calmness is so well-focused. The Allegro Deciso gives a dramatic, forceful conclusion to this outstanding CD.
Christina Antoniadou
Organists Review -August 2004
I wonder if, back in 1968, Walkers and John Bertalot thought that they had designed a 'French' organ? I'm quite sure that Ralph Downes, recasting the Gloucester organ at much the same time, didn't. Yet these two organs, more than any other British instruments, have over the last few years given David Briggs an unrivalled platform for the performance of late romantic and 'modern' French organ music -especially since his involvement in the recent tonal additions to both of them. This use of the Gloucester organ actually predated Briggs' time there: it was Mark Blatchly, as Assistant Organist, who first started registering this organ horizontally rather then vertically. For twenty years or so, the Gloucester organ had most often been heard played 'classically': clean-limbed choruses, a single rank at each pitch, had been the general order of the day. It worked very well for most 18th century music and much of the leaner 20th repertoire. Not until Blatchly regularly drew all the stops at 16/8/4 (and couplers) did the listener comprehend that there was another side to this organ, a side which David Briggs realised could easily be developed. And develop it he did, with the aid of Nicholson Organs. The wind supply was improved, sub octave couplers added, and 'grave' Pedal ranks, too. The result was an organ which could sound as wondrously at home in romantic and post-romantic French music as it still could in German, Dutch and English music of all periods (well, Elgar perhaps excepted -sadly).
At Blackburn, Briggs advised a similar development of the tonal spectrum, the main differences here being the addition of a fourth manual -its harmonic flutes, broad characterful strings, Voix Humaine and Clarinette adding notably to the sonority and colour of the organ's fonds and the very successful use of digital tone generation for two profound pedal ranks a 32ft Sub Principal and 16ft Flûte Ouverte, whose dynamic level can be augmented by the Pedale Forte 16'32' control. The organ remains a 1969 J W Walker, but the additions (by Wood of Huddersfield) add a whole new dimension.
Briggs is clearly inspired by the revised organ and the cavernous Blackburn acoustic. He turns in beautifully-crafted interpretations of the Franck and Langlais (the mass -unknown to me -is a reflective piece of exquisite writing showing Langlais at his best) and a dramatic, compelling account of the Dupre Allegro deciso. Cochereau transcriptions are one of his trademarks: these are two of the most attractive and immediately compelling. Another first for me is the serene and accomplished Attende Domine by the much missed Jeanne Demessieux. If she had been allowed an expected life-span, there is no telling to what heights her playing and composing would have risen. Playing with great empathy, Briggs shows the real quality of this improvisatory reflection on the plainchant of the Advent Prose.
Unlike many improvisers (and certainly unlike his hero, Cochereau), Briggs is a self-effacing interpreter -his personality never gets in the way of the compos When it comes to his own improvisation it is quite a different story! The richly inventive and deeply satisfying 20-minute symphonic improvisation conceived, spot at the end of the (single evening's) recording session is a case in point. Clearly inspired by a deep vein of influences -Cochereau being only one, this Symphonie en Improvisation has a noble and profound quality which I find quite remarkable. There is heroic M-Widor (and Vierne-like intensity) in the deep brooding opening Moderato; a Cochereauesque Scherzo follows, with a rather amusing subject and an almost Rachmaninovian playfulness at the end next a rich Adagio where the shades Wagner (yes, 1 hear you, Isolde) and Mahler roam (Briggs has been transcribing some of their works recent a soundworld hard to shake off once entered); finally a Final where not only Cochereau can be heard but also Dupré master of architecturally structured improvisations, and Briggs: for remember this really is Briggs -no-one else in the world sounds like this. What impresses almost the most is the sense that, like Dupré, Briggs can think in huge spans. There is a really symphonic feel to the phrase lengths, the spacious rate of harmonic progression having a truly satisfying nobility to it. Only the greatest of improvisers can think in such perfectly structured forms; the rest of us can just gasp in admiration -and enjoy.
Paul Hale
Choir and Organ - July/August 2004
*****
If your musical life lacks excitement, pep it up with Sounds French; David Briggs courageously unfolds a mind-map of his entire musical personality, with works by his teacher (Langlais), his muse (Pierre Cochereau), his stylist (Marcel Dupré), and music he loves and admires (Franck and Demessieux). Highest of the highlights is quite simply the finest four-movement symphonic improvisation I've heard in recent years -a remarkable 20 -minute 'adrenalin rush'-at the end of Briggs's recording session in Blackburn Cathedral. The recently restored J W Walker-David Wood organ sounds fabulous.
Graeme Kay
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - May/June 2004
David Briggs (b. 1962) is one of the most outstanding organists and composers active today; hence this document of his work is indeed welcome. The program opens with two of Briggs' transcriptions of improvisations by Pierre Cochereau at Notre Dame de Paris. He then turns to the Chorale in E major of César Franck, an excellent choice for the highly French Romantic organ at Blackbum. Next is a fascinating Symphonic en Improvisation that, according to the liner notes, "was improvised at about 11:20 p.m., right at the end of our recording session, as the result of a final push of adrenaline!" Briggs is heard here as a true master of improvisation. The Messe Alme Pater is a brief (about seven minutes) and attractive work of Jean Langlais from 1985. The more familiar Langlais Incantation pour un jour Saint, a lovely Attende Domine by Jeanne Demessieux, and the final movement of Marcel Dupré's Evocation, Op. 3 7 conclude the program.
The playing is simply dazzling throughout, and Lance Andrews' recording is as fine as usual. The repertoire is, however, almost entirely "chorus" sounds; in an organ with the wealth of intriguing solo stops I see in the specification, I might wish that some of them were more clearly displayed.
by Victor Hill, Ph.D.
MusicWeb
Sounds French. Well, yes, up to a certain point for this release of French organ music also includes a piece by César Franck who was born in Liège (though he spent most of his composing life in Paris) and another one by David Briggs.
Pierre Cochereau was a highly respected musician and was
well known as a supreme organist, mainly at Notre Dame in Paris. He was also (as
are most
organists) a master improviser whose improvisations in Notre Dame were -luckily
enough -recorded and issued on LPs and later on CDs. The two pieces here are
heard in David Briggs' excellent transcriptions from these recordings. Entrée
Grand Orgue is a typical prelude to a high mass and is cast as a powerful
crescendodiminuendo based on the plainsong Kyrie Orbis Factor, whereas Scherzo
Symphonique is a brilliant virtuoso improvisation on two contrasting themes.
Briggs' transcriptions will hopefully be available in print, for these pieces
should feature more often in organists' recitals.
Jean Langlais's achievement as organist and as composer is deservedly held in high esteem, although he may not have been given his due yet, i.e. as far as commercial recordings of his music are concerned. Incantation pour un jour Saint is a short, but highly effective and brilliant piece composed in 1949 whereas his Messe Alme Pater is a much later work completed in 1985. Both display Langlais's resourceful handling of Gregorian chant which he wraps in his personal harmonic and rhythmic manner. The organ mass is a major work in spite of its concision.
Jeanne Demessieux, too. was a remarkable organist whose untimely death at the age of 47 was a tragic loss. Attende Domine heard here is one of her twelve Chorals-Preludes published in 1950,. It is as beautifully written as anything else in this selection. although the music is, on the whole, slightly more traditional and nearer to Franck than Langlais or Dupré. The latter is represented by the Allegro Deciso, in fact the third movement from Evocations Op.37, a triptych dedicated to the memory of his father. I wish that Briggs had recorded Evocations complete; but this magnificent piece brilliantly closes this most welcome selection.
The major work here, is Briggs' own Symphonie en Improvisation, a substantial piece in four movements playing for some 25 minutes, and -believe it or not -improvised at about 11.20pm, at the end of the recording session! The whole piece is a full-fledged symphony: a first movement followed by a lively Scherzo, in turn followed by a slow movement of great expressive strength and by an energetic Finale. This marvellous piece of music deserves to be heard. I hope that David Briggs will commit it to paper. It would be a great loss indeed if it was not available in print for other organists' profit.
César Franck's Three Chorals of 1890 are his last major works. The Choral No.1 displays all the hallmarks of Franck's mature music, and is roughly conceived as a tone poem, rather than as the diminutive meditation that might have been suggested by the title. It is interesting to compare Briggs' reading with that by Jamie Hitel (recently released on Lammas LAMM 145 D, reviewed here some time ago). Briggs takes a more expansive approach, and plays for two extra minutes. Moreover, there are some curious, intriguing sounds heard first at about 2'35" [track 31 and again at about 51. Have these sounds anything to do with Briggs' comments that "[we] decided specifically not to have the organ tuned before this recording in order to give an even more authentically French sound (sic)"? Curious indeed, for I did not notice any particular distortion in the other pieces.
In short, a most welcome release, magnificently played and well recorded, well worth having, were it only for Briggs' Symphonie, although I could have done without the Franck and instead had some more of Cochereau's improvisations and a complete recording of Dupré's Evocations.
Hubert Culot
The Organ - May/July 2004
Douglas Carrington wrote with great enthusiasm about David Briggs' opening recital on the rebuilt organ of Blackburn Cathedral and now those of us who have not been able to hear it live have a chance to judge for ourselves through this recording which was made last June. David Briggs confines himself to French music which admirably suits both the instrument and the acoustic. The two opening pieces by Cochereau are close to David's heart and are here given beautifully clean and articulate readings -a reflective Entrée Grand Orgue leading to a jolly Scherzo Symphonique.
Franck's Third Choral may be more familiar but the warmth of the registration within the glowing acoustic and the sense of organic growth within the work is compelling. The longest item is an improvisation which David admits was laid down at the end of the recording session when he was flying on adrenalin. You would hardly know it apart from the excitement he creates. The opening movement is thematically and texturally close to the weighty early twentieth-century French tradition of symphonic writing, but gives way to a fluid and delicate Scherzo for flutes and mutations. We know of David's interest in Mahler from his own transcriptions, and here his Adagio draws heavily on the late romantic world of Mahler and Wagner. Think Tristan meets Mahler Three! Apart from the beauty of the unfolding harmonies it is a fine demonstration of the Blackburn strings.
The Finale leaps forward to the more demanding -and exciting -harmonic world of late twentieth century French composition, with the influence of Cochereau and Yves Deverney. Where some performer / composers might hesitate to put their own works alongside that of more familiar (not to say dead!) composers, David Briggs' new symphony fits perfectly into the tradition upon which he is drawing and is a fine addition to it.
The CD also includes works by Langlais and Demessieux, concluding with an extrovert and uplifting reading of Dupré's Allegro Deciso.
BH
Such a Feast
Treble solos sung by Jonathan Rendell
The American Organist
The catalogue of English choral music depends to some extent on the boy treble sound. Many English composers wrote with that sound in mind. This collection then, is is a bow in that direction and contains both familiar and unfamiliar works. Frustratingly, no information is given on the instruments used. The sound of the pieces is slightly other wordly with the worthy addition of violin and cello on some pieces filling out the harmony completely. Rendell's vocalisms are accurate, his diction adequate, and his interpretation standard. The depth and breadth of works included is challenging, from Bach and Handel through to Purcell, Fauré, Parry, Britten, Reger, Franck, Vaughn Williams and Duruflé, and includes two very different versions of "Pie Jesu" haunting in their beaty. However, unless this recording reaches devotees of the true treble sound, this disc will not have a large audience.
Paul Aldridge
MusicWeb
Some people believe the voice of a treble is one of the greatest beauties in music, and they are right. It is just a shame that it is so short-lived. When a boy is somewhere between 12 and 15 his voice changes for ever. As a consequence one has to act quickly if one wants to immortalize the voice of a particular treble. The real art is to make a recording when the voice is at its best and doesn't yet display the first signs of its demise.
It is almost inevitable that on a disc devoted to a singer the music comes second. But that is no excuse for the fact that the repertoire on recordings of trebles is often very unimaginative. Avid collectors of discs with trebles must have at least 40 versions of Mendelssohn’s ‘Hear my prayer’ or the ‘Pie Jesu’ from Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem on their shelves, not to mention a respectable number of performances of the famous or infamous setting of ‘Ave Maria’ by ‘Bach/Gounod’. These pieces are sacred and not unsuitable to be sung by a treble. But there are also recordings with arias from oratorios or even operas and secular songs by Schubert which are totally inappropriate for boys to sing. These pieces do these trebles no good at all.
In this respect the present recording with Jonathan Rendell is a positive exception. Yes, there is Fauré's 'Pie Jesu' again and another 'treble favourite', César Franck's 'Panis Angelicus'. Otherwise the disc is dominated by music that a member of a British cathedral or college choir would be familiar with. And it is in this kind of music that the indisputable qualities of Jonathan Rendell's voice are most impressively displayed.
A remarkable feature of his voice is the strength of his low register. I don't know whether that is a sign of a change of his voice or just a characteristic of his voice as such. The single fact that the low register is strong doesn't necessarily mean that it should be used consistently. I am not happy with the fact that Jonathan Rendell sings some items in his low register, where there is no need whatsoever to do so. An example is the very first piece: 'Bist du bei mir' (not by Bach, as the tracklist says, but mostly attributed to his contemporary Stölzel). Since this isn't a sacred piece it is perhaps less than suitable for a boy to sing anyway, but here it is sung in alto range, and Master Rendell doesn't sound very comfortable. In particular the intonation is less than perfect.
The same thing happens in Parry's 'Long since in Egypt's plenteous land', where the voice is rather unstable. Otherwise the intonation is quite good, for example in the aria 'I know that my redeemer liveth' from Handel's Messiah.
In general baroque music is difficult to sing for a British treble who mostly sings church music of the renaissance and the 19th and 20th centuries. This kind of music consists of legato lines, whereas baroque music requires a very precise articulation and a clear differentiation between notes and a strong expression of the text.
From that perspective the choice of Stölzel's piece as the very first item on this disc is unlucky. Handel's aria is done well, but I am far less impressed by Purcell's Evening Hymn. As much as I am in favour of clear articulation, the way the phrases are broken up here in particular in the concluding ‘Alleluia’ - is almost ridiculous. In the recording of Purcell's complete anthems and services by Robert King (Hyperion) Eamonn O'Dwyer shows how to treat this beautiful piece. And in regard to expression there is no real competition here.
Another point is the pronunciation of pieces in another language than English or Latin. The German pronunciation is reasonable in ‘Bist du bei mir’, but far from perfect in the two sacred songs by Reger.
Fortunately most other items are sung much better. For example, Geoffrey Burgon's Nunc dimittis is given a wonderfully strong and expressive performance. There are fine dynamic contrasts in Vaughan Williams' 'The Call'. In general I would say that the expression in the second half is much stronger than in the first, where I felt that there is a lack of real emotion.
The last piece starts with an unaccompanied stanza, which is dangerous but is mastered quite well by Jonathan Rendell. The whole piece is well done anyway, with a very lively rhythm.
The instrumental accompaniment is alright, although I am not very satisfied with the violin playing in Handel's aria. Franck's 'Panis angelicus' was originally composed for a tenor voice. In a performance by a treble the solo cello is too dominant; it doesn’t blend well with the voice.
A large part of the music on this disc is written in a style I am not particularly fond of. Thanks to Master Rendell I enjoyed it nevertheless in particular the pieces by British composers which is no mean achievement.
Johan van Veen
Cantate Domino
The Chapel Choir Of University College, Durham
Choir Schools Today - 2005
University College, part of the University of Durham, is blessed with two Chapels, both of which feature on this disc. The Tunstall Chapel is the 'main' Chapel and contains a nine-stop organ in the 1684/5 Chair case for the Smith organ in the Cathedral; indeed some of the stops themselves feature refashioned or rescaled Smith pipework The Norman Chapel was disused until the 1950s when it was restored as a war memorial to members of the College. As such, the disc uses the former Chapel for accompanied items and the later for the unaccompanied ones. With the exception of settings of the Responses, this disc contains music for three Evensongs. The performances are assured and, most commendably, the music has been chosen to showcase good choral singing rather than the lamentably frequent recital of pieces "we could have made a good fist of, with the wind in the right direction". It is also laudable to find a director who has clearly put a good deal of time and effort into the Psalmody-. The pace is undisputed amongst the singers and, although one might take issue with Totney's take on Tonus Peregrinus the chants are carefully inflected to make good sense of the words. I would recommend this disc for the Psalm singing alone, and would make it compulsory listening for anyone who makes do (for it can only be 'making do') with the 'bar lines at the end' approach. The organ playing by David Jackson is first rate. Bravo!
Cathedral Music - February 2004
The Chapel Choir of University College comprising eighteen student singers are directed and accompanied by the college's two organ scholars. In essence, this disc contains the choral components from three Evensongs introit, (no preces & responses), psalms, canticles anthem, and hymn. The choir is recorded in both of the chapels within Durham Castle although the choir seems far more at home in their more familiar acoustic surroundings of the Tunstall Chapel than in the tight confines of the Norman Chapel. The singing, on the whole, is controlled and expressive, and the modest chapel organ is handled well by David Jackson. The motets and canticles mere composed during the 16th and 17th centuries, which contrast well with a varied range of styles from the 18th to 21st centuries, including an extremely effective chant by director Christopher Totney in Psalm 128. There are some performances here worthy of a recording, but the whole concept may become tiresome if listening to the disc from beginning to end.
Stephen Power
Choir and Organ - July/August 2004
***
The repertoire is centred around Gibbons, Tallis and their contemporaries with chants by 19th-and 20th-century composers and conductor Christopher Totney. The psalms are pointed so that the barlines coincide with the stressed syllables, which is to my liking. This 18-voice, mixed choir of students produces some well-focused singing under their young conductor. The tenors are particularly fine although the sopranos tend to overwhelm. Good but not spectacular.
Shirley Ratcliffe
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - February 2004
Here are the musical portions- Introit, Psalms, Evening Canticles, anthem, and closing hymn- for Evening Prayer on the 23rd , 27th, and 29th days of the month. (Actually, Psalm 141 is omitted from the 29th, as is the hymn, possibly for reasons of timing.) The introits are all familiar: Batten 0 Sing Joyfully, Farrant/Hilton Lord, for thy Tender Mercies' Sake, and Tallis If Ye Love Me. The canticles are by Gibbons (Short Service), Thomas Caustun (Evening Service for Four Voices), and Tallis (Short Service in the Dorian Mode). Anthems and hymns are by Richard Nicolson, Robert Parsons, Gibbons, and Tallis. For the Psalms, the choir departs from the Tudor period and uses 19th and 20th-century Anglican chants. The sound is youthful and fresh, as one might expect from a student group at one of the finer colleges in Britain, but it is still vital and involved. Lance Andrews captures the intimate spaces of the two chapels at Durham Castle (which is University College) in the sound. The organ, a portion of the Father Smith instrument formerly in Durham Cathedral, has a bright but delicate tone. Both Totney and Jackson are still in their early 20s; they are names to watch for in coming years.
Victor Hill
Malcolm Archer - Cathedral Music
Wells Cathedral Choir
The American Organist
Malcolm Archer's choral music is tonally complex and fresh. What makes it "cathedral music" is yet to be determined, but it seems at home in the hitherto neglected venue of Wells Cathedral, where he is in charge. There is music of good use here, a meditative Advent piece, the "Wells" Service, the "Clifton" Service, and a Missa brevis, as well as several other compositions that have that refined "Englishness" about them. Listeners will be reminded of Stanford, Parry, and others comfortable with lush harmonies built into long sustained passages, culminating in soaring trebles and rumbling pedal notes, yet with a touch of modernity. The cavernous nature of the venue does not help in understanding the words, but most of the lyrics are familiar in any case as parts of the Anglican service. Gough does an excellent turn at the console. Again, irritatingly, no mention is made of the organ. There is even a place for more photography, as Wells has one of the most visually interesting interior and exterior of all English cathedrals. That being said, this is a pleasant listen, and a must for Anglophiles.
Paul Aldridge
American Record Guide
Malcolm Archer is especially prominent among the bewildering array of English church musicians. Exemplifying the grand English cathedral tradition, he excels as a choirmaster, organist, and composer. Two of these skills are demonstrated here, in a luscious sampler of his sacred choral music, gorgeously sung by his own Wells Cathedral Choir. Rupert Gough offers expert and sensitive organ support where called for. While I've heard quite a bit of his music in collections over the years, this is the first release devoted entirely to it.
At this point, I must publicly eat a small slice of humble pie. I reported in a recent review (More than Hymns, S/0 2003, p 251) that this splendid ensemble was one of the best of England's many all-male ensembles. That memorable program, was, in fact, sung by all-boy choristers. But recent research revealed that this group in fact broke with the centuries-old boys-only tradition in 1994, with the incorporation of a girls' choir into their music program.
Separate girls and boys treble choirs (18 choristers each) apparently take turns singing with the particularly rich-sounding men (trained professionals all, not just adolescent boychoir veterans) in the Cathedral's many regular services. I think a mixed lot of trebles is recorded here. No matter, because they are among the sweetest-sounding in the business.
Archer's music is a real treat; it grabbed and held my close attention from start to finish. It offers the kind of homespun tranquillity and heartfelt spirituality that we get from John Rutter or Patrick Hawes (last issue). Also like Rutter, he draws on a boundless range of ancient and modern influences, including jazz harmonies. But his moments of power, drama, and joyous celebration-as well as his generally more sophisticated structural techniques set him apart.
The primary works are two lovely and stirring Magnificat-Nunc Dimittis sets with organ (his Wells and Clifton Services), plus a compact and ethereal a cappella Missa Brevis that shows off his considerable polyphonic skills.
Six shorter pieces make up the remainder of the program. Especially memorable among them is 'The Desert Shall Rejoice', a fragment from a larger work with orchestra, arranged here with organ plus serene English horn obbligatos. 'The Son of the Most High' is a striking unaccompanied setting of a Marian text. The warm and wondering '0 Where Can I Go from Your Spirit?' - a brief introit with organ-both begins and ends with honeyed treble solos.
Great sound from Lammas, full texts, and the composer's own interesting notes complete this very attractive release. If you are an Anglican music fan and haven't yet discovered Archer's excellent music, this is essential listening. But any true sacred choral collector or children's choir buff will find enchantment here as well.
KOOB
Church Music Quarterly - September 2004
Widely published and often performed, is seems possible
that Malcolm Archer has secured himself a place among the line of practising
church musicians who will be remembered in centuries to come as one whose
compositions have enriched the Anglican choral repertoire. How fitting,
therefore, is his recent appointment to the post of Organist of St Paul's
Cathedral. His name will stand alongside Morley Batten, Clarke, Greene, Attwood,
Goss and
Stainer: sometime Organists of St Paul's whose music has found a lasting place
in the repertoire.
Every bar of Malcolm Archer's music included on this disc is imbued with the Anglican tradition. The programme comprises 'The desert shall rejoice'; 'The Wells Service'; 'Blest are the pure in heart', 'The Clifton Service'; 'Missa Brevis'; 'The Son of the most high'; '0 where can I go from your spirit'., 'A Hymn to Wisdom'; and '0 magnum mysterium'. If Howells is the greatest influence (particularly in The Wells Service), echoes of the styles -or at least the compositional spirits -of other English musicians are to be heard, including Bainton, Vaughan Williams and Patrick Hadley, to name but a few. 'The desert shall rejoice', an Advent anthem drawn from a longer work, might be nicknamed 'Archer's Wilderness'. The beguiling cor anglais part and melting choral lines are deliciously sweet: sweet, but not sickly. Archer's musical sweetness is the complex sweetness of honey; not a cloying, synthetic sweetness found in some contemporary choral music. It is not only English composers whose influence is to be heard in Archer's music. Poulenc, Martin and Duruflé make will-o'-the-wisp -like appearances: a brief shimmering, then gone. 'A hymn to wisdom' is a good example of how Malcolm Archer melds the influences of many composers into his own to create a work of over six minutes' duration that is stylistically convincing and architecturally successful.
With regards to the performances on this disc, suffice it to say that they are a testimony to Mr Archer's fine choir-training skills and the listener should remember that the Wells Cathedral Choir includes both boys and girls.
Malcolm Archer is no modernist and his music reflects little of the current trends in choral music (exemplified by such as Tavener and Pärt) let alone current trends in other fields of music. In this he is quintessentially an English church composer: fine music is timeless.
Christopher Maxim
MusicWeb
I think I am right in saying that the city of Wells in Somerset is the smallest city in England. It is dominated (in a very pleasant way) by its magnificent medieval cathedral. Malcolm Archer has been Organist and Master of the Choristers at this cathedral since 1996. It is evident from this CD that he is a first class composer and choral trainer.
All the pieces that are included here were composed between 1998 and 2003. Without exception they demonstrate that Archer has a fine ear for choral sonority, an admirable sensitivity to words, and a genuine and distinctive melodic voice. His harmonic language is accessible and traditional (in the best sense of the word) but it is never bland. Above all, I think, his music conveys a genuine atmosphere and uplifts the listener. If I have a complaint about the chosen programme it is that most of the music is in moderate or slow tempo. I should have been interested to hear Archer in a more rhythmically buoyant mood. However, that is a minor quibble for what is on offer here is very satisfying.
There are two sets of canticles, one written for his own choir and one written for the choir of Clifton Lodge School, Ealing where one of Archer’s friends is in charge of the choir. All I can say is that this school must possess a very good choir for their ‘Mag’ and ‘Nunc’ sound far from easy to sing well. The Wells choir sings both sets of canticles and indeed everything else on the disc, extremely well. The Wells Magnificat is a beautiful setting, distinguished by flowing, expansive lines. The music fits the words exceptionally well and the setting culminates in a wonderful, majestic and arcing ‘Gloria’ that put me in mind of Herbert Howells, the supreme craftsman of ‘Mags’ and ‘Nuncs’. Happily, we get a second chance to hear the Gloria when it is reprised at the end of the fine Nunc Dimittis. In the Clifton canticles Archer does not set the Gloria to the same music each time. The conclusion of the Magnificat (a fine setting that brings out, I think, that this is a feminine canticle) is strongly affirmative ‘Gloria’ that tellingly dies away into mystery. The Nunc Dimittis glows quietly but fervently and the ‘Gloria’ with which it concludes fits the music that has preceded it like a glove.
The disc also contains a succinct Missa Brevis, commissioned by a church choir in Dallas. This a cappella setting exploits the sonorities of the choir very well. Of particular note is the slightly more astringent harmonic palette employed in the plangent Kyrie and the lovely Agnus Dei in which rising and falling vocal lines intertwine most effectively.
Among the anthems I was very struck by The Son of the Most High. This was written in 2000 to be sung at the annual week-long liturgical festival, Musica Deo Sacra, held at Tewkesbury Abbey each summer, when an expert visiting choir sings services. This anthem is a marvellous, eloquent piece that features glowing and radiant choral textures. The Wells singers do it proud. Another striking anthem is A Hymn to Wisdom, which was written to mark the retirement of the Dean of Wells in 2003. It was unveiled during his final weekend at the cathedral and must have been a delightful surprise for him (the composition had been kept a secret from him.) This piece contains probably the most wide-ranging music on the disc and it is performed with great assurance and commitment.
My favourite piece, though, is the one with which the recital closes, a setting of the Christmas text, O magnum mysterium. In his excellent liner notes Malcolm Archer evokes the great settings by Victoria and Poulenc. I would say that he achieves the same sense of rarified, peaceful awe and wonder that we find in the aforementioned masterly settings of the text and I’d add another comparison, the setting by Morten Lauridsen. Archer’s version is just as atmospheric as any of these and deeply satisfying.
So, this is a very enjoyable and rewarding disc. As I’ve said, the notes are very good and full English texts are supplied. The sound is very good indeed; both the engineers and Archer himself have used the spacious acoustic of Wells Cathedral effectively and successfully. There is excellent ambience round the choir but the singing is always clearly reported. Of course, the fine diction and excellent choral projection help enormously. The Wells choir is on excellent form. They blend splendidly and produce a consistently beautiful sound. Rupert Gough, who is Malcolm Archer’s assistant, accompanies several pieces very sensitively, and the organ sound has been integrated into the overall balance very well.
The music on this disc is of very high quality and the performances are equally fine. Wells Cathedral is very lucky to have such an accomplished musician in residence and I hope that this disc will bring his excellent music to a wider audience. I strongly recommend this CD to all lovers of good choral music and that of the English church in particular.
John Quinn
The Organ - Number 327
The difficulty of writing completely original music for the Anglican tradition is amplified when the composer is so closely involved on a daily basis with the very tradition he writes for. Britten achieved originality and so did Walton and Leighton, but then they weren't primarily church musicians. Malcolm Archer's music can often be reminiscent of other composer's work, although this doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. The Wells Service is extremely Howells-like but is admirable for its fine overall structure and craftsmanship and especially for the handling of choral and organ textures. The Clifton Service occasionally shows a more distinct and individual language and is all the more enjoyable for it. Missa Brevis uses the sixteenth century model as its basis but also has many harmonic and structural similarities with later similar compositions by Vaughan Williams, Howells and Berkeley. The son of the most High seems to get us closer to Malcolm Archer the individual. It is an extremely fine piece for unaccompanied double choir and solo quartet using beautifully close and warm textured choral writing and wonderfully crafted solo lines. A hymn to wisdom is again reminiscent of Howells but not overly so. It is an intense and often thrilling piece that vividly enhances the mood of the text from the Book of Ecclesiasticus.The disc ends with a moving setting of 0 magnum Mysterium. It is similar in style to The son of the most high though even more intimate. Here, Archer succeeds in his own wish to achieve a timeless effect similar to that achieved in the settings by Victoria and Poulenc, yet written in his own language and in doing so, creates something extremely special.
JJ
Sounds Messianic
Jamie Hitel plays the organ of St Paul's Episcopal Church, Akron, Ohio, USA
Cross Rhythms March 2004
******
The title is a pun on the name of the featured composer, Olivier Messiaen, who is not usually associated with industrial Akron. The featured work is "Les Corps Glorieux", seven brief visions of the life of the resurrected. Written in 1939 on the eve of war, this cycle paints a picture of the life of the risen body. Messiaen is giving us theology as music and moves above and beyond melody, rhythm, tonality and structure. Instead we share in his vision of the indescribable afterlife. This is not music in a recognisable sense but as an aid to contemplation you may find it helpful. Do not try to analyse it, just let it be and, as Hitel leads us through the complex stages of the sequence, we arrive ultimately at "The Mystery Of The Holy Trinity" where, of course, there are no more questions worth asking. The closing piece on this disc is Franck's "Choral No 1 In E Major". Franck was a musical influence on Messiaen and this mystical piece sits well with what has gone before.
Steven Whitehead
The Organ - Number 327
Jamie Hitel is a native of England and former director of music of Waltham Abbey, having previously worked in Norway for three years.This recording is from his current church in Ohio, which has a large four-manual Wicks organ (opus 6320 no less!).The programme comprises Messiaen's great cycle of 1939,'Les Corps Glorieux' and Franck's famous Choral No 1 in E. The reverberation time in the building is short which doesn't help either work. However, the organ has a wide range of colour and sounds pretty convincing in both works, especially the Messiaen. On the negative side, some of the reed tone sounds fairly rough or nasal.The Messiaen is well played with strong character and the organ copes with the many unusual registrations demanded.The struggle between life and death is well conveyed in the fourth movement and there is a real sense of joy in the sixth. The whole piece feels like a 'performance.'The Franck is fluent if brisk and there is some unusual'soloing out'in the final line.The booklet contains very full programme notes, biography and a specification.
GMS
Choir & Organ - January & February 2004
***
The British organist Jamie Hitel was appointed to St Paul's, Akron, in 2000. The large organ is by Wicks, with colours appropriate for Messiaen, although in an apparently rather dry acoustic (an out-of-tune reed E flat really should have been remedied (or is this a characteristically French touch?).
Hitel dispatches the Messiaen cycle with consummate
neatness and accuracy,
perhaps a little carefully; I've heard the 'Combat' sound more terrifying.
The Franck Choral is rather breathless, but builds up well, ending in a
blaze of excitement with the addition of the 'tuba héroique'.
John Kitchen
MusicWeb - November 2003
An intriguing disc. The coupling of Messiaen and the Belgian composer César Franck is an inspired one. Messiaen’s Les Corps Glorieux (‘The Glorified Bodies’) is a heady, almost intoxicating statement of Roman Catholic mysticism. Written when the composer was in his twenties, the piece is subtitled, ‘Seven Brief Visions of the Life of the Resurrected’. Jamie Hitel, in the Messiaen at least, is fully committed and inside the musical sound-world. Musically, the Franck complements it beautifully.
The first three movements centre around spiritual peace. The first movement, ‘Subtilité des Corps Glorieux’ (‘The Subtleness of the Glorified Bodies’, as translated in the booklet) is pure monody. Freed from earthly concerns, the liberated bodies can float freely, as indeed the melody twists and turns. Immediately identifiable as Messiaen, the music’s own hypnotic journey gives out the musical language horizontally: the ear is therefore fully attuned for the vertical sonorities of ‘Les Eaux de la Grce’ (‘The Waters of Grace’). This refers to the river of grace running through the Heavenly City, and this gentle polymodal vision is held at a restrained dynamic level, at once reverential yet holding within it the capacity to unleash spiritual ecstasy.
The same shadowy aura shines around ‘L’Ange aux Parfums’ (‘The Angel of the Incense’). This is music replete with half-voices, silvery and other-worldly. The first three movements act in contrast to the ‘Combat de la Mort et de la Vie’ (‘The Struggle between Death and Life’), the longest section of Corps Glorieux. The writing is intensely pictorial in the first part of this movement, a Messiaen battle scene, a struggle against the inevitability of Death. Hitel delivers the fast-moving chords with consummate virtuosity. Visceral and physically involving (it is like being pummelled for four minutes by blocks of sound), the contrasting and longer section radiates serenity. This is extended peace, the harmonies almost unbearably tender.
The next two movements concentrate on various attributes of the glorified bodies. ‘Force et Agilité des Corps Glorieux’ (‘The Power and Agility of the Glorified Bodies’) begins like a call-to-arms. These beautiful angels are possessed of a strong backbone of grace. Again monody is used, here with a supple rhythm that conveys the joy of movement. The power of Messiaen’s sensitivity to intervallic colour is shown at its best in the sixth movement, ‘Joie et Clarté des Corps Glorieux’ (The Joy and Radiance of the Glorified Bodies’). There is a definable contained ecstasy in the harmonies which makes this compelling.
The Mystery of the Holy Trinity (‘Le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité’) is a concept that was close to the composer’s heart. Number symbolism (three, of course) is paramount here in this final section. The music itself is delicate, almost preternaturally fragile (as the booklet notes say, ‘It seems to call us from beyond’). The meditational aspect of this movement almost seems to take the experience to a different plane. Hitel’s focused concentration is all one could ask for.
The coupling of Franck’s Choral No. 1 in E works very well musically, although there is too little gap between the two pieces on this disc. One of Franck’s last statements, the trithematic Choral (initially dedicated to Alexandre Guilmant, then in the final printed score to Eugène Gigout) is difficult to bring off. It can so easily sound diffuse, as indeed alas it does here. The most successful part is towards the end, a majestic chorale (around 11’25) and a jubilant close, but the end impression is that Hitel does not quite understand this elusive piece. André Isoir’s 1975 recording on Calliope (CAL9920/1, available via LudwigvanWeb) is far superior. Isoir is more flowing, with a more identifiable sense of direction and a clearer idea of form. Under his fingers, the close is truly resplendent and climactic.
The recording on the new Lammas disc is fine and clear and the organ is obviously an instrument of some majesty. I was not aware Akron, Ohio, was famous for anything other than founding Alcoholics Anonymous. They obviously own a fine piece of organery, too.
Colin Clarke
When He Is King
Truro Cathedral Choir
Church Music Quarterly - December 2004
Anyone wanting a collection of Christmas crackers such as Ledger's version of the Sussex Carol, Poston's Jesus Christ the apple tree, Darke's In the Bleak Mid-winter, Warlock's Benedicamus Domino and Bethlehem Down, Tavener's The Lamb, Howells' Here is the little door, and Gardner's Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day need look no further than this attractive disc. The once-popular sequence of three movements that form the opening of Mendelssohn's unfinished oratorio Christus ('When Jesu our Lord', 'Say, where is he born', 'There shall a star') is especially welcome.
Christopher Maxim
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - April 2004
Again, we have much familiar material, which AAM members planning services and seasonal concerts may quickly pass over, but also there are some very interesting ideas here. The lively Peter Warlock Benedicamus Domino is a brief work that could find many appropriate uses in the season. Britten's New Year's Carol might work well in Boar's Head or other New Year Year celebrations. Other works that might be considered for AAM members' programming are Peter Warlock's Bethlehem Down and Andrew Nethsingha's tender realization of the Czech carol Little Jesus sweetly sleep: a gem for family Christmas services. John Hocking, Christopher Gray, and our stalwart Lance Andrews have given a superb recording for sound.
Victor Hill Ph.D.
Cross Rhythms
The first Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols actually took place in Truro before being popularised by King's College, Cambridge. This release shows that the tradition is being maintained in Cornwall. The Cathedral Choir, directed by Robert Sharpe, is all male and produces a nicely rounded sound. The organist on this recording is Christopher Gray. He plays well but is not over used, allowing the quality of the singing to come through. The songs chosen give us a pleasing balance of old and new. We start, for example, with the traditional "Sussex Carol", cross the Atlantic for "Jesus Christ The Apple Tree" and then get Walford Davies' arrangement of "0 Little Town Of Bethlehem". There are enough classics to please those who want to hear the old favourites: 'Once In Royal David's City stands out, due to the lovely treble solo from Joshua Brooksbank. The modern include Tavener's 'The Lamb" and two Latin texts set to music by Poulenc. The only minor criticism I would make is that it would have been appropriate to include something Cornish.
Steven Whitehead
Gramophone - January 2004
Christmas Releases
Malcolm Riley reviews new and reissued discs with a seasonal bent
You need not fear disappointment with Truro Cathedral
Choir's When He Is King from Lammas. In many ways this is the most traditional
(and predictable) fare on offer this year, with a strong 20th-century bias. Two
carols each from Warlock and Poulenc, one each from Howells, Gardner, Poston,
Britten, Walford Davies, Darke and Tavener, and some delicate and discreet
arrangements. Under Robert Sharpe's direction the choir's singing
is clear and focused. Organist Christopher Gray draws some magnificent sounds
from the Father Willis.
Church Times - 5 December 2003
Compact Discs for Christmas
My top billing among this year's Christmas discs goes to Truro Cathedral Choir, whose 'When He is King' hoists them right up into the Westminster league. Honed by Andrew Nethsingha and now by Robert Sharpe (with organist Christopher Gray), Truro serves up one superb track after another.
The boys' phrasing is full of lovely, natural portamenti and stylish apoggiaturas; the men's musicianship is grand, too. The disc offers few surprises, but an immensely desirable selection. Two tricky hoops, Walford Davies's 'O little town' and Mendelssohn's glorious 'When Jesus was Lord', are jumped through with aplomb. Fine Warlock, exquisite Elizabeth Poston, stylish Britten ('A New Year Carol'), magical Howells, and sparkling Poulenc.
American Record Guide
Every English city of any significant size is proud of its cathedral. Each of those cathedrals is proud of its choir and, it would seem, proud of a series of recordings by its choir. One of the lesser-known cathedrals is Truro (Cornwall- the first cathedral in Britain consecrated after the Reformation). It, too, has a distinguished music program with an impressive choir and organ and, of course, a series of CD recordings. This new one concentrates on music for Christmas. Its 20 selections are in no particular order (other than to alternate loud and fast selections with soft and slow ones). While not totally a compendium of ‘greatest Christmas hits’ it comes close, with very few unusual or obscure pieces.
Traditional hymns are much in evidence: ‘Sussex Carol’, ‘0 Little Town of Bethlehem’, ‘Silent Night’, ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. English composers are represented by Warlock, Britten, Taverner, Posten, (Robert) Parsons, and Howells. The foreign contingent includes Mendelssohn, Poulenc, and a Czech ‘Little Jesus, Sweetly Sleep’. They are all nicely sung, with a fine balance between treble children’s voices, countertenors, and the mature gentlemen’s voices. A ‘mystical blur’ of resonance hovers about the voices (perhaps a bit too much), indicative of a cathedral’s ambience. Yet there is a curious sameness of feeling and tone-much beauty but little excitement. This one is for fans of Truro and English cathedrals. Notes and texts are included.
Parsons
International Record Review - December 2003
Ah, Christmas! Where would we he without the annual flurry of releases of Christmas music from our cathedral, college and other choirs? Truro Cathedral Choir’s contribution to the collection is a pleasant disc, with good old favourites mixed together with a smattering of early twentieth-century settings and contemporary carols. The choral sound is unmistakably English, with the slightly bulging lines and mangled enunciation (there are some particularly ugly sibilants) that seem so particular to boy choristers - I always wonder why choirmasters can’t iron out these characteristics. However, I was impressed by the boys’ unforced sound, notably in their rich lower range. There are some lovely performances here: I marked out as particular favourites Tavener’s The Lamb, a beautifully simple rendition of Away in a manger, and my absolute favourite track on the disc, the opening movements of Mendelssohn’s Christus, featuring a superb treble solo, excellent men’s-voices trio and a beautifully sung chorale. Some pieces are not as successful as they might be: Warlock’s energetic Benedicamus Domino is a little too boisterous for accuracy and Howells’s gem Here is the little door not as smooth as one might wish, but in general the standard of performance is high. I have a couple of gripes with the balance on the recording, which favours the choir much more than the organ. This is fine until the organ accompaniment is an important feature of the piece, as, for instance, in the fine arrangements (new to me) of I saw three ships and Noël Nouvelet, and also in the Mendelssohn. Furthermore, the boys overwhelm the men’s voices in the works that were not written for English cathedral choirs, especially the two Poulenc motets: it would have been preferable to record these with fewer trebles so that the intricate harmonies could be heard. I must say, though, that if I wanted some music to remind me of English traditions around my Norwegian hearth this Christmas, I might not look too much further than this recording. The combination of well-chosen repertoire and that inimitable English cathedral choral sound, in the lovely, warm acoustic of Truro Cathedral, makes me feel quite homesick!
Alison Bullock
MusicWeb - 19 November 2003
These days the choice of compact discs celebrating the festive season is vast. So where does one start? I would suggest that in the case of choral music the choice is likely to come down to quality of performance versus repertoire. There are numerous discs available by some our finest choral groups, some of which explore contemporary or more unfamiliar musical territory. There is even greater choice if looking for something along more traditional lines, including recreations of the Festival of Lessons and Carols by the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge and others.
In this particular case the Truro Cathedral Choir have clearly tried to provide a sensible balance between the well known and the deserving, with perennial favourites nestling alongside what for some may well be new discoveries. Herbert Howells' gem, Here is the little door is a welcome inclusion but what a shame that room could not be found for the even more beautiful Sing Lullaby. The touching simplicity of Britten's gently rocking New Year Carol is equally enjoyable although the decision to include John Tavener's widely recorded The Lamb, could be considered unnecessary given the quality of numerous recordings that exist elsewhere. Like the Howells, Warlock's Bethlehem Down is a beautiful creation and I particularly enjoyed Warlock's lesser-known Benedicamus Domino, worlds apart in its boisterous good spirits.
A number of the arrangements are also worthy of mention, amongst them Philip Ledger's treatment of the Sussex Carol, written for King's College Cambridge and complete with resplendent organ accompaniment. An amusing version of I saw three ships by Philip Marshall contrasts with Stephen Jackson's imaginative and highly effective Noël Nouvelet. Simon Morley's lush harmonisation of Silent Night gives the well-known tune a slightly more popular feel than is normal and is sung with feeling by the Truro choristers.
Christopher Thomas
Sounds Exuberant
Neil Watson plays the music of Christopher Boodle
Church Music Quarterly
Exuberant music, indeed! Almost every piece on this disc bursts with joy, energy and downright fun, as exemplified by such titles as Scherzo, Christmas Sleigh-Ride (it would make a sparkling voluntary for Midnight Mass!), Toccata Eclatante, 'A Song of joy' (the opening movement from the Little Organ Book), and Jazz-Fantasy on an American Spiritual (based on the well-known song 'Go tell it on the mountain' and featuring the organ's chimes stop as well as a vast array of other colours). Fanfare for the Millennium with Canons opens the programme in confident and buoyant mood and the five-movement 'Carillon Symphony' ends it with equal vigour. Neil Weston's energy, virtuosity and stamina in recording in just two days a disc with so many notes make for a remarkable feat.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music - February 2004
This CD presents the organ works of a composer with whom I was unfamiliar. There is no doubt that Neil Weston plays with conviction and enthusiasm, and he presents a strong case for the music. There is great contrast in style between the various works, as Weston writes it is 'never humdrum or predictable'. In terms of style, Boodle's music is accessible but never colourless. There is some very fine and interesting writing, as well as some good humoured fun, but not everything is of the same level of quality. Weston also states that Boodle's music is typified by, among other things, 'frequent repeated chords' whilst this is fine in one piece once, it does get tiring after one has heard the complete CD a few times. This should not discourage you from buying this - it is essential to explore new music, we can't go on listening to the same old stuff forever! Too many recital and CD programmes present yet another performance of the same much-loved piece or pieces. This is fine on the one hand, but often the organ lover (as opposed to a general music loser with a lesser knowledge of organ music) seems reluctant to accept anything new at all. Do buy this recording and discover this music for yourself.
Tom Bell
Organists Review - August 2004
Christopher Boodle, born in 1952, received his musical education at New College, Oxford, and the Royal College of Music, London. The pieces on this recording span nearly twenty years of creative endeavour. They are varied and accessible. The short, arresting Fanfare for the Millennium with Canons was composed for the commemorative album celebrating the new millennium, published by the Incorporated Association of Organists. Scherzo combines well atonal sounds within tonality, but repeated chords lack subtlety. The low-brow Jazz-Fantasy on an American Spiritual (Go tell it on the Mountain) is in strict sonata form. Christmas Sleigh-Ride is cliché-ridden. 'Ilie relentless and over-long Toccata Éclatante shifts ungrammatically from one unrelated chord to another. A Little Organ Album is a collection of eight short pieces written in response to a request from the Lorenz Company, USA for players of moderate ability. Carillon Symphony is in the composer's unmistakeable easy-listening idiom; each of the five movements is based on one or more specific bell-chimes.
Neil Weston was a chorister at Chichester Cathedral, a scholar at Harrow, and continued his studies at the Universities of Oxford and London. He now holds a number of musical positions in USA The composer is fortunate to have such a skilled advocate. The well focussed M P Möller organ was built in 1991. It is well recorded.
Michael Overbury
Cross Rhythms
*********
The composer was born in Gloucester in 1952 and writes organ music with a distinctive flavour for which exuberant is an apt description. We start with a rousing 'Fanfare For The Millennium With Canons'. Next is 'Jazz-Fantasy On An American Spiritual' which is 'Go Tell It On The Mountain' like you have never heard it before. Then we have a 'Scherzo' which tips its hat, musically speaking, in the direction of Beethoven and a 'Christmas Sleigh-Ride' by which point you may be feeling that you can have too much of a good thing. Fear not. After 'Toccata dance' we can draw breath with the 'Little Organ Book', eight short pieces written for organists of moderate ability. And we finish with a 'Carillon Symphony' that will delight bell-ringers as well as organists. Neil Weston does full justice to Christopher Boodle's compositions and we should be grateful to him for bringing these exuberant pieces to our attention.
Steven Whitehead
MusicWeb - November 2003
Christopher Boodle is active as an organist and composer. His works include three symphonies, a Passiontide oratorio, a dramatic cantata ‘Death of a Martyr’, chamber and church works, plus organ music in various forms.
The chosen organ pieces on this recording span nearly twenty years of creative endeavour. They are enjoyable and likely to make pleasant listening for all music lovers. They are simple in form and though lacking extensive thematic development have great rhythmic vitality. Unpredictable tonalities take the listener by surprise. It seems that counterpoint is not the strongest point of Boodle’s music, which often falls back on clichés. There are also sections (e.g. the Jazz-Fantasy on an American Spiritual) which fail to cohere. The result is a piece that lacks unity and fails to keep its material focused. The use of the colourful canvas of the organ shows great skill and produces some good effects, even though not original. The Toccata Éclatante in the French style, is perhaps the most successful and enjoyable piece of this CD. This music aptly complements the stops of the Moller organ. It is enhanced by the use of a variety of nicely voiced reeds, mellow celeste and powerful 32’ stops.
Weston’s playing has confidence, clarity and precision and the musical shapes are nicely captured. Undoubtedly he seems to enjoy playing this music which evinces nervous tension as well as sensitivity when demanded. Overall a pleasant and relaxing listen. Music of unpretentious simplicity.
Christina Antoniadou
Golden Vanity
Music for Boys’ Voices by Benjamin Britten
Church Music Quarterly - December 2004
Britten's Vaudeville, composed for the Vienna Boys' Choir, is presented here with A Ceremony of Carols, the Missa brevis in D and the Children's Crusade. The performances are polished and the boys' voices very refined - so much so that, in The Golden Vanity, the boys sound rather too polite to be convincing English sailors, let alone bloodthirsty Turkish pirates!
Christopher Maxim
Oxford Times
There is a problem with dogs: they cannot necessarily bark to order. So composer Benjamin Britten set a bit of a poser when he requested a barking dog at certain points in his piece Children's Crusade.
So the bark was provided by Sebastian Harries when the Oxfordshire Youth Percussion Ensemble decided to record it. "I made a sound effect of a dog barking by using a scraper put across a tom-tom, played with either a metal or a wooden stick, as written in the music," said Sebastian. "The scraper is a length of bamboo, with groves cut into it, which create the sound as you rub the stick across them. But if you just play a scraper normally it's not loud enough. You must use the tom-tom too, to add resonance." Conductor Sue Lawrence said: "When Britten wrote the piece nearly 50 years ago, he no doubt. worked very closely with his own percussionist, James Blades. But we had to work out our own way of generating the right sound." The OYPE were introduced to Children's Crusade by someone from a rather different musical world, Stephen Darlington, director of Christ Church Cathedral Choir. "I've looked at the score over the years," Stephen tells me, "but I've never managed to find an occasion when I could get all the necessary forces together at once -and, most importantly, enough time to prepare it properly. Then on my last sabbatical term I found I had a bit of extra time, as one does on a sabbatical, and 1 thought 'well maybe now 1 can do this project'.
"It coincided with my hearing about the excellent county music percussion ensemble run by Sue, so I got in touch and asked if there would be any interest in collaborating with Christ Church Choir. It also coincided with my having the right sorts of voices in the choir itself, to take on the different roles in the story."
Unlike his children's opera Noyes Fludde, composed ten years earlier, Britten's Children's Crusade does not exactly leap off the page as a bit of cheerful fun. The story, by Bertolt Brecht, tells of a group of children wandering through war-devastated Poland in 1939. They become lost and eventually perish. Even the dog dies of starvation. Britten himself described it as "a very grisly piece".
So what attracted Stephen Darlington? "There are lots of reasons. Like many people who are involved in choral music, I have become very familiar with some of the much better known Britten choral works. That prompts you to look elsewhere and think 'well, what else did he write?' Also, as a teenager I was very interested in Brecht's poetry. Thirdly, there was what I suppose you might call a pseudoacademic interest in the actual construction of the work. It doesn't have tunes,and the instruments that Britten chose to incorporate with the children's voices are unusual. So it was a challenge."
But it was surely a further challenge to fire the enthusiasm of teenage percussion players and boy choristers for such a difficult piece of music, I suggest to Stephen.
"I have found that boy choristers are always very attracted to music with rhythmic complexity. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's because they like puzzles and things of that sort. So you're on to a winner from that side of things. The story didn't immediately appeal to the choristers, but the characters did, and that obviously included the dog, who has a singing part as well as a bark. There is no boy existing in this rather peculiar ascetic world in which we live who would not want to play the dog. Then, when they heard the instruments involved, they were open-mouthed. That was a marvellous moment, when it all came together."
Away from the quiet of Stephen's Christ Church rooms and back to the magnificent new Oxfordshire county music centre at Bayard's Hill School, Barton. It is Saturday morning and the place is positively heaving with all manner of groups and orchestras. I ask one of the teenage percussionists involved, Clare Gilson, what she made of Children's Crusade.
"I found it quite strange listening to children singing about such a serious subject - a lot of them were very little. While you're actually recording it, you focus more on the technical side of things, you have to keep changing sticks and things like that. But listening to the whole piece afterwards, I think it's very effective."
This is the first time that members of the OYPE have
encountered boys who sing services day in, day out, in Christ Church Cathedral.
Percussionist Jonathan Fairey said: "It was very strange, and new to me
certainly. It was very interesting to play alongside them and have the choir and
the ensemble feeding off each other. But there wasn't a lot of time to mix -with
the choir, we were all so busy."
"However, when we hit: -' instruments really loudly, the boys would turn round
and laugh," said Sebastian. "Do you reckon they were scared?" wonders Clare.
Probably not, for boy choristers are every inch professional musicians. One of the senior choristers taking part in the recording was Tom Bennett, who has now moved on to Abingdon School. His voice was breaking at the time, ideal for doing the dog solo.
"As my higher ranges started to go, my lower ranges started to improve, so that was good," said Tom. "But I still had to sing the high chorus parts as well, so I ended up having to produce a huge range of notes.
"But the percussionists were just so good, it was amazing. It really brought the piece to life, having the percussion."
Percussionist Dickon Ceadel plainly agrees. Amid peals of laughter from his colleagues. he said.. "The Oxfordshire Youth Percussion Ensemble is established in its own right. We've played in the Festival Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall. It was a privilege to be asked to take part, but I'm sure it was a privilege for Christ Church Choir to work with us too."
Giles Woodforde
Internationial Record Review - February 2004
'Music for Boys' Voices', as this pleasing CD is subtitled, presents four works dating from between 1942 (A Ceremony of Carols) and 1968 (Children's Crusade). They were written for a variety of purposes -A Ceremony of Carols for the Fleet Street Choir, the Missa brevis (1959) for the retirement of George Malcolm as director of music at Westminster Cathedral, The Golden Vanity (1966) for the Vienna Boys' Choir. Children's Crusade, written for Wandsworth School Choir and Orchestra, was first performed in St Paul's Cathedral in 1969 on the fiftieth anniversary of the Save the Children fund. The accompaniments range between telling use of a harp in the Ceremony, organ in the Missa, and piano and percussion in Vanity, to the startling and original scoring for two pianos, organ and a battery of percussion in the Crusade. This last work is the least often recorded and for me the most interesting. It is a setting of Hans Keller's translation of Brecht's Kinderkreuzzug and tells starkly of the appalling fate of a group of children wandering through wartime Poland in winter, eventually dying of cold and starvation. In 1970 Britten himself was involved in the historic recording made by Russell Burgess and his Wandsworth School forces.
The Missa brevis is available in several recordings by college and cathedral choirs, among them a version by the 1986 successors to the original Westminster Cathedral performers, directed by David Hill. The ever-popular Ceremony of Carols is listed in more than 20 versions, including ones coupled with the Missa (for example, King's College Choir under David Willcocks).
The performances on the new Lammas CD are spirited, full of enthusiasm and, even in the bleakest music, evident enjoyment. Diction is less than ideally clear, but the texts (apart from that of the Mass) are printed in the booklet. The recording requires a higher-than-usual volume setting, but balance and the atmosphere of the cathedral are alike impressive. Instrumental contributions are unfailingly musical and highly effective. Stephen Darlington and all his singers and players deserve high praise and warm gratitude.
Peter Branscombe
Cross Rhythms
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This collection gives us four challenging pieces. The title track was composed in 1966 for the Vienna Boys' Choir and tells an exciting tale of a sea battle with Turkish pirates in which the young here drowns. The choristers of Christ Church Cathedral are joined by those from Worcester College Chapel but still do not pack enough punch for this reviewer Credit to Clive Driscoll-Smith on piano for keeping things moving. 'The Ceremony Of Carols" from 1942 works much better. This is a collection of a dozen short pieces that are strung together like pearls in a necklace Victoria Davies adds some lovely touches on the harp. Next we have "Missa Brevis In D" from 1959. It is brief but also remarkably powerful, foreshadowing the 'War Requiem'. We conclude with the 'Children's Crusade", written in 1968 for the Save The Children fund. It tells the grim story of a group of young Poles who starved to death in 1939. It is not an easy piece to listen to but still needs to be heard. The juxtaposition of this with the Christmas make us think.
Steven Whitehead
Choir Schools Today
A significant part of Britten's output includes music written for children, to be performed by children: his affection for young people and his appreciation of their outlook on the world, was an important feature of his musical thought and style. He never compromised musical or emotional considerations when writing for this age-group, and the pieces on this recording represent some of the more complex technical and emotive examples of this genre, with the well-known works A Ceremony of Carols and Missa Brevis sandwiched between the dramatic pieces The Golden Vanity and the Children's Crusade. Both the dramatic works comment on man's inhumanity to man: The Golden Vanity, scored for double chorus of trebles and composed for the Vienna Boys Choir, is a tale of a sea battle with Turkish pirates, and the humble cabin boy who saved the day but is left to drown by the captain who had previously offered the hand of his daughter in marriage: Children's Crusade follows the plight of a group of children as they wander a 1939 war-torn Poland, eventually dying from starvation. To have recorded any one of these pieces to the standard of this disc would have been an achievement, but to sustain the quality of performance throughout the disc is very impressive indeed and is a testament to the professionalism of these young singers from Christ Church and the direction of Stephen Darlington.
Yorkshire Post- Friday 26 September 2003
Performance****
Recording ****
Those ethereal voices that have introduced the TV series Vicar of Dibley now turn to the darker side of life in a disc of Britten's music written for boy's choir. The Children's Crusade is the dreadful story of youngsters in war-torn Poland perishing in the snow while searching for food, a tale of injustice that continues in the mini-opera, The Golden Vanity. A little uncertainty here and there, but otherwise very good singing that moves into a happier mode for the Ceremony of Carols. A long list of musicians provide good accompaniments, the church acoustic at times hazing words.
David Denton
Sounds of Humphrey Clucas
The organ of the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban played by Robert Crowley
Church Music Quarterly
The music of Humphrey Clucas has many admirers, although most of us know little of his music beyond his widely sung Responses. The majority of the 17 organ pieces or movements on this disc are based on plainsong and Clucas has evolved an idiom that sounds French influenced and that allows the plainsong to be incorporated seamlessly. For me the highlights are five preludes based on chant, three collected as Three Plainsong Preludes plus the separate Adoro Te and Qui lux es, and a five movement Suite, each movement based on a different chant. The fourth movement is based on Veni Creator Spiritus and was written at the request of Martin Baker who, according to the composer's notes, asked for an ending “where he could go completely ape”. Robert Crowley plays the wonderful St Albans organ with exemplary control and a vivid choice of colours.
Judith Markwith
Cathedral Music - May 2004
If you enjoy the music of Humphrey Clucas, then this disc is for you. If you enjoy contemporary British organ music based on traditional melodies and plainsong, often in the form of variations, this disc will not disappoint. There is more than a hint of a French influence in many of these pieces, though the eclectic English organ at St. Albans with its vivid tonal pallet serves the music well, with good handling from Robert Cowley. But for one slight rhythmic discrepancy between the parts, this is a musical performance of attractive music, which deserves to be heard and performed more.
Stephen Power
Cross Rhythms
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To his shame, your reviewer was not familiar with either the composer or the organist on this album, although he has heard the featured instrument, the famous organ of the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, many times. The acoustical side of this production is splendid with the mighty organ played to great effect. The composer produced the CD and must surely be delighted with the end result. Robert Crowley is currently director of music and chapel organist at St George's School, Harpenden, and is in total control throughout. The music dates from 'Qui Lux Es' (1988) to several pieces from the end of the last century. In some ways Clucas is a modern composer but he keeps harking back to earlier times and snatches of hymns ancient and modern turn up in surprising guises. For those with an interest in contemporary organ music this is essential and those who like a good melody played with finesse will find much to enjoy.
Steven Whitehead
The Organ - November 2003-January 2004
I must confess that my knowledge of Humphrey Clucas’s music in minimal and after listening to this disc, I somehow feel none the wiser, although I admire his ability to use plainsong tunes for the basis of many of his compositions. His UrbsBeata Suite was written for John Scott Whiteley and is based on Blessed City, Heavenly Salem and includes a march, a scherzo and interlude and a rousing finale. His Suite, written for Martin Baker, uses well-known plainsong tunes such as Tonus Peregrinus and Dies lrae. The fourth variation is based on Veni Creator Spiritus. This last piece was written at the request of the dedicatee, who asked for something where he could go completely ape. It did not appeal to me in spite of its all too obvious difficulties in playing it!
The Sinfonietta is another piece written for an organist - this time for Peter Wright and especially with the Lewis organ in Southwark Cathedral in mind. Here Tantum Ergo is heard with the German hymn tune SoIl’s Sein as a theme for the Chorale and a short toccata on the Welsh tune Suc Gan ends this likeable composition.
Ian Curror is the dedicatee of Three Plainsong Preludes - which I enjoyed and the final piece, written for Robert Crowley, Qui lux Es was the composer’s first major work for organ.
I have a feeling that these pieces may grow on one.
RFB
Choir & Organ - November/December 2003
***
For those unfamiliar with the writing of Clucas other than the celebrated Responses, this CD will provide a useful and pleasing way of sampling the best of his considerable output for organ. Rooted in plainchant as a thematic source, Clucas combines French colour with a simple but effective framework for these melodies. Many works were written for the artist Robert Crowley and the Suite (1993) for Martin Baker who requested an ending where he could go completely ape!
Robert Fielding
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - September 2003
Clucas (b.1941) is best known for a set of Responses that I have heard fairly widely in the U.K. Several of his choral works have been issued on CD, but this disc is devoted to his attractive and interesting organ music. The style of these works is clearly late 20h century, ranging from moderately dissonant works that are not too challenging for ears accustomed to the sound of Messiaen to conservatively tuneful idioms. Highlights are a five movement suite based on Gregorian melodies and five eminently usable Plainsong preludes. A Toccata, a Passacaglia, a Credo, and an extended Urbs Beata complete the program.
The composer has provided his own brief notes about the pieces performed. Biographies and an essay about the organ with specification (the stop list printed, confusingly, in the reverse of the customary order!) are included. Admirably, publishers and their addresses are included for those who might be interested in purchasing the scores. The Harrison & Harrison organ sounds elegant in this faithful capture of the Cathedral acoustics.
Victor Hill
Sounds Inspirational
Organ Music for Pentecost played by Greg Morris in Blackburn Cathedral
Church Music Quarterly - March 2006
Greg Morris was born in 1976 and winner of the prizes at FRCO in 2000: he is now Assistant Director of Music at Blackburn Cathedral. This is his first solo CD and he clearly means to make an impression! The disc opens with an explosion of sound: Carl Rütti's Veni Creator Spiritus, composed in 1981. Other show-pieces include Messiaen's Sortie from Messe de la Pentecôte and Bach's Komm Gott, Schöpfer Heiliger Geist BWV 667. But this performance is not just about bombast: the music on the disc captures a range of moods from the dramatic to the deeply intimate and serene. There are settings of Komm, heiliger Geist by Tunder, Buxtehude and Bach; another chorale based work by Buxtehude; and also Duruflé's luscious Prelude, Adagio et Choral Varié sur le thème du Veni Creator. Also included are five delicious verses on Veni Creator Spiritus by de Grigny. Greg Morris seems particularly at home in this French baroque repertoire and draws from the organ of BIackburn Cathedral some very convincing combinations. This début solo disc is very much worth hearing and one suspects that it will be the first of many from so talented a young organist.
Christopher Maxim
THE AMERICAN ORGANIST
Mr. Morris performs brilliantly on this unique collection of compositions based primarily on "Veni Creator Spiritus." The composers range from Bach and Buxtehude to Messiaon and Duruflé, with interspersions of de Grigny and Tunder. The situation is unique at Blackburn as well. Originally a parish church, the building was partially redesigned and rebuilt, resulting in a mix of crenellated Gothic and severe contemporary architecture which, somehow, works. The interior is even more unusual, with Gothic interior motifs giving way to a suspended "crown of thorns" over the sanctuary. The organ is very visible, with ". . . a doubly mitered Serpent, coloured green and gold" as only one of its attractions. For all this, the sound is glorious through all of the music. Another instrument in a highly reverberant setting like this might not play Bach as well as Messiaen but it is not a problem here. Each is exciting in its own way. Earnestly recommended for lovers of "cathedral" sound with a true "edge" to it.
Paul Aldridge
Cathedral Music - May 2004
This recording really does what it says on the label. The rebuilt Walker organ by David Wood of Huddersfield is a glorious sight and sound, matched by a generous acoustic and a wonderful building. The reviewer, having played the instrument in recital, can also vouch for the quality of the console. Who would have thought you could programme over seventy minutes of music for Pentecost on one CD in a convincing order as if for a live performance? All the music fits the organ's myriad of colours admirably, with dazzling execution from Greg Morris. I cannot recommend this disc highly enough. Congratulations Greg and Lammas Records.
Stephen Power
Organists' Review - May 2004
Some continental restorers, if they read Richard Tanner's account of the enlargement of the Blackburn organ, would throw up their hands in horror. For those who regard a stylish presentation of the whole repertoire on one organ as a chimera, Blackburn's 2001-2002 rebuilding was irresponsible tinkering on the grand scale. Yet this recording offers one more proof that the 'eclectic' modern organ has its musical raison d'être. Listen to Greg Morris in, say, Duruflé's Prèlude, Adagio et Choral Varié sur le thème du Veni Creator, and it will be blindingly obvious that this particular instrument is no soulless synthesiser.
To point up its versatility, the performer divides his Franco-German sequence between early and 20th-century composers. For a young organist making his first solo recording, his programme shows enormous discrimination. Franz Tunder's fantasia on Komm, heiliger Geist precedes simpler settings by Buxtehude, Tunder's successor in Lübeck. J S Bach is heard in chorale preludes from 'The Eighteen' (BWV 651, 667). Nicolas de Grigny's five-movement Veni Creator Spiritus embraces a richly worked fugue and a closing 'dialogue sur les grands jeux'.
Along with Duruflé's modal charm and rhythmic exhilaration, the modern group includes Messiaen's Messe de Pentecôte. A two movement work, it was Messiaen's first to feature evocations of birdsong (all the best known specimens are here!). The disc opens with a highly accessible Veni Creator Spiritus by the contemporary Swiss organist Carl Rütti. The playing, like the organ itself, is spectacularly rich in nuance.
Peter Palmer
MusicWeb - January 2004
This, I strongly suspect, is a double debut CD. It is certainly the first solo CD recital by Greg Morris (b. 1976), who has been sub-organist of Blackburn Cathedral since September 2000. It is also, quite possibly, the first commercial recording to be made on the cathedral’s Walker organ since it was restored and enlarged by Woods of Huddersfield. The history of the instrument and details of the restoration, completed in June 2002, are described in an interesting note by the cathedral’s organist, Richard Tanner, who is also the producer of this present recording.
Greg Morris is clearly an accomplished and discriminating
organist and he has chosen and balanced his programme well so that several
baroque pieces not only show off different facets of the instrument but also
refresh the listener’s musical palette between the twentieth-century works. As
will be seen from the list of compositions, all the music is suitable for the
feast of Pentecost and much of it is founded on the plainchant hymn Veni Creator
Spiritus.
I liked the clarity and sense of style with which Morris plays the baroque
music. I don’t find the de Grigny especially rewarding but I can appreciate that
it is being done well here. My own favourites among the baroque performances
here (perhaps inevitably) are those of the two pieces by Bach. The imposing yet
vital Fantasia on Komm, Heiliger Geist comes off splendidly, the music majestic
but dancing. The exuberant chorale prelude Komm, Gott, Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist
is no less successful.
The piece by the Swiss composer, Carl Rütti, was new to me though I have heard some of his vocal music before and been impressed by it. His Veni Creator Spiritus dates from 1981 and is a most effective opener to the recital. It’s cast in several short sections and is almost a mini set of variations. The powerful toccata passages put me in mind of Messiaen and the piece comes to a thunderous end, which is splendidly voiced here. Morris also includes music by the aforementioned French master. His Messe de la Pentecôte (1950) is not, perhaps, quite so familiar as his three great preceding masterpieces for the instrument, L’Ascension, La Nativité du Seigneur, or Les Corps Glorieux but it’s a fine work and more approachable, I think than the subsequent Livre d’Orgue. Here Greg Morris plays the final two movements. Not only is it logical to present two adjoining movements as excerpts but the chosen ones also contrast well and complement each other. The Communion is packed with birdsong and Morris realizes the complex rhythms well while letting the music breath. Birdsong is present in the concluding Sortie also. There are also powerful episodes in this latter piece and Morris conveys the splendour very well.
Maurice Duruflé was almost an exact contemporary of Messiaen but though they shared a Catholic faith their music was worlds apart. In particular Duruflé eschewed the sheer aural spectacle that we find in Messiaen. Greg Morris gives a fine performance of this subtle and often elusive work. I like the way he realizes the subtle tints of the Prélude. He also paints the subdued colours of much of the Adagio very well. In this movement (track 15) there’s a rather curious effect between 2’16" and 3’11" which I can best describe as sounding like wind-borne harmonics. I am sure this is a deliberate registration, and fascinating it is, but how the effect is achieved I have no idea. The concluding Variations are built up patiently and successfully to a majestic conclusion.
This is a most auspicious debut recital. Not only does Greg Morris play well; he also contributes interesting and sympathetic notes. The recorded sound is extremely good, capturing the organ clearly and realistically within a believable sound picture of the cathedral itself.
John Quinn
Cross Rhythms
The ancient hymn Veni Creator Spinitus provides the
thematic core of the programme, announced at the outset by the commanding
opening chords of a modern (1981) setting by Carl Rütti and pursued through the
centuries by, amongst others, Dietrich Buxtehude, JS Bach and Maurice Duruflé.
For contrast we get the unique 'Messe De La Pentecôte' by Olivier Messiaen which
includes the first appearance of birdsong in his writing for the instrument. So
an interesting recital played on the recently restored and enlarged organ at
Blackburn by the
sub-organist. This is the first solo recording by Greg Morris and for
enthusiasts of organ music this will be an important addition to your
collection. For the rest of us it is an enjoyable listen but probably not a must
have.
Steven Whitehead
American Record Guide
This is a recital of music composed for the feast of Pentecost. There are pieces by Carl Rutti (b 1949), Franz Tunder (1614-67), Dietrich Buxtehude, J S Bach, Olivier Messiaen, Nicolas de Grigny (1672-1703), and Maurice Duruflé. Greg Morris plays on the four-manual, 58-stop organ in Blackburn Cathedral recently renovated by David Wood. Morris is one of a group of young British organists who really play well. His program explores a wide range of musical styles over many centuries. The organ sounds great. I recommend this record heartily, and I look forward to hearing more from Greg Morris.
Blakely
The Organ - Nov 2003-Jan 2004
On 20 December 1969 the new Walker organ in Blackburn Cathedral was opened by Bishop Claxton, followed by the opening recital given by Dr Francis Jackson, the advisor for the project, and it was then considered a loud organ in a prolonged acoustic. Following the recent 2002 rebuild by Wood of Huddersfield the acoustic remains the same but the added ranks make it even louder!
Since his appointment as Assistant Director of Music, Greg Morris has perfected his control of this, one of the finest organs in the country, and I have to congratulate him - a born musician - on his ability to ensure clarity in this difficult acoustic.
The theme of his recital is Organ Music for Pentecost - no fireworks here - and his choice of programme with works by Bach, Rütti, Tunder, de Grigny, Messiaen and Duruflé and in the two latter works he shows off the undoubtedly French aspects of this organ. Distant, but perhaps inevitable, since the original organ in Blackburn Parish Church, now the Cathedral, was built by Cavaillé-Coll, with much of his pipework melted down for use in the Walker organ!
It is indeed difficult for the recording engineers to find the ideal placing for their microphones as the organ is divided on two sides of the building and the sound emerges in four different directions. Congratulations to them, and to Greg Morris for his profound understanding of the situation.
DRC
Choir & Organ - November/December 2003
Many of the pieces use the plainchant Veni Creator Spiritus and there’s ample opportunity to hear Morris’s tasteful, polished, all-round musicianship. It’s a pity his programme covers repertoire already available in the catalogues, and the CD could do with a better title. However, it’s good to hear Rutti’s fascinating piece and the spectacular Blackburn organ.
Christopher Nickol
Yorkshire Post- Friday 26 September 2003
Performance*****
Recording****
York-based Lammas Records has produced some mighty impressive organ discs, the massive instrument in Blackburn Cathedral (one of the nation's best kept secrets) put through its paces by the young Greg Morris. It's an unusual programme that offers ample scope for a searing display of virtuosity, giving full vent to his dexterity in Messiaén's Pentecost Mass. Using the vast resources with innate musicality, the softer colours of Duruflé's Prelude, Adagio and Choral are magically captured. Most ardently recommended.
David Denton
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - September 2003
Morris is Assistant Director of Music at Blackburn with
various prizes to
his credit. He plays splendidly on this disc of mostly familiar repertory.
Much of the music here is based on the Veni, Creator Spiritus chant. This
chant appears in the opening work (1981) by the Swiss composer Carl Rötti
fairly dissonant and rhythmically alive, the most 'advanced' selection on
the disc. The second piece is the Veni Creator of Franz Tunder (1614-1667).
The rest of the program is composed of standard Baroque and 20th-century works: two of the Holy Spirit chorale preludes of Buxtehude and two of J. S. Bach, and thePrélude, Adagio, et Choral Varié by Duruflé. A treat is the Nicolas de Grigny multi-verse Veni Creator that was so wonderfully presented by Gerre Hancock at our Atlanta Conference this past June, though without the sung verses in alternation.
Sound is beautifully captured, as always, by the reliable Lance Andrews. The liner provides detailed notes on the works, a biography and photo of Morris, and an essay about the Blackburn organ along with a full specification.
Victor Hill
Sounds Artistic
David Briggs plays the organ of Blackburn Cathedral
Church Music Quarterly
The main work on this CD is Mussorgsky's 40-minute
Pictures at an Exhibition in Keith John's transcription - hence the title
'Sounds Artistic'. One now expects Briggs to give a virtuoso performance, calmly
embracing the considerable technical demands. He does not disappoint, also
showing great musical imagination and insight, penetrating to the core of each
movement. The other hero of this performance is the recently restored organ of
Blackburn Cathedral, with its enhanced range of colours. Also on the disc is a
minimalist Occasional Trumpet Voluntary by Patrick Gowers (within which the
Clarke Prince of Denmark's March lies as a sort of hidden melody) and two French
pieces: Vierne's Cathédrals (Pieces de
Fantaisie) and a transcription by Briggs himself of a recorded improvisation by
Pierre Cochereau.
Judith Markwith
Cathedral Music - Issue2/03
Who better to put a new or rebuilt organ through its paces than David Briggs? He has had a special relationship with the organ in Blackburn Cathedral since he gave his first public recital on it in 1976. This has continued in the recent rebuild, when he acted as consultant and then gave the reopening recital in 2002. The programme on this CD is well-judged so as to demonstrate fully the greatly enhanced qualities of the 4-manual, 60-stop instrument. The Patrick Cowers march makes an acerbic start, followed by the emotional Vierne piece. The Cochereau suite had to be transcribed by Briggs from the recording made at the time of the composer’s improvisation of it in Notre-Dame in 1974. This 40-hour task, itself a tour deforce, has secured the suite for posterity and enabled subsequent performance of it. Just marvel at the triple musical skills which are combined here. The Mussorgsky has often alienated me because of its tedious programme and over-performance in many versions hut the sbeer musical virtuosity of Briggs’s playing of Keith John’s brilliant transcription on this disc completely captivated my ear. Lance Andrews has here taken full advantage of the superb Blackburn acoustic and achieved an outstanding recording.
Roger Tucker
Cross Rhythms - July/August 2003
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This is a spectacular recital demonstrating the full range of the recently restored organ at Blackburn Cathedral David Briggs is a virtuoso organist and here he has selected a testing repertoire that allows the instrument to show its paces. The featured piece (hence the title) is Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures At An Exhibition’ following Keith John’s transcription. Although written for piano and famously orchestrated by Ravel (and also turned into a prog-rock extravaganza by Keith Emerson along with Messer’s Lake and Palmer) this could be the definitive version. True, this is not exactly Songs Of Praise. Although the rest of the 75 minutes of this recording include pieces from Notre Dame written by Louis Vierne and Pierre Cochereau, this collection stands or falls with the ‘Pictures’. As an example of just how good a cathedral organ can sound this is recommended. If you want to hear hymns ancient or modern you will have to look elsewhere. Your loss; this is very good indeed.
Steven Whitehead
Organists’ Review - August 2003
David Briggs has of course left the confines of a cathedral close to launch himself on the uneven waters sailed by the self-employed concert artist. If his diary is anything to go by his vessel will continue with a full head of sail for many leagues to come. His playing always feels as if it has not merely the wind behind it but also the engine from one of the aircraft he so enjoys piloting. This new Blackburn disc is no exception, as is shown by the compelling moto-perpetuo of Patrick Gower’s compelling Occasional Trumpet Voluntary ‹ a ‘minimalist’ toccata cleverly based on Purcell’s famous melody. Blackburn’s swirling acoustic almost gets in the way of this piece and of the Mussorgsky (indeed, the organ is recorded somewhat distantly, without quite the boldness and immediacy of earlier Blackburn recordings), though it comes into its own adding atmosphere to the sublime Vierne Cathédrales and Cochereau’s 24-minute dance suite - a set of variations showing just what variety and imagination he could display when deviating from the rather predictable formula he often observed. Briggs shows all his usual virtuosity but he wears it with subtlety and maturity, seeking out the inner soul of all this music. The programme is be definition highly coloured, through which Briggs is able to display all the features of this Walker/Wood organ. The Wood of Huddersfield stops new in 2002 have added a thoroughly worthy dimension to the Walker 1969 scheme, producing a transparent richness, depth and profundity simply not there before, as well as a much richer palette of unison colours.
Walter Reeves
The Organ No 325
Following the restoration and enlargement of the 1969 JW Walker by Wood of Huddersfield, David Briggs gave the opening recital on 6 July 2002. Within a year, the organ now being fully run-in the first CD has been recorded by Lammas with David Briggs as soloist. Now renowned as a world class recitalist, his stunning performance of an organ version of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition proves beyond doubt his pre-eminence as an interpreter of the most difficult organ arrangements in existence (and lasting almost forty minutes without a break).
In addition, we hear Vierne’s Cathédrales (Pièce de Fantaisie) a highly reflective composition and one particularly suited to the French Symphonic character of this particular organ.
Pierre Cochereau’s improvisation in the form of a Suite de Danses lmprovisées of 29 May 1974 consists of six movements transcribed by David Briggs and, having taken forty hours to achieve this, it comes as no surprise that his performance of it is note perfect.
Of all the available CDs on the market I suggest that this is one that you must buy, and I for one intend regularly to listen to it for the rest of my life.
DRC
Crux Fidelis
Music for Passiontide and Easter
The Girls and Men of Sheffield Cathedral Choir
Church Music Quarterly
The seventeen pieces on this CD form an imaginative programme combining well-known favourites with some lesser known pieces that deserve to stand alongside the more popular ones. The choir, of girls and men, is superb in the rich textures of Purcell (Hear my prayer), Blow (Salvator mundi) and Lotti (Crucifixus a 8). Bairstow's Lamentations are complemented by John Scott's Easter Anthems. The girls alone sing Poulenc's Litanies a la Vierge Noire in a musically sensitive performance in which they can take great pride. John Sanders's setting of The Reproaches is profoundly moving in this performance. The disc concludes with a triumphant Ye choirs of new Jerusalem by Richard Shephard, starting with a solo trumpet playing the Victimae Paschali plainchant, before the music joyfully explodes.
Judith Markwith
Cross Rhythms - July/August 2003
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This is a thoughtfully compiled and thought provoking collection of 17 songs to inspire reflection and contemplation of the Cross. The earliest words are from the ‘Lamentations Of Jeremiah’, set to music by Sir Edward Bairstow (1874 -1946) and ‘Haec Dies’ (Psalm 118) by William Byrd (1543 - 1623). The most modern music is by John Scott (born in 1956) with a setting of words from the Book of Common Prayer entitled ‘Easter Anthems’. As well as some other worthies of the British choral tradition, including Purcell, Handel and Walton, there are representatives from other nations, including Pablo Casals, John IV, King of Portugal, and Francis Poulenc. The singing, directed by Neil Taylor, is excellent and the organist, Peter Heginbotham, shows admirable restraint. But, for this listener, the finale of ‘Ye Choir’s Of New Jerusalem’ (words by St Fulbert of Chartres - died 1028; and music by Richard Shephard - born in 1949) stands out, especially with the rousing trumpet playing from Brian Winter.
Steven Whitehead
Church Times - August 2003
It would take a page to list the virtues of ‘Crux fidelis’, Sheffield Cathedral Girls’ Choir’s recording of music for Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Neil Taylor is manifestly one of the shrewdest cathedral choir-trainers in England. This recording is up to the standard of St Paul’s, Westminster Cathedral, and Clare College, Cambridge. It is also superbly planned: several of the works (Purcell, Blow, Lotti) entail complementary rich textures that are wonderfully lucid, controlled and varied. John Sanders’ setting of the Reproaches and Bairstow’s The Lamentation (to which John Scott’s Easter Anthems bear affinity) share qualities as two of the most moving musical settings in Anglican liturgical history. Just occasionally, amid long lines, the girls’ dynamics falter. The title piece (in King John of Portugal’s setting) is simply wonderful, and reveals the quality of Sheffield’s supportive lower voices, too. Richard Shephard’s trumpeting Southern Cathedral Choirs commission Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem’ makes a glorious conclusion.
Roderic Dunnett
The Organ no 325
This disc presents a thoughtful and imaginative programme of music for Passiontide and Easter and combines well-known works with several pieces that aught to be better known and more widely performed. The standard repertoire includes Purcell’s Hear my prayer, Bairstow’s Lamentation and works by Lotti, Byrd and Wood. Less well-known items include John Scott’s beautifully judged Easter Anthems, John Sanders’ heart-wrenching setting of the Reproaches and Richard Shephard’s Ye choirs of new Jerusalem which starts so atmospherically with a simple statement of the ancient plainsong Victimae Pasthali played by a solo trumpeter over a quiet, sustained organ accompaniment before erupting into a paean of Easter joy. The highlight of the disc is an evocative performance of Poulenc’s Litanies à la Vierge Noire sung by the girls alone and superbly supported by Peter Heginbotham on the Copeman Hart organ. The tone of the choir is generally warm, full and colourful, though there are occasional lapses in blend and focus - particularly in the lower parts. The real strength of this choir though, is its ability to convey effectively, across a strangely detached medium, both the sentiments of the music and a sense of joy in performance.
JJ
lo, the full final sacrifice
Music commissioned for St Matthew’s Church, Northampton
Cathedral Music - May 2004
This disc contains items commissioned for the church of St. Matthew's Northampton between 1943 and 1967. A pleasing collection of contrasting items is the result, and the girls and men of St. Albans do the pieces due justice. A fine quartet of soloists complements the confident chorus in Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb where Smith's strange lyrics could be just a little crisper to aid for the listener's appreciation of their quirkiness. Having said that, the warm acoustic is just right and provides for a good balance. Lennox Berkeley's A Festival Anthem deserves to be more well known but probably suffers from its length of over 14 minutes, thus depriving most cathedral music lists of a splendid piece. The central treble soloist section is beautifully sung by Hannah Watts, while the balance between chorus and tenor Mark Bushby is well-constructed. Finzi's classic Lo, the full final, sacrifice is introduced by James McVinnie's atmospheric playing and the choir's quiet but confident opening words. All are able to cope with the subsequent compass of differing dynamics, although the quiet 'soft self-wounding pelican' section introduced by the tenors needs clearer diction, particularly as the accompanying booklet does not include the words. Richard Rodney Bennett's Five unaccompanied Carols show a careful blend within the choir while Simon Johnson controls the pungent harmonies with case. Let all the world, Leighton's famous setting of Herbert's Antiphon, rounds off this splendid disc with rhythmic and dynamic expertise.
Robert Thompson
The Organ - November 2003-January 2004
Much of the music on this disc enters a crowded market place and must be seen in context with the many other fine performances of Finzi’s Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, and Leighton’s Let all the World. The St Albans Girls’ Choir is ably supported by the Lay Clerks and the organ well-played by organ scholar McVinnie. The performances are accurate, forthrightly sung; the blend is good as is ensemble -mostly - but they suffer from a less than finely pointed rhythm, lack of vocal characterisation (e.g.the soloists in the Britten) and lack of poise. The music-making never quite becomes magical.
There is only one other recording of the Festival Anthem by Lennox Berkeley (Clare Cambridge/Brown, which I have not heard), but the performance here is certainly a more than adequate vehicle for the music and is sung with conviction. Likewise I can only find one other recording of the RR Bennett Five Carols, so this is a welcome addition and alternative to the stylish Polyphony/Layton recording.
This is a disc full of fine music with detailed and informative notes by the director. It finds itself in a market that boasts exceptional recordings of the main pieces represented here and as such must sink or swim on its own merits. The choir is good; it shows that girls are different, but an equally viable alternative to boys -which is not the issue here for me. My criticisms are hard, but if you love the music you will want it on principal - and will not be disappointed.
AR
Organists' Review - November 2003
Like Benjamin Nicholas, Simon Johnson is an enterprising
choirmaster in his late twenties. In 2001 he became director of the St Albans
Abbey Girls' Choir, founded in 1996 by Andrew Parnell. Their ambitious CD of
music commissioned (mainly by the doughty Waiter Hussey) for St Matthew's,
Northampton, features three major pieces. Lo, the full final sacrifice was
adopted as the overall heading to complement a reproduction of Graham
Sutherland's Crucifixion for St Matthew's. Happily, Finzi's setting of Richard
Crashaw is phrased and moulded with evident feeling. Singers and organist also
display assurance in Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb and Lennox Berkeley's A
Festival Anthem. Hannah Watts brings eloquence to her Anthem solo, and what
might seem a rather episodic piece unfolds most persuasively.
The choir also relishes the rhythmic challenges of Richard Rodney Bennett's Five
Carols and Kenneth Leighton's Let all the World in Every Corner Sing.
Throughout, the combination of girls' choir and lay clerks proves highly
satisfying. The booklet does not give texts but has three further illustrations
of art-works connected with St Matthew's.
Peter Palmer
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - July/August 2003
Canon Walter Hussey, vicar of St. Matthew’s Church, Northampton (and later Dean of Chichester Cathedral), was an indefatigable commissioner of music, art, sculpture, and poetry. Those of us who heard him speak at the 1979 AAM Conference in New York can remember his passion for the art he patronized and for the artists he championed. This recording includes two of the best-known choral works Canon Hussey commissioned: Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Gerald Finzi’s stunning Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice. In addition, we have A Festival Anthem by Lennox Berkeley, Richard Rodney Bennett’s Five Carols, and Let All the World in Every Corner Sing by Kenneth Leighton.
All of the choral work is superior in intonation, phrasing, and musical style, from the more gentle carols to the jazzy exuberance of the Leighton. Simon Johnson’s literate and informative tribute to Canon Hussey is much appreciated. I do wish, however, that texts had been provided, especially for the lesser-known works. Some of us, to be sure, know the Britten and the Finzi thoroughly, but the diction in the other pieces is not clear enough to put across much of the text. Engineering is, as always with Lance Andrews, excellent.
Church Music Quarterly - September 2003
This disc is in part a tribute to St Matthew’s Church, Northampton and the music commissioned for it, notably by Walter Hussey when he was vicar there, and subsequently by Michael Nicolas when he was organist. That it is also a good survey of the best English church music from the middle of the twentieth century shows just how inspired was the choice of commissions. The St Matthew’s commissions on this disk are Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Berkeley’s A Festival Anthem, Finzi’s Lo, the full final sacrifice, Richard Rodney Bennett’s Five Carols and Leighton’s Let all the world in every corner sing. Many others could have been included, but this selection provides 63 minutes of rewarding music.
It is good to hear the St Albans Abbey Girls Choir (formed in 1996) as well as the Cathedral Lay Clerks. The sound is bright and vibrant, in the singing and the recording. Simon Johnson contributes a useful essay about Walter Hussey and the music commissioned for Northampton.
Judith Markwith
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - July/August 2003
These choral works were all commissioned for an extraordinary parish church: St Matthew’s, Northampton. In 1937, the Rev. Walter Hussey became the church’s second vicar - the first vicar was his father, instituted at the church’s consecration in 1893. The younger Hussey proved to be an exceptionally perceptive patron of the arts. Indeed, Kenneth Clark once called him “the last great patron of art in the Church of England”. Beginning with the church’s jubilee on St Matthew’s Day (Sept 21) 1943, Hussey tried to commission a new piece of music for each year’s festival. The first of the series proved to be auspicious: a young Benjamin Britten produced one of his early masterpieces for the occasion, the cantata ‘Rejoice in the Lamb’. It is the opening work on this recording. A short motet by Edmund Rubbra (not included here) followed in 1944; then in 1945, Britten recommended Lennox Berkeley for that year’s commission. The result was ‘A Festival Anthem’, the second work on this program. February of that year had seen the unveiling in the church’s north transept of Henry Moore’s “Madonna and Child”. Among those present on that occasion was Graham Sutherland. Moore introduced him to Hussey, who commissioned him to paint “The Crucifixion” (reproduced on the booklet cover) for the church’s south transept. One might regard 1946 as the church’s annus mirabilis. The St Matthew’s festival included the first performances of Britten’s ‘Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria’, Gerald Finzi’s anthem Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice’, and the first reading of WH Auden’s ‘Litany and Anthem for St Matthew’s Day”. Sutherland’s painting was unveiled in November of the same year.
In 1955, Hussey left St Matthew’s to become Dean of Chichester Cathedral. The festival commissions continued after he left, with the church’s organists assuming the major responsibility for the choices. The last two works on the program were commissioned during the 1965 to 1971 tenure of Michael Nicholas. Kenneth Leighton wrote ‘Let All the World in Every Corner Sing’ for the festival of 1965, while Richard Rodney Bennett’s Five Carols were the commission for 1967.
The performances are first rate. It is curious that in the British Isles the English cathedral sound is so dominant and pervasive a model in church music that even mixed choirs of adult men and women devoted to the cathedral repertory tend to approximate the sound of men and boys. With girls between the ages of 7 and 15, there is even less difference, so hardly anyone listening to this would be likely to find the sound egregiously wrong, though the most sharp-eared might notice the difference. I was struck by the sound of the solo girls in the Britten and Berkeley works: a sound more androgynous than feminine. The St Albans Abbey Girls Choir was founded in 1996. Its main purpose is to complement the boys of the Cathedral Choir by singing Evensongs on Wednesdays and Fridays when the boys are off. The recorded sound seems slightly distant, and while a little more presence would be desirable, I find this sort of sound preferable to recordings that seem uncomfortably close. There is a good deal of reverberation, but not so much as to obscure the textures or blur the harmonies, though it does impart something of a soft focus.
It is evident that Walter Hussey was as interested in the visual and literary arts as in music, and judging from these works the choice of texts for festival commissions was not taken lightly. Britten sets words of Christopher Smart. Finzi’s text is a paraphrase by the 17th-Century poet Richard Crashaw of Eucharistic hymns by St Thomas Aquinas. Berkeley sets a variety of texts in his anthem, but at the heart is a devotional lyric by George Herbert, who also furnishes the text for Leighton’s anthem. The Bennett carols are settings of medieval texts. Perhaps the only real fault of this production is that these remarkable texts are not reproduced in the booklet.
Gatens
Choir and Organ - September/October 2003
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This recording is a timely reminder of the debt of gratitude church music owes to the patronage of the late Canon Walter Hussey and those who came after him at St Matthew’s Church, Northampton. The disc opens with three substantial works by Britten, Lennox Berkeley and Finzi commissioned during Hussey’s time. Then, from a later period, Five Carols by Richard Rodney Bennett and Leighton’s Let all the world. The girls’ voices blend well with those of the lay clerks and although the girls sound overawed during Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, they take off in Berkeley’s Festival Anthem and never look back.
Shirley Ratcliffe
musicweb.uk.net - July 2003
This is an extremely well planned and executed programme. All the music featured relates to commissions from St. Matthews, Northampton, mainly at the behest of the famous Canon Walter Hussey, an influential figure in the arts and responsible for some of our best choral music. Though much of it is available in fine alternative recordings, this disc makes for a good ‘straight through’ listen and some, like me, may make real discoveries along the way.
The best of those discoveries was the marvellous Berkeley Festival Anthem. From its exciting and substantial organ introduction, this is choral writing in the best Anglican tradition. One senses the presence of Britten (hardly surprising), as well as Howells and Stanford, particularly in the glorious treble solo around 6’16, but this is individual writing, using slightly jazzy inflections to spice up the sumptuous harmonies and give the piece real variety and contrast.
Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb is an inspired setting of words by Christopher Smart, and receives a performance at once tender and bold. From the hushed opening unison through to the memorable close, the choir and conductor show great understanding of Britten’s unique sound-world, giving a rendition as good as any I’ve come across. Separate banding for the individual sections would have been useful, but the absence of this layout does not spoil the enjoyment.
The Finzi setting that gives the CD its title is also a substantial 15-minute work. Again we have a composer inspired by the commission to write individually but with a great tradition in mind. The choir and conductor respond superbly, giving a performance full of vitality and colour. The same goes for the Bennett settings, quirky and original little gems. Kenneth Leighton’s gloriously exuberant setting of ‘Let all the World’ is one of his best known short pieces, and the choir cope well with its not inconsiderable difficulties, particularly the jazzy syncopations which became such a stylistic thumbprint. A special word of praise here, too, for organist James McVinnie, who takes the tricky organ part in his stride.
The recording is well judged, with a difficult acoustic suitably tamed by the engineers without losing bloom or detail. The conductor supplies the very personal but illuminating notes, and my only real cavil in an otherwise very recommendable issue, is a lack of texts, so crucial in the less well-known items.
Tony Haywood
Dreaming Of Christmas
Wells Cathedral Choir
The Express – 9 December 1998
Deep and crisp and frankly a bit phoney
Christmas came early for a world-famous choir yesterday, with snow lying all around. Well, it looked like snow and it was as cold as snow. And the choirboys had a snowball fight with the stuff. But snow it wasn’t. It was made by a firm in Didcot. Three tons of it came from the back of a lorry in 12 refrigerated boxes and it was dumped on Wells cathedral, Somerset, by a team of 12 happy shovellers. They spread it around one of the cathedral’s entrances, and a man with a machine like a lawnmower sprayed it over the walls. Jolly good fun for one and all, particularly the choristers, who donned woolly hats and scarfs for the occasion. The idyllic festive scene was created for the cover of the cathedral’s first Christmas CD. Organist and choirmaster Malcolm Archer said: “We thought it would be fun to have a snow-scene cover. But it hardly ever snows in Wells - the last time was in 1956 -so someone said we could get in some fake snow.” And from there, you might say, the idea just snowballed...
Alun Rees
Sounds of Bach
Terence Charleston on the organs of Douai Abbey
Church Music Quarterly
Douai Abbey (in Berkshire, not France!) has two organs. The Choir Organ, by Tamburini in 1978, stands by the monastic choir stalls. The Great Organ is a three-manual instrument by Kenneth Tickell, installed in 1994 and 1996. Charlston plays the F major Pastorella and BWV 738 Vom himmel hoch da komm ich her on the unequally tempered Tamburini - its temperament is in fact based on old Italian models but it sounds good for these pieces. On the Tickell instrument it is Charlston's superb rhythmic drive and control that impresses, notably in the Fugue of the D minorToccata and Fugue and in the Fantasia in G major. Also included are the G minor Fantasia and Fugue (with a very fast fugue that is exhilarating because it is always under control), the Prelude, Trio and Fugue in C major, and a selection of chorale preludes.
Judith Markwith
The Organists Review - February 2004
Terence Charlston is really at home on the Tamburini. The Pastorella is given a performance of integrity and complete conviction. A telling contribution in the overcrowded area of Bach organ recordings could be made by this artist with a complete CD of JSB manuals-only compositions on the Tamborini. Not to be overlooked in the insert [available free of charge on the website] is a short essay, The Organs of Douai Abbey, by John Rowntree -a model of its kind; and two colour photos are a welcome addition.
Graham Matthews
The Organ - Nov 2003-Jan 2004
Here is a disc that is a delight from start to finish. Performances of well-known pieces of Bach played on the two fine organs in Douai Abbey. The Pastorella in F major, BWV59O and Vain Himmelhoch do komm ich her, BWV738 are both played on the Tamburini organ of 1978, both sounding very clear and bright. Perhaps a little too bright and forward with upper-work added; a little more distance from the engineer might have been sympathetic. None-the-less, this does not impede these intrinsically musical and lovely performances.
The Tickell organ is undoubtedly the star of the disc as much as the player. All the performances are clear, intelligent, musical and satisfying, nothing more could be required. An interesting piece of programming is the Pedalexercitium in G minor BWV598 which leads straight into the G minor Fantasia and Fugue, BWV542; it caught me by surprise the first time I heard it, but on repeated hearings it works very well.
The organs are well recorded (previous minor caveat reiterated) and the acoustic of the Abbey is perfect for the music, enriching the tone but allowing phrasing to come through. Charleston’s notes (written in the first person) are concise and informative and registrations are included. (A slight irritation with booklet layout is that the programme is only included on the back of the CD - where it should always be - and not in the booklet, so one has to carry both booklet and case to the listening position to refer to the programme running order.) Despite this, the disc gains an unqualified recommendation.
AR
Cathedral Music - Autumn 2003
I inserted this CD into my car's player expecting to hear a French organ, after all, Douai is in France. Isn't it? Yes, but its associated abbey is 383km distant and is near Woolhampton, West Berkshire. The Douai community was founded in Paris in 1615. After the Revolution it moved to Douai in 1820 and was finally expelled from France in 1903, settling in England. The following information is supplied in the notes: 'The Choir Organ was built by G Tamburini of Milan, Italy, and was installed in 1978 and stands adjacent to the monastic choir. It has suspended key action and its temperament is the builders' own, unequal, based on an old Italian temperament. The Great Organ was built by Kenneth Tickell of Northampton and was installed in two stages between 1994 and 1996. It has three manuals, pedals and 31 speaking stops, and employs mechanical action, but with electronic stop control governing six adjustable pistons on each manual.' These lovely instruments positively sparkle, and are evidence, if it were needed, that the community takes its music very seriously. What you get here is exactly what it says on the box: It's all Bach, and a very skilful and accurate performance at that. In places, Terence Charlston's timekeeping rivals that of my metronome. In particular, his performance of the mischievous G minor fugue (Fantasia & Fugue in G Minor BWV542) sets off at a foot-tapping pace, which is maintained more or less constant to the very end, and sounds, well, just joyous! This is a well-engineered recording which puts the listener close up to the instruments whilst still allowing the acoustics of the building to intrude and so enhance the overall tonal quality.
Michael Smith
Cross Rhythms - July/August 2003
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One can only marvel at the creative gift of Johann Sebastian Bach. Here we have 70 minutes of wonderful music and yet there is so much more that could have been included. The opener is the glorious ‘Toccata & Fugue In D Minor’ and the quality hardly lessens afterwards, with Bach’s full compositional range being demonstrated, including the awesome ‘Fantasia & Fugue In G Minor’. Terence Charlston plays the organs of Douai Abbey supremely well and those who have a serious interest in this branch of music will read the copious notes with profit and pleasure. And I fully expect that many top organists will be on their way to sit on the same stools. If they can persuade Lance Andrews to record them perhaps the results will be as satisfying as this recital.
Steven Whitehead
Music on the Web - July 2003
This is a high quality CD from many points of view. The selected programme superbly balances the different compositional forms and organ sounds. Above all, it perfectly suits the sound character of Tickell and Tamburini organs. The booklet is highly informative containing all the necessary notes for a CD of its kind. Terence Charlston’s notes for the performed programme are excellent and offer the listener a highly accurate commentary. The booklet also gives the organs’ stop-lists and the chosen registration, followed by the history of the Abbey and the organs. The Tickell organ is a very nicely voiced instrument with Germanic features. Its sound spreads nicely within the big acoustic of the Abbey. The one-manual Tamburini organ is tuned to an unequal old Italian temperament and the result is an instrument with an ‘historic’ sound. Both of them, due to Charlston’s chosen registrations, offer the listener’s ears real enjoyment. Terence Charlston has the ability to make the music come alive with a professional and sensitive musicality. His performances present convincingly the different elements that Bach applied to his compositions; from the South German and Italian characteristics of the Pastorella to the French style Fantasia in G major. His playing is highly committed and spirited with superb rhythmical flexibility, colorful ornamentation and convincing articulation. His chosen registrations work effectively all way through, especially in the Prelude, Trio and Fugue in C major. They also produce some very nice echo effects as in Fantasia in G major. The articulation is so well handled that all the lines come across clearly in spite of acoustics that produce substantial reverberation. The use of the Pedalexercitium as an introduction to the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor is really effective. Above all, these performances are unique for the superb control of the rhythm, which leads to dramatic outbursts as in the Fugue of Toccata and Fugue in D minor or the Fantasia in G major. This recording is of a highly musical quality. You need to buy it now!
Christina Antoniadou
American Record Guide - July 2003
An engaging program has been put together by Terence Charlston, played on the organs of Douai Abbey (in Woolhampton, England). Charlston is an acknowledged exponent in Great Britain of early keyboard music, and he plays Bach with unusual elegance, assurance, genuine musicality, and of course, stylistic awareness. All this adds up to splendid Bach organ performances‹something of an endangered species nowadays.
Just about everything in Charlston’s playing is attractive. For the most part, his registrations are discerning and work very well. Even so, the great G-minor Fugue, played all the way through to the bitter end on a 16’ pleno, with the sesquialtera stop thrown in for good measure, is less than titillating. And a similar registrational concoction for the five-voice Gravement in the G-major Fantasy thoroughly mud-dies its elaborate and wondrous polyphony. This is offset by a fascinating metallic ensemble made up of reeds and upper work in the final segment, Lentement, which is reminiscent of French baroque organ timbre.
Buy this disc for Charlston’s fine playing. The main organ itself is a trifle disappointing because of its small sound, which relies heavily on reeds for power and brilliance. The pedal of this 1994 Tickell organ (3 manuals, 29 stops) has only three registers. The sound of the instrument is nevertheless musical, of a chamber-like dimension, and it is well recorded. A second organ, a one-manual Tamburini choir organ (1979) in the Italian style with "old Italian temperament", is heard in the Pastorella and in ‘Vom Himmel Hoch’. Its suspended key action serves to illuminate Charlston’s superb, delicately gradated touch.
Mulbury
musicweb.uk.net - August 2003
This is a high quality CD from many points of view. The selected programme superbly balances the different compositional forms and organ sounds. Above all, it perfectly suits the sound character of Tickell and Tamburini organs.
The booklet is highly informative containing all the necessary notes for a CD of its kind. Terence Charlston’s notes for the performed programme are excellent and offer the listener a highly accurate commentary. The booklet also gives the organs’ stop-lists and the chosen registration, followed by the history of the Abbey and the organs.
The Tickell organ is a very nicely voiced instrument with Germanic features. Its sound spreads nicely within the big acoustic of the Abbey. The one-manual Tamburini organ is tuned to an unequal old Italian temperament and the result is an instrument with an ‘historic’ sound. Both of them, due to Charlston’s chosen registrations, offer the listener’s ears real enjoyment.
Terence Charlston has the ability to make the music come alive with a professional and sensitive musicality. His performances present convincingly the different elements that Bach applied to his compositions; from the South German and Italian characteristics of the Pastorella to the French style Fantasia in G major.
His playing is highly committed and spirited with superb rhythmical flexibility, colorful ornamentation and convincing articulation. His chosen registrations work effectively all way through, especially in the Prelude, Trio and Fugue in C major. They also produce some very nice echo effects as in Fantasia in G major. The articulation is so well handled that all the lines come across clearly in spite of acoustics that produce substantial reverberation. The use of the Pedalexercitium as an introduction to the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor is really effective. Above all, these performances are unique for the superb control of the rhythm, which leads to dramatic outbursts as in the Fugue of Toccata and Fugue in D minor or the Fantasia in G major.
This recording is of a highly musical quality. You need to buy it now!
Christina Antoniadou
Choir and Organ - July 2003
***
This disc contains refreshing performances of popular Bach works on the relatively new organs of Douai Abbey. The informative booklet gives details of all registrations used, which is useful since Chariston uses varied and imaginative combinations. There is a chance to hear both the 1994 Tickell organ and the 1978 Tamburini instrument (which sounds particularly beautiful in the Pastorella in F. Other works of note are the Toccata & Fugue in D, the Fantasias in G and G minor, and the Prelude, Trio & Fugue in C.
Nicholas Danks
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - April 2003
This is a superlative performance of a variety of works of J. S. Bach, performed on the two organs of the Abbey in Douai. In addition to the omnipresent Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Pièce d’Orgue, Charlston presents several chorale preludes. He uses the little Pedalexercitium as a prelude to the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, a coupling that works well. He interpolates the second movement of the Trio-Sonata No. 5, BWV 529, between the movements of the Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 565, making a nice three-movement work. All of these are played on the III/36 organ by Kenneth Tickell & Co.(Northampton, 1994), an instrument of robust and clean tone. A special treat is the two works‹the Pastorella in F major and the Vom Himmel hoch, BWV 738‹played on the radiant I/ 8 Tamburini organ (1978). Charlston’s technique is solid and his rhythmic drive compelling; I might wish for a bit more Baroque nuance (not Romantic rubato!), but his style is informed and convincing. The booklet contains essays, photographs, the specifications of the two organs, and - most helpful - a table of complete registrations employed. The recorded sound, as we have come to expect from Lammas, is crystalline and sympathetic.
Victor Hill
Come, Come My Voice
Treble Solos sung by Nicholas Fletcher
Cathedral Music - May 2004
Lance Andrews is doing fine work in promoting boy soloists, and this latest CD featuring the voice of Nicholas Fletcher is a good addition to the series. Since Harry Mudd of Alpha/Abbey Records laid down the torch some years ago, Lammas have brought us several good boy sopranos, or 'treble soloists', as we are to call them these days. Paul Hale has a fine choir at Southwell and Nicholas has been one of his best soloists for some years. His voice is too strident for my taste but will appeal to many, as will the Southwell choir sound, which is certainly strong. The music is well chosen and features several old favourites, including Hear my prayer.
Stephen Beet
Chuch Times - 7 March 2003
What is interesting is that the unadorned voice is something of a throwback; and the best tracks (Lallouette’s `0 mysterium ineffabile’, Vaughan Williams’s ‘Come, my Way’, Peter Hurford’s ‘Litany to the Holy Spirit’) are wonderfully affecting. For treblefans this is certainly one for the collection.
Roderic Dunnett
Cross Rhythms - April 2003
*******
‘Come, My Voice’ is one of three pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach in this collection, recorded at Southwell Minster in April 2002. As well as Bach there are songs by the usual suspects: Stanford, Handel, Vaughan Williams, Rutter and Mendelssohn (including ‘Hear My Prayer’ with the ever popular ‘O For The Wings Of A Dove’ sung very well) plus some surprises, most notably John Dankworth’s light Of The World’. Nicholas Fletcher was Head Chorister at the time of this recording although I suspect this was very close to being his final performance as a treble. If so, he can take pride in a job well done. The Director was Paul Hale, Philip Rushforth was the organist and the rest of the Minster Choir should also take a bow.
Steven Whitehead
Organists' Review - February 2003
Youth at the helm
Paul Hale notes in the booklet that this recording captures “the final flowering of a voice which has done sterling service for up to six years in the cathedral’s choir stalls”. To sing this repertoire with any degree of understanding requires a treble of some maturity. Thus the field is limited to one who is inevitably reaching the end of his time as a treble. Southwell Head Chorister Nicholas Fletcher’s voice just held out, we learn; and a demanding three-day recording schedule at such a stage might well have been further cause for anxiety. Little hint of this comes across to the listener. Sheer professional accomplishment takes over. Just the most minor of wobbles occasionally in the earlier items (if, indeed, they were recorded first) suggests that this could be planet Earth after all. More endearing, then, than disturbing. Equally at home in sustained cantabile or nimble allegro, in precise Baroque ornamentation or gentle simplicity of line, tone remains consistently pleasing across the range. But, of course, we inevitably look forward to the high notes, and are never disappointed. Texts printed in the booklet are a comfort rather than a necessity; such is our soloist’s clarity of diction. The Minster Choir and organ play no small part too with conspicuous discretion and distinction.
What a delightful programme, the emphasis is on beauty and calm. Dip in at whim or, equally enjoyably, savour whole at one sitting. The strategically-placed Magnificat settings come out top of my poll, but, on a smaller scale, Ex ore innocentium and (for something just that little bit different, and thoroughly entrancing) John Dankworth’s Light of the World are close contenders. But so, come to think of it, are all the other tracks!
Michael Bell
Chuch Times - 7 March 2003
…the best tracks (Lallouette’s “0 mysterium ineffabile”, Vaughan Williams’s “Come, my Way”, Peter Hurford’s “Litany to the Holy Spirit”) are wonderfully affecting. For treblefans this is certainly one for the collection.
Roderic Dunnett
Cross Rhythms - April 2003
*******
‘Come, My Voice’ is one of three pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach in this collection, recorded at Southwell Minster in April 2002. As well as Bach there are songs by the usual suspects: Stanford, Handel, Vaughan Williams, Rutter and Mendelssohn (including ‘Hear My Prayer’ with the ever popular ‘O For The Wings Of A Dove’ sung very well) plus some surprises, most notably John Dankworth’s light Of The World’. Nicholas Fletcher was Head Chorister at the time of this recording although l suspect this was very close to being his final performance as a treble. If so, he can take pride in a job well done. The Director was Paul Hale, Philip Rushforth was the organist and the rest of the Minster Choir should also take a bow.
Steven Whitehead
The Crucifixion
John Stainer orchestrated by Barry Rose
Church Music Quarterly - September 2004
'Like so may organists who have accompanied [Stainer's Crucifixion], I used to reach for various solo stops for certain passages - the clarinet, the oboe, the trumpet etc., - creating orchestral colours within the confines of the specification of the particular organ I was playing at the time. Here in the orchestration those instruments are featured in solos and tutti, together with strings, timpani, flute, horn, bassoon, trombones, with the organ still playing a vital role.' Thus Barry Rose neatly summarises his approach to orchestrating one of the most loved and most loathed works to find a secure place in the repertoire of churches and choral societies the length and breadth of Great Britain. His orchestration is restrained and tasteful and it would be a cheap jibe to say that the fruit of his labours sounds like a student orchestration exercise simply because Dr Rose has had the good sense not to over-egg the pudding. Instead, he has come up with an orchestration that is mostly very successful; although there are some passages that listeners might feel could have been approached a little differently, to better effect. Significantly, Rose's orchestration sounds as if it might have been the work of Stainer himself. Only the final hymn ('All for Jesus') receives anything approaching a Songs of Praise-style 'blockbuster' treatment -and the added detail helps to round off the work strongly.
The Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra proves itself an excellent body of accompanists, supporting with sensitivity the well-balanced Guildford Camerata and the fine soloists. Barry Rose's sense of pace and drama is second to none and, together, the musicians give this work the kind of first-rate performance it deserves. If you do not know Stainer's Crucifixion (and there are probably younger readers who have not had the opportunity to hear it or, perhaps encouraged by an older generation, have turned their noses up at it!), then hear the authentic version first. For those who would like to hear the work afresh, this recording is highly recommended.
Christopher Maxim
Cathedral Music - May 2004
Only a few evenings ago I was examining Stainer's autograph score of The
Crucifixion. Should the fact that Stainer had apparently never felt the need to
orchestrate it (though of course well capable of the task) be enough to condemn
this new version out of hand? The quality of this recording could well win over
the sceptics, for it is a very fine performance, with the vivid and colourful
singing one associates with Rose's choirs. Only the tenor soloist seems a little
strained at times, but it is an ungrateful part to sing, with a curiously high
tessitura. And what of the orchestration? Organists who know the work well (I
first accompanied it when I was thirteen!) will be delighted by many subtleties
of registration, if one may so describe it, but I was not as convinced by the
addition of passing notes and other odd little bits of decoration. Each to his
taste, though, and there are precedents for this: Howells did some extraordinary
things when he orchestrated his Collegium Regale Te Deum. Devotees of the
Crucifixion will find this version both fascinating and enjoyable, but I would
recommend others to get to know the work in a more conventional performance,
such as that by the choir of St Paul's Cathedral.
Timothy Storey
The Living Church - 26 October 2003
The Crucifixion, written by Sir John Stainer in 1886/87, is one of the most enduring of all choral works. For about 115 years it has continued to be performed by choirs of all types and sizes. It is a work which has caused many musicians to turn up their noses as being unworthy of serious consideration.
Probably it is the libretto that has generated the harshest criticism over the years, mostly from musical commentators. As Barry Rose has pointed out, the librettist expressed himself in the liturgical language of the day. It might have been better if the words had been fashioned from scriptural sources as in the oratorios of Elgar. This orchestral version of The Crucifixion was commissioned by the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra and its first performance took place in Guildford Cathedral March 31, 2001, the centenary of Stainer's death. The recording took place in January 2003 at Guildford Cathedral with Mr Rose conducting the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, the Guildford Carnerata, and Stephen Farr, organist. The excellent soloists are Peter Auty (tenor), Roderick Williams (baritone), Rowland Sidwell and Simon Deller (baritones), and David Hadden (bass), all of whom contribute superb singing.
Barry Rose's orchestration has given a new dimension to The Crucifixion, and I hope it will gain acceptance amongst church musicians and will be performed widely. The orchestration is faithful to the original score with only minor alterations and additions. The orchestra is used in much the same way as a resourceful organist would draw upon certain stops to create a wide variety of colors in the accompaniment In short, it is brilliant.
Upon listening to the recording, one is struck immediately by Barry Rose's
great skill as an orchestrator and his brilliance as a conductor. His love and
thorough understanding of Sparrow's libretto and Stainer's music as well as his
complete mastery of the score are demonstrated by the sensitive performance of
the choir, soloists, and orchestra. The singing of the choir is magnificent with
the group responding to every nuance called for in the score with beautiful tone
and superb diction.
This is a splendid recording of Stainer's The Crucifixion that every church musician and lover of choral music should own.
BBC Radio 3 - CD Review - Saturday 24 May 2003
"The well-drilled Guildford Camerata score a bull's-eye in a new recording
of Stainer's Crucifixion."
"A period piece of real and enduring quality."
"An orchestration wholly in the spirit of Stainer's vision."
"The Crucifixion glows brighter the more care and attention is lavished on
it. Everyone here performs with passionate conviction."
"This is a hugely enjoyable CD. Barry Rose's version should encourage
orchestras everywhere to add the piece to their seasonal repertoire."
Graeme Kay
"Special thanks for the wonderful Stainer CD. I've heard it right through
several times, and played it for friends. It is truly nothing short of an
improvement on perfection! An uplifting joy to hear".
Carlo Curley
The Singer – August/September 2003
John Stainer’s Crucifixion is a gentle and beautiful piece, and one of the most popular of all choral works. It is dramatic yet reflective with strong melodies and impactful use of chorus. In a recording from Lammas by the Guildford Camerata, with the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Auty, Roderick Williams, and Stephen Farr on organ, the work is given in an orchestrated version by director Barry Rose). The orchestrations are sensitive and moving and the sound is balanced and warm. Unfortunately the choir is the one thing that lets this recording down slightly. In its sections it comes across well, despite a few staggered consonants and sibilants, but in full it sounds slightly hesitant, and is even uneven in places - although the lack of homogeneity across the registers may be down to the placing of the microphones. To compensate, however, there is the stunningly moving voice of baritone Roderick Williams. The clarity of his voice and diction is matched by a rounded, anchored sound that is relaxed and sure of itself, soaring and dipping in register and volume with a deep fusion of sensitivity to the text and music.
Antonia Couling
American Record Guide - September/October 2003
We last reviewed John Stainer’s Crucifixion in September/October 1997, and we made many comments about the music itself. This is the fifth CD recording that has come our way, and it is different, because it is with orchestra. Sir John Stainer, who died suddenly at the age of 61 on a trip to Italy in 1901, had a glorious career, starting as a choirboy at St Paul’s Cathedral in the 1840s and ending up organist at the same cathedral from 1872 on. He was a pioneer of English musicology, and he wrote a great deal of cathedral music, hymn tunes, anthems, and, in 1887, The Crucifixion. It was written not for St Paul’s but for St Marylebone Parish Church. The writing was simple enough for a parish choir, and it has been performed ever since in the humblest of churches. Despite its simplicity (it can be cloying) it also contains a number of ‘hymns’ for the congregation to join in, and Stainer was a fine hymn writer.
Barry Rose has orchestrated this music. One first wonders, ‘what on earth for?’ There goes simplicity out the window. There goes the hymn-like sound of the ‘hymns’. But actually the orchestra is rather subdued and often fits the music beautifully. Not always, of course. But this is worth hearing for the lovely orchestration and for the excellent singers, choir and soloists.
VROON
Gramophone - August 2003
The Holy Week choir-and-organ staple is tastefully and sensitively orchestrated.
Stainer wrote his Crucifixion for choir and organ without, as far as I know, any suggestion that it might later he orchestrated. Presumably he did so deliberately, so that the work (“A Meditation upon the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer”) might always be given in church or chapel, never becoming, as so many oratorios have done, essentially concert pieces. He gauged expertly the degree of difficulty appropriate for a wide use by church choirs - just enough to make its performance an occasion, and never so much as to discourage the attempt. The tenor and baritone soloists need to be good singers but not necessarily professionals; the organist needs to be resourceful but hardly a virtuoso. It is due to this, as well as to the character of music and text, that even now, 116 years after it was first given, few towns in Britain are likely to find themselves in Holy Week without any local performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion.
The orchestration by Barry Rose has been most respectfully and tastefully completed, but it does alter the work’s identity. To put it somewhat irreverently, in social terms, one might say it has “come up in the world”. Orchestral forces, however modest, bring an element of sophistication: “church” it still may be, but definitely not “chapel”. There is a richer coloration and at the same time a greater refinement of its expressiveness. But although the original organ accompaniment is available as ever, and there is no compulsion to change to this, I feel just faintly in the air (perhaps) a sense of dispossession. It probably comes about also with the cultivated refinement of this excellent choir - very different from those who would “Fling wide the gates” in earlier days. The soloists, though professional opera singers, have an intimate style that also contrast with memories of the various Franks and Walters (and such names) who used to accept the annual engagement. But of course the CD deserves nothing but praise: it is a finely conceived, sensitively accomplished performance; well recorded, too. Perhaps someone will now see whether anything can be done with Maunder’s Olivet to Calvary.
John Steane
musicweb.uk.net
Stainer’s Crucifixion is a work at which it is easy to turn up one’s nose from what we like to think is the sophisticated standpoint of the twenty-first century. Having taken part in a number of performances of the work, both as a member of the choir and as a soloist I do not subscribe to that view even though I readily acknowledge that the work has its weaknesses. It is true that the libretto can seem awkward and full of conventional Victorian piety. However, as Barry Rose points out in his informed, understanding note, the librettist expressed himself in the liturgical language of the day. I do wonder, however, if it would have been better if the libretto had been fashioned from the words of scripture. As, for example, Elgar did in Apostles and Kingdom. Perhaps it is not without significance that perhaps the most enduring part of the work, ‘God so loved the world’ sets words directly taken from St. John’s Gospel. The music is also sometimes patronised these days and it is true that Stainer breaks no new harmonic ground. However, the sincerity of the piece is never in doubt. I think one needs to take the music on the level that it is offered and to acknowledge that its sustained popularity among English choirs must count for something. It is worth recalling the genesis of the piece. Stainer, who was then in charge of the music at St Paul’s Cathedral, wrote it for the choir of another London church, Marylebone Parish Church. Given that these days many English churches are struggling to maintain any kind of choir, it is salutary to learn from Barry Rose that the Marylebone choir of 1887 consisted of 30 men and no less than 60 boys (altos and trebles). The choir, which also boasted salaried tenor and bass soloists, rehearsed every day and a contemporary report stated that it was not uncommon for the choir to attend up to 15 practices and services each week! So, this wasn’t, perhaps, a typical parish church choir. However, Stainer’s not inconsiderable achievement was to compose a cantata which would be within the compass of most decent parish church choirs of the day, even if they had to import soloists. The model was, quite clearly, the passions of Bach Stainer had introduced the St. Matthew Passion into Holy Week liturgies at St. Paul’s in 1873, within a year of taking up his appointment as organist there. On a smaller scale, Stainer followed Bach in giving his soloists a mixture of recitative and reflective arias while the chorus commented on the action and also took part in it. Finally, Stainer, like Bach, assigned a role to the congregation through the interpolation of a number of newly composed hymns, which were the equivalent of Bach’s chorales. Stainer opted for organ accompaniment, not least, I’m sure, because he envisaged his work being performed in churches as an adjunct to Lenten liturgies. In this form Crucifixion has been performed by countless church choirs and choral societies every year since 1887. I must say I was a little perturbed to find that this recording was in a new orchestration by Barry Rose. It concerned me that orchestral dress was bound to change the essential nature of the work and make it into an inflated concert hall work, something which it emphatically is not. In the event I need not have been concerned at all. Yes, the use of an orchestra inevitably imparts a different character to the work. However, Rose has done his work with such skill, sympathy and understanding that the result is never less than convincing. Indeed, while most performances of Crucifixion will remain the preserve of organists (and rightly so), Barry Rose has added a new dimension and I sincerely hope his orchestral version will be taken up and widely performed. He has not departed radically from the original musical text apart from the addition of a few passing notes and the odd timpani roll. What he has done, however, is to play on the orchestra as a resourceful organist would do by using different stops, to create a palette of different colours in the accompaniment. One particularly good example of this is the fairly lengthy introduction to the chorus ‘Fling wide the gates’ (track 3) where the melody moves from one instrument to another and each time the baton is passed, so to speak, the change is seamless yet introduces a subtly different dimension of colour. He does throw in some tiny brass fanfares during the big tenor aria, ‘King ever glorious’ (track 7) but I don’t find this intrusive and, indeed, his judicious use of the brass in this number adds an extra touch of resplendence. Another particularly ear-catching passage is the bass recitative "There was darkness" (track 16, 0’59") where I find the sepulchral bass rumblings in the accompaniment work much better in orchestral guise than when confined to the pedals of the organ, as is usual.
Although not precisely detailed in the booklet I think the orchestration consists of strings, single (?) woodwind, horns, trumpets, trombones and timpani. The organ still makes an important contribution to the proceedings. Perhaps it’s not too surprising that Barry Rose should have orchestrated the work so well for he must be very familiar with it as an organist and conductor. Indeed, he recorded the work many years ago when he was organist at Guildford Cathedral and that recording, using the cathedral choir, has recently reappeared on the Classics for Pleasure label, though I’m afraid it is yoked in a double CD release with Maunder’s Olivet to Calvary. Now there’s a work of conventional Victoriana, by the side of which Crucifixion appears as a towering masterpiece! Barry Rose’s orchestral version of Crucifixion was commissioned by the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra and its first performance took place in Guildford Cathedral on 31 March 2001, the centenary of Stainer’s death. This recording, I imagine, uses pretty much the same forces and both composer and orchestrator have been well served by the performers. I believe that the orchestra is at least semi-professional. I spotted a couple of familiar names in the list of personnel. The playing is uniformly excellent. The players are sensitive to dynamics and rubato of which there is quite a bit, not all of it marked in my score but it’s always convincingly done. They never overdo things. The choir too excels. Twenty-nine singers are listed. Once again, I suspect that there is at least a leavening of professionals and by the sound of things the singers are mainly young; they certainly sound young. Their tone is fresh and focused, there is abundant evidence of attention to detail and the singing is bright and committed. The small male solo roles are very well taken by choir members, as Stainer directs. The choir sings the hymns. In performances I think it’s desirable to cut a few of the verses in the longer hymns (ten verses of ‘Cross of Jesus’ on track 5 is rather a lot even though it is a good tune) but, clearly a recording must be complete. Rose varies the accompaniment intelligently and assigns some verses to different sections of the choir so as to provide welcome and necessary variety. I hope the sopranos and altos won’t be offended if I say that I especially enjoyed the verses sung by the men in unison. It is unfortunate that the work’s Achilles heel lies in the choruses. One of them, ‘God so loved the world’ (track 9) is very fine, deserving of its popularity as a separate anthem. It’s splendidly done here. However, the other two "big" choruses, ‘Fling wide the gates’ (track 3) and, even more so, ‘From the throne of His Cross’ (track 18) are very much the weak links in the piece. Both are terribly repetitious and Stainer stretches thin musical material a very long way. If both had been half as long as they are it would have been much better. Not even the good performances they receive here can convince me that either has much musical merit, I’m afraid. What of the soloists? I’m not entirely convinced by tenor, Peter Auty. He has a good voice but aspects of his delivery trouble me. I find some of his vowel sounds jar somewhat (for instance track 7, 2’02", at the words "Thou Son of God".) I felt that there was just a trace, but a discernable and (for me) distracting one, of an Italianate, operatic hue to much of his singing. It was only later that I read in his biography that he has done a good deal of opera. I’m afraid I don’t find much sweetness in his tone and, while there must be an heroic ring (especially for ‘King ever glorious’) the type of voice I think I’m looking for in this role is the lighter more "traditionally English" tenor voice, as exemplified by, say John Mark Ainsley. This, of course, is a wholly subjective view and other listeners may well form a different, more positive opinion. Roderick Williams is another matter. He has a firm, well-focused baritone, which he uses with great intelligence. Coincidentally, I’ve just been listening for pleasure to the new recording of Dyson’s Quo Vadis to which he makes a telling and fine contribution. He uses vocal colour imaginatively but by no means excessively. Indeed, he seems to have realised that the best way to sing the solo roles in this work is in a straightforward way with sincerity and directness, resisting the temptation to try to "do" too much with the music. His is a dignified and thoroughly musical performance which I appreciated very much. I’ve said a lot about Barry Rose as orchestrator but little about his conducting. I mean it as a compliment when I say that one scarcely notices the conducting. He is clearly the master of the score and he keeps things on a tight rein, injecting pace and vigour where necessary but also not afraid to use rubato to underscore key points. His is a fluent and idiomatic reading of the piece. His direction, allied to the addition of orchestral colouring, relates the work more closely than I had previously realised to Elgar’s early cantatas (though those contain better music.) The recorded sound is first rate, being clear and well balanced. Presentation is good. The full text is provided and, as I said earlier, Barry Rose contributes an excellent, readable essay about the work itself and the background to his orchestration. Hearing Stainer’s piece now in an orchestral version makes me wonder why the task has not been undertaken before. However, now that it has been done I can report that it is hard to think that it could have been done more successfully or with greater sympathy and sensitivity. Barry Rose deserves congratulations on a fine achievement and it is to be hoped that more performances will follow. This is a very good CD which I warmly commend to all lovers of the English choral tradition.
John Quinn
Guildford What's On - 18th April 2003
One of the most popular pieces of sacred music has a new sound and the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra and Guildford Camerata have played a significant part in creating it. Written nearly 120 years ago, The Crucifixion, by John Stainer, remains a firm favourite with choirs around the world and has been recorded several times in its original version for choir and organ. The orchestration was originally completed in March 2001, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death, and given its first performance in Guildford Cathedral at that time with Dr Barry Rose conducting Guildford Camerata and the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra.
Now Lammas Records is proud to issue the premiere recording of Barry Rose’s orchestration of the work, recorded earlier this year in Guildford Cathedral, where, from 1960 to 1974, he was the first organist and master of the choristers. The two distinguished soloists are Peter Auty (tenor) and Roderick Williams (baritone). The present organist and master of the choristers at Guildford, Stephen Farr, played the organ part in the new recording, and other soloists included two former members of Dr Rose’s choir at Guildford, this being his and their second recording of The Crucifixion - the first being a slightly shortened version for EMI Classics for pleasure in 1969, and recently re-issued on CD.
The recording team of Lance Andrews (founder of Lammas Records and recording engineer) and Malcolm Archer (current organist and master of choristers at Wells Cathedral and recording producer) have a close musical association through the several recordings made by Lammas in Wells Cathedral, with Malcolm Archer directing the cathedral choirs, and Dr Barry Rose as producer.
The clear acoustics of Guildford Cathedral are an ideal setting for The Crucifixion and it is presented in its entirety on this new recording, featuring all of the verses of the five hymns. Its release has been timed to coincide with the approach of Holy Week, when this work will be sung many times.
Journal of the American Guild of Organists - April 2003
Barry Rose, the former choir director at Guildford, St. Paul’s and St. Albans cathedrals, U.K., writes about John Stainer’s The Crucifixion.
If there’s one sacred choral work that has divided musicians, theologians, critics, and musical historians, it must surely be John Stainer’s small-scale oratorio, The Crucifixion, or, to give it its proper title, “A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer.” Written in 1887, for a parish church choir in London, it has since been sung in many thousands of cathedrals, churches, chapels, and concert halls around the world, and simply refuses to lie down quietly and disappear from the repertoire - the fate of so much other church music of that period. Many of us who grew up in the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s will have our own memories of local performances - good, and not so good - while the younger generation who’ve never experienced the work firsthand will surely have had their opinions of W.J. Sparrow Simpson’s words and Stainer’s music coloured by such received opinions as: “Sparrow Simpson’s appalling doggerel set to Stainer’s squalid music is a monument to the inane” (Kenneth Long, Music of the English Church) and “the shallowness of most late 19th-century church music is typified in the finest scholar amongst its composers, John Stainer” (Arthur Hutchings, Church Music in the Nineteenth Century).
So why write now about a work of such apparent little value? Well, musical value is a matter of personal opinion, and should not be confused with able and sincere musical craftsmanship in the style of the period; and perhaps we also need to remind ourselves that the original texts in The Crucifixion are simply the liturgical language of the time as sung and spoken in Divine Services in churches and cathedrals up and down the country. So I now write this article to offer some historical perspective to the conception of the work, as well as to introduce a new musical look at it - an orchestration.
John Stainer (1840-1901) was one of the great Victorian reformers in the field of church music. Appointed as organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, in 1872, he had arrived there to find the choir in a depleted and woeful state, both musically and vocally. The Quire screen had been removed from the cathedral in 1860, and Stainer, taking a look at the vast open spaces now created, from end to end of the building, immediately realized that he would need a much larger choir than his predecessor (John Goss) had left behind. So he persuaded the Dean and Chapter to proceed with plans for a residential choir school for up to 40 boys, while also increasing the number of adult singers (The Vicars Choral) to 18, and, at the same time introducing adequate amounts of rehearsal times for both the boys and the men. In 1873, the year after he arrived, selections from J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion were first sung in St. Paul’s, in English, the choirs and orchestras being directed by Stainer, in the context of a Holy Week Service - a tradition that continues to this day. It may have been the format of that monumental work that gave Stainer the idea of writing something similar on the Passion story, but within the ability and financial means of many parishes that could not provide a double chorus, or find, or afford, a double orchestra, and up to six soloists. To some of you reading this, it may seem sacrilege to talk about the St. Matthew Passion and The Crucifixion in the same breath. I think not. Both illustrate the Passion story in the music of the time, and in both, that story is told from the Scriptures through tenor recitatives, with the part of Christ being sung by a bass soloist. In both there are choruses that illustrate and highlight the drama, as well as solo arias of a personal and devotional nature. And in both there are chorales/ hymns - The Crucifixion ending on a positive note of hope and redemption, as does Bach’s St. John Passion. More importantly, both Bach and Stainer wrote for the musical forces each had available for the occasion, and in Stainer’s case it was specifically for a parish church choir and organ - but not any ordinary parish church choir, as we shall see.
No composer can begin to write a choral work without a
librettist. Handel had Charles Jennens, Bach used Christoph Henrici (Picander),
and in Stainer’s case, it was the Rev. William John Sparrow Simpson,
(1859-1952), son of the librarian and succentor of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The
young Sparrow Simpson had graduated from Cambridge University with a first-class
degree in theology and had returned to London to take up an assistant priest’s
post at Christ Church, Albany Street, near Regents Park. The Sparrow Simpsons
and the Stainer family were friends and neighbours in Amen Court, the city
enclave where members of the St. Paul’s Cathedral staff are housed, and W.J.
Sparrow Simpson would already have firsthand knowledge of Stainer’s skills as a
composer through the anthems and settings of the Canticles he had already
written for the St. Paul’s Cathedral choir. Sparrow Simpson delivered his
libretto to Stainer sometime in 1886, and by the beginning of 1887, The
Crucifixion had been completed, with its dedication to his “pupil and friend W.
Hodge, and the choir of Marylebone Church.”
At that time, William Hodge was organist and choirmaster at Marylebone Parish
Church, as well as an assistant organist to Stainer at St. Paul’s. Mr. Hodge’s
choir at Marylebone was known to be of a very high standard, and its timetable
and training were very much influenced by what Stainer was achieving at St.
Paul’s, and experienced firsthand by Mr. Hodge. A contemporary account (J.
Spencer Curwen, The Boy’s Voice) tells us that the 60 boy choristers at
Marylebone were auditioned from local schools, often rehearsing up to 15 times
each week, and that there were 30 men in the choir, including a paid tenor and
bass soloist‹whose voices Stainer may well have had in mind when writing the
solos in The Crucifixion. Sung by the church choir, it was first heard in the
context of a Lenten service, on Thursday, February 24, 1887 - the day after Ash
Wednesday - the choir being directed by the composer, with William Hodge playing
the organ. Since then, Marylebone Parish Church has maintained a tradition of a
yearly performance during Holy Week - on Good Friday evening.
There’s an apocryphal story concerning an overheard conversation taking place in the Dean’s vestry at St. Paul’s Cathedral one Lenten Sunday afternoon after Evensong. Said the Canon-in-residence to the Dean, “Are you coming to Stainer’s Crucifixion this evening?” To which the Dean is alleged to have retorted, “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be there when it happens!” We shall never know what Stainer himself thought of his work, though it is well documented that he was self-effacing about most things he had written, but there is, as far as I know, no truth in the often quoted story that on his deathbed, he said that he wished he’d never written any of them.
I first heard The Crucifixion sitting on my mother’s knee in our local parish church in Chingford, East London, and have since played and conducted it many times, and recorded it twice, once with organ accompaniment and now in the new orchestral version. If any interpretation was needed to help me re-evaluate the work, it came early in 1962 with George Guest’s recording of his choir at St. John’s College, Cambridge, with superb and dramatic organ playing from Brian Runnett, then the College organ scholar. At that time I was a young and aspiring cathedral organist at the country’s newest cathedral - Guildford - and to my ears, this performance on an LP record brought new life to both words and music, with the lovingly phrased singing of the St. John’s Choir, and the eloquent solo singing of Richard Lewis and Owen Brannigan. It was a benchmark to which my young and inexperienced choir could aspire, and little did I realize that just eight years later, we, too, would be recording it for EMI; and over 200,000 copies later, that recording is still available, now on CD.
But why an orchestration? Well, it came about as the result of a chance remark to Nicola Goold, the general manager of the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, who had invited me to return to Guildford in 2001 to conduct a choral and orchestral concert in the cathedral. Although we did not realize it at the time, the chosen date, March 31, was the 100th anniversary of Stainer’s death, and it also happened to be in Lent, on the eve of Passion Sunday. When discussing possible suitable repertoire, I mentioned The Crucifixion, with the qualifying remark that it would not really be suitable since it was set for just organ accompaniment. It was then that Nicola said, “Well, why don’t you orchestrate it?” And so it was that one evening, early in January 2001, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I was directing a Royal School of Church Music Summer School, I sat down with a large blank sheet of manuscript paper, several pencils, and a vocal score of the work I knew so well. Three months later, about 18 days before the concert, the orchestration was finished, and it was duly performed in Guildford Cathedral on March 31, 2001, to a capacity audience.
If this version is to be useful, then it may have been a wise thing to have limited the size of the orchestra to one each of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn, with two trumpets, two trombones, strings, and timpani. The organ still plays a vital role throughout; in our original performance it was used as the sole accompaniment to three of the five hymns. As I write this article, in January 2003, we have just completed the recording sessions in Guildford Cathedral, with the same orchestra and 30-piece mixed-voice choir that sang in 2001, together with Stephen Farr, the cathedral organist, and our two distinguished soloists, Roderick Williams (baritone) and Peter Auty (tenor), both former members of the choir at Stainer’s two most influential places of work: Magdalen College, Oxford, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. We were also fortunate to have the expert assistance of Malcolm Archer, the organist of Wells Cathedral, as our recording producer, and Lance Andrews, the founder and owner of Lammas Records, on whose label the CD (LAMM 154D) will be issued in April. As I now listen to some of the takes, I realize that what I was writing for the orchestra were the same effects we organists have tried to achieve each time we’ve played this piece - a clarinet solo here, an oboe solo there, dramatic effects from the brass, and the mellow and sometimes muted string tone. Throughout the work I have closely adhered to the composer’s harmonies (just one chord has been changed), while occasionally adding some passing notes, and occasional obbligatos over the top of choruses and solos. One conscious musical decision was sometimes to remove the doubling of the melody, especially in the more lyrical solos, and perhaps the only bit of free arranging I allowed myself was in the last stanza of the final hymn (“All for Jesus”) and the reharmonization of the final Amen - simply to make it audible above the full orchestra!
For organists, the tables have been turned! Often it is transcriptions of orchestral pieces we hear and play in organ concerts, as well as before and after services. But now it is the reverse‹ organ music, transcribed for orchestra, even if not for the first time. Would the composer have approved? That we shall never know, though I dare to hope he might well have done!
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - June 2003
Fifty years ago, Stainer’s Crucifixion was “done to death,” but it seems now almost to have passed out of the repertory. For a long time, I wrote off the work, agreeing largely with Kenneth R. Long (The Music of the English Church, Hodder and Stoughton, 1971): “[Stainer] had a libretto which for sheer banality and naïveté would be difficult to beat. Sparrow-Simpon’s appalling doggerel set to Stainer’s squalid music is a monument to the inane.” (p. 365) A 1978/1994 recording (with organ) by Stanley Vann and the Choir of Peterborough Cathedral (ASV #QS-6100) convinced me that Long is perhaps too harsh, despite some fair criticisms (p. 338) of the text-setting. Barry Rose has now produced an admirable orchestration of the organ part, and the work comes off surprisingly well. The Guildford forces approach the work sympathetically, as is meet and right, and the performance is excellent. The liner includes a well-written note by Barry (a complement to the article he wrote for The American Organist) as well as full text and biographies. I am not suggesting that Stainer will supplant Stanford and Parry, but this recording is well worth hearing, and I found that my appreciation for The Crucifixion has been growing.
Victor Hill
International Record Review - July 2003
Sir John Stainer’s most famous work, while it does not, perhaps, receive a bad press these days, continues to be ignored except by those who perform it. I wonder if this recording will help to alter this state of affairs. Barry Rose’s sensitive orchestration brings out things one simply doesn’t notice when it is performed with organ alone, though of course what he has chosen to do is informed by his many years’ experience as an organist. As he writes in his note, ‘Like so many organists who have accompanied the work, I used to reach for various solo stops for certain passages ... creating orchestral colours within the confines of the specification of the particular organ I was playing at the time.’ What he has done here is to ‘incarnate’ those instruments. I wonder if, hearing the tragic grandeur of the orchestral prelude to the ‘Processional to Calvary’, for example, it has ever sounded so intensely alive played on the organ?
The truth is that a new light is cast on the work, revealing flashes of Berlioz and Elgar (sample ‘So Thou liftest Thy divine petition’), and emphasizing, too, the music’s Bachian inspiration. It acquires, in many senses, the status of a grand oratorio, and leaves behind the perceived limitations of a ‘parish work’. Of course, this cannot he pushed too far (one has to bear in mind Stainer’s original intentions for the piece) but I would say that if this recording encourages a re-evaluation of the work’s position within the history of the English choral tradition, then it has been more than worthwhile.
As to the performance, the Guildford Camerata lacks a certain tonal warmth, and the singers do not have enough subtlety to entirely bring over certain dramatic points, such as the male voice ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’, but they do a good job on the whole. The orchestra sounds entirely at home with the idiom. Roderick Williams and Peter Auty, baritone and tenor soloists respectively, deserve the highest praise. Auty is a dramatic, fluent narrator, and Williams gives to the role a tremendous, expressive dignity. Quite a revelation.
Ivan Moody
So Come to Him
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Church Music Quarterly - December 2004
This small group of eight singers produces an interesting sound on this unusual disc. The Director, Graham Elliot, was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chelmsford Cathedral for eighteen years before moving to the USA. There are anthems, many spirituals, psalms and Britten's lubilate in C. There is enough well known repertoire to entice a potential buyer (Byrd's Singjoyfully, McKie's We wait for thy loving kindness, Stanford's The Lord is my Shepherd, etc.), but the majority is unfamiliar music arranged by Dr Elliot and others. This aspect of the programme is refreshing, but for my taste the sound of the small group of singers lacks enough variety and contrast for the wide programme. The small scale, unaccompanied items are where the warm sound of the small ensemble is best served.
Kit Perona-Wright
Cross Rhythms - July/August 2003
Although we have here an American Episcopal Church choir there is a definite Anglican flavour. Graham Elliott, the Director of Music, is Welsh but moved to Washington from Chelmsford Cathedral. Likewise, Neil Weston, the organist, came from Chelmsford. The choir or, more accurately, octet, does not quite manage to sound like an Anglican choir, probably because it uses sopranos instead of trebles. The content is well chosen, starting with Britten’s setting of Psalm 100 (‘Jubilate Deo’), followed by three chants by Sir Henry Walford Davies, songs by William Byrd ('Sing Joyfully' and 'Teach Me O Lord) and a selection of spirituals. Elliot supplies four songs as well as new descants for 'Amazing Grace' and 'When I Survey'. Most of the singing, much of which is a cappella is pleasant enough (some of the high notes excepted), the organ, where played is first rate and there is an interesting enough selection of 'psalms, hymns and spiritual songs' to make this worth investigating.
Steven Whitehead
Choir and Organ - July 2003
****
This is a beautiful recording. The tiny choir of just eight voices produces a lovely homogenous tone in carefully chosen repertoire. Yes, there is romantic and modern music (including four pieces and a couple of descants by Graham Elliott), but nothing that requires a bigger sound than this octet can comfortably produce. An excellent variety, from Batten and Byrd to spiritual arrangements, but the main attraction is the sheer beauty of the sound.
Here is a collection of choral works - a cross section of styles and traditions - sung by the eight members of the church choir with Graham Elliott and Neil Weston, both formerly at Chelmsford Cathedral as Conductor and Organist respectively. The works recorded, amongst others, include Britten's Jubilate Deo, Psalms 23, 121, and 130 sung to chants by Walford Davies: Psalm 23 to a chant by Stanford and part of Psalm 119 (vv 33-38) by William Byrd. Other items include spirituals - Were you there? - Deep River and Ain’t that Good News and So Come to Him by Graham Elliott, written for the re-dedication of Chelmsford Cathedral in 1983. All are well sung and the accompaniments sympathetic. I enjoyed this - it would be a worthy addition to one's collection of choral singing on CD.
Ralph Bootman
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians (USA)
Billed as ‘Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs’, this disc presents an unusually varied program. Highlights are four of Graham's own settings of useful texts, the first of which (to 1 Peter 2:4-5) gives the title to the CD. Another is the brief but lovely We wait for thy loving kindness, 0 Lord by William McKie. Several of the selections are familiar anthems, such as the Britten Jubilate Deo in C, Mendelssohn's He, watching over Israel, Stanford's Psalm 23, and two pieces by William Byrd. Six spirituals, with various arrangers, are sung refreshingly and appropriately to the idiom of the arrangements, though this is not an African American spiritual ensemble. The choir has a flowing style and a rich tone. The recording reflects a small but warm acoustic. An introduction, full texts, and biographies are provided.
Victor Hill
Salvator Mundi
The Arcadian Singers of Oxford University
Church Music Quarterly
This excellent CD cannot quite be called a survey of music for Passiontide, if only because the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are omitted, but what is included here is splendid, with three of Tallis's Latin motets and a Victoria Agnus Dei from the sixteenth century, and two Purcell anthems and Byrd's Salvator mundi from the seventeenth. We then jump to the six twentieth-century items. Two pieces by Howells and one by Poulenc are familiar: the other three are not and it is excellent that they are included. Francis Grier's 0 King of the Friday sets a medieval devotional poem with an expressively leaping melody above stark harmonies -it is a moving and reflective piece. James Davy sets Drop, drop slow tears, with colourful word painting, not least in the 'deep floods' of verse 3. His anthem was commissioned for the CD, as was a splendid, gripping unaccompanied setting by Richard Pantcheff of verses from Jeremiah, For, lo, the days come. The choir of twenty singers selected from across the University of Oxford is excellent and the acoustic of Merton College Chapel is warm but clear. Highly recommended.
Judith Markwith
Cross Rhythms
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In just over one hour we get a variety of different responses to and meditations on the Passion of Jesus.
We start in the Renaissance with three pieces by Thomas
Tallis (1505-1585) and Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) gives us his 'Agnus
Dei'. We enjoy two contributions from Henry Purcell (1659-95) and John Blow
(1648/9-1708) gives us his version of Salvator Mundi. We end up in the 20th
century with two songs by Herbert Howells (1892-1983) and one from Francis
Poulenc (1899-1963). Living composers are featured with a setting of verses from
Jeremiah by Richard Pantcheff (b 1959) being commissioned by the Arcadian
Singers for this collection, as was James Davy's setting of Phineas Fletchers
poem 'Drop, Drop, Slow Tears'. The content is thought provoking.
What of the performance? The Choir was founded in 1976 to specialise in unaccompanied works. It comprises around two dozen singers from throughout the University of Oxford. The conductor is Matthew O'Donovan and organist is James Davy. All can be proud of an excellent performance. This reviewer looks forward to hearing more.
Steven Whitehead
Cathedral Music - Issue 2/03
Here is another very accomplished Oxbridge choir. The programme of the disc represents a variety of responses to (and meditations on) the passion of Jesus Christ’ and the music ranges widely. Mostly English (and including a fine new piece by Richard Pantcheff, For, lo, the days come, commissioned for this recording) though Vinea mea electa of Poulenc and an Agnus Dei by Tomas Luis de Victoria are slipped in. Tallis, Purcell, Howells, Francis Grier: all are well sung. A technically very proficient choir with an engaging presence on this CD. Most enjoyable.
Andrew Davis
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - June 2003
This recording is simply splendid! Many of the selections (Tallis, Victoria, Purcell, Blow, Howells, Poulenc) are familiar, but some are not so well known and might provide ideas for your planning for the coming year. For lo, the days come by Richard Pantcheff was commissioned for this recording; it is a compelling unaccompanied setting of verses from the Book of Jeremiah (but the notes do not reveal whether it has been published). Francis Grier’s 0 King of the Friday uses choral and organ forces effectively to project an anonymous Medieval text. Phineas Fletcher’s familiar poem Drop, drop, slow tears receives a colourful and ingratiating setting by James Davy.
The Arcadian Singes are again superb (as in their recording Jubilate Agno, reviewed in this Journal in November 2002), and the sympathetic acoustic of Merton College, Oxford, serves them admirably for a clean and warm sound. The liner provides helpful commentary on the selections as well as texts. Both for enjoyable listening and for some repertory ideas, this disc has my highest recommendation.
My Spirit Rejoiceth
Settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis
Church Music Quarterly - December 2004
There is a wealth of musical resources at Blackburn Cathedral, with a choir of boys and men, a girls'choir, a voung people's choir and the Renaissance Singers of BIackburn Cathedral. Three of the four choirs are featured on this disc, and all produce very musical, refined performances. There is a welcome mix of canticles, ranging from the familiar Brewer in D, and Howells's Collegium Regale to more unfamiliar upper voice settings such as Read in F and Ashfield in D minor. There is much to be commended about the quality of performance, accompaniment, recording and production of this disc.
Kit Perona-Wright
Organists' Review - November 2003
Blackburn Cathedral's CD presents eight settings of the
two most familiar Evensong canticles. Henry Smart was organist of the former
Blackburn Parish Church in the 1830s. His Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B flat
make for a vigorous opening diptych. The Cathedral Girls' Choir (formed in 1997)
brings meaning and beauty to 20th-century settings by Sydney Watson and Robert
Ashfield. In addition to the Henry Smart pieces, the main choir sings Herbert
Brewer's Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D of 1927; Howells' rich and splendid
1944
settings for King's College, Cambridge; and pieces composed by Richard Lloyd for
the 1982 Three Choirs Festival. On their own, the men shine in Frederick John
Read's Edwardian settings for Westminster Abbey. John Tavener, heard in
typically exotic vein, is well served by the adult voices of The Renaissance
Singers. The CD's various organ accompaniments might be thought a shade too
flamboyant at times, but they certainly advertise the instrument's charms.
Peter Palmer
Cross Rhythms - July/August2003
A pleasant surprise. Your reviewer would not have placed Blackburn Cathedral high on his scale of musical cathedrals but he would have been wrong. Here we have not one but three choirs, the full Cathedral Choir, Blackburn Cathedral Girls’ Choir, and the Renaissance Singers Of Blackburn Cathedral and all sound splendid. They are directed by Richard Tanner with Greg Morris playing the organ. The next surprise was the content. The subtitle is ‘Settings Of The Magnificat And Nunc Dimittis’ and we get eight of each by eight composers. I expected a useful liturgical reference resource and indeed it is that but this underestimates the talents of the composers. If, like me, you think that one 'Magnificat is much the same as any other, think again. There are some good examples here, including Blackburn's own Henry Smart, John Taveners Byzantine reading of the Magnificat and concluding with Herbert Howells.
Steven Whitehead
The Organ - July 2003
Three choirs connected with Blackburn Cathedral present here eight settings of the evening canticles. The main choir sings settings by Smart, Lloyd, Read, Brewer and Howells: the girls’ choir, settings by Watson & Ashfield, whilst a mixed, adult choir sing Tavener’s Collegium Regale setting. This work was unknown to me and is very typical of the composer’s mystical, orthodox influenced style. Well sung, but not to my taste. The settings (by Watson & Ashfield) the girls’ choir performs here are both for Sopranos only: again, well sung but neither work could claim to be of any great musical - as distinct from liturgical - value. The bulk of this recording is performed by the main, voluntary, cathedral choir, amateur in the very best sense of the word. From high Victoriana (Smart in B flat) to contemporary composers (Richard Lloyd's "Hereford Service"), they acquit themselves well with nicely judged accompaniment's by Greg Morris. To match Tavener's setting, they end this CD with a fine performance of Howell's Collegium Regale service, as atmospheric as this setting always is, I was surprised by what a wonderful acoustic Bradford Cathedral has - at least as recorded here. A useful collection of evening canticles, but not one to be played in one session!
David Willey
This CD contains eight pairs of “Mags and Nuncs” opening with a lively setting by Smart (organist of Blackburn Cathedral 1831-36) and closing with the exalted and inspiring Collegium Regale service written hy Howells for King’s College, Cambridge in 1944, for me the quintessential English cathedral music of the 20th century. Everything is superbly sung by the cathedral choirs, with either boys or girls singing the top line. The exception is the setting by Tavener, which are sung by The Renaissance Singers an excellent adult chamber choir attached to the Cathedral. Blackburn is one of my favourite places for broadcasts and recordings, because of its near perfect acoustic, in which glowing performances have been captured on this Lammas disc. Anyone who wants to sharpen their ears to the different treble timbre when the girls are singing the top line, can learn from this disc: try to spot the tracks in which they are singing before you look at the notes in the excellent booklet written by the sub-organist, Greg Morris, who adds perceptive comments about the music to complement his sensitive accompaniments and Richard Tanner's brilliant direction throughout.
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians (USA)
This program is a particularly interesting entry in the company of discs devoted to the two Evening Canticles, since most of the settings of the Magnficat and Nunc dimittis here are less familiar ones (with the notable exception of the Howells Collegium Regale). The selections here date from the 1830's to the 1980's and are wisely chosen to provide variety even though the texts are unvarying. The earliest pair is by Henry Smart, who was organist of Blackburn Parish Church (before it became a cathedral in 1926); it is a modest but festive work, making effective use of the Decani/Cantoris division. The settings written by Richard Lloyd for the Three Choirs Festival in 1982 are generally more contemplative, a good contrast to the opening Smart. Frederick John Read's settings for men's voices and Sydney Watson's for treble voices provide further contrast, both in medium and in the elaborate style of the Read and the charming simplicity of Watson's. Herbert Brewer's Canticles in D are better known, especially in England, but are most welcome in this program. The unison pieces by Robert Ashfield and the "other" Collegium Regale by John Tavener (1987) - a truly stunning work - provide more contemporary sounds, especially exciting to hear.
The Blackburn singers perform with clean tone and a flexible sense of idiom as they progress through the contrasting styles. Recorded sound is exemplary.
VI
More Than Hymns
Wells Cathedral Choir
Cathedral Music - Issue2/03
More than Hymns is the title of two collections of hymn-anthems published by Novello so in a way this could be seen as a promotional disc. Never mind: there is plenty to enjoy here. In some cases familiar hymn words are given completely new settings; in others, familiar hymns and their tunes are given new arrangements. The composers are largely of the twentieth century. Veteran composer John Gardner kicks off with a typically sprightly new tune for Fight the Good Fight at the other end of the century Edwardians Parry, William Harris and Walford Davies are represented. For me, a particular highlight is Stephen Jackson’s luminous arrangement of Let all mortal flesh but you will doubtless find other favourites. The singing is full, confident: this is a very fine choir. The recording is forward, limpid - in both accompanied and unaccompanied numbers. Do listen to this disc - with or without the accompanying Novello volumes!
Andrew Davis
Cross Rhythms - July/August 2003
********
This collection is sung by the boys and men of the Choir of Wells Cathedral accompanied by Rupert Gough on the organ, all under the direction of Malcolm Archer. The disc presents a selection of 10 pieces from each of the two recently published volumes of hymn anthems edited by Or Barry Rose who also produced this recording. The texts and music embrace many periods and differing styles, ranging from the 17th century poetry of George Herbert (‘King Of Glory, King Of Peace’) to the 20TH century hymns and worship songs of Sydney Carter ‘When I Needed A Neighbour’) and David Evans (‘Be Still, For The Presence Of The Lord’). This is an enjoyable listen and should be a useful resource for choir directors, singers and organists looking for new material and new arrangements of old favourites The singing is good and sound quality excellent.
Steven Whitehead
American Record Guide - September/October 2003
This is an album to warm the cockles of an Anglican musician’s heart: a gorgeously sung collection of ‘hymn-anthems’, old and new hymn-texts and tunes, winningly recast into anthems more suitable for the choir than the congregation. I have given voice to many of these hymns myself, though not in the arrangements heard here.
But any Anglican congregation will respond to these pieces, as most of the texts will be familiar to them. And many of them are based on beloved old hymn-tunes (some used for centuries) that will evoke the comfortable and nostalgic sense of sacred tradition that suffuses most Anglican services, lending them their particular brand of worshipful atmosphere. These are selections from two recently published collections of hymn-anthems from Novello. Many of the texts are set to striking new music here, as in the opening piece, ‘Fight the Good Fight’, by John Gardner. Another modern plum is Barry Rose’s ‘Morning Glory, Starlit Sky’.
Musical nostalgia first strikes in Rogers Covey-Crump’s ‘Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence’ – the first of two lovely settings of this ancient text that preserve its original 17th Century French Noel tune. Other foreign influences are heard in two old hymns adopted from the German tradition: ‘Jesus is the Brightest Light’ and the grief-stricken ‘Now is the Bitter Time’. One of several touchingly familiar 19th Century hymns is Joseph Barnby’s ‘0 Perfect Love’.
A welcome addition here are two of many modern worship-songs that have lately earned widespread favour in Anglican services. These often simple songs add something of a contemporary tone to the proceedings, appealing especially to younger churchgoers. ‘Be Still, for the Presence of the Lord’ by David Evans (b 1957), is heard here in a lovely arrangement by Indra Hughes that fetchingly fleshes out the basic, flowing melody that I’ve been singing in church for years. A particular treat is Kieran White’s ravishing solo treble descant in the third verse - he gave me goose bumps! Even folksier are Sydney Carter’s lesson in Christian love and charity, ‘When I Needed a Neighbour’ and the Irish tune ‘Lord of All Hopefulness’, both arranged by Barry Rose.
The choir of Wells Cathedral beautifully upholds the very high standards set by their previous recordings. Led by Malcolm Archer (also a distinguished composer), they are one of the best of England’s many fine all-male church ensembles. Their ravishing tone and the consistent excellence of their soloists reveal an especially choice assortment of voices. Their characteristic sound is authentically Anglican but mostly free of the ‘hooty’ sonorities we hear from many English choirs.
While full texts and detailed composer-arranger credits are supplied, there are no actual program notes about the music or its origins. The recording engineers did their job very well. The second version of ‘Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence’ is incorrectly listed as track 8. It is actually track 7, which is missing from the printed sequence.
This is essential listening for Anglican musicians, and it will be useful to church music directors of any ilk who are scouting the choral scene for new and meaningful material.
KOOB
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians - June 2003
This disc is not just another recording of favourite hymns. The title is that of two collections of hymn-anthems recently published by Novello & Co., with ten pieces from each volume recorded here. I have little use for militaristic hymn texts (St. Paul notwithstanding), but the opening selection, John Gardner’s Fight the Good Fight, is a foot-tapping, rip-snorter that redeems the weak text. David Evans’ Be still for the presence of the Lord (arranged by Indra Hughes) is a discovery: tender, radiant, a wonderful piece for an evening service, or indeed, for any time. Sydney Carter’s When I needed a neighbor (arranged by Barry Rose) is in the style of a Spiritual and is a sensitive reflection on Matthew 25:34-46. Barry contributes a lovely setting of the W. H.Vanstone text Morning glory, starlit sky that would be useful with choirs of moderate accomplishment. The familiar Doone text Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life has a refreshingly new setting by Christopher Steele.
Several familiar tunes appear in imaginative new arrangements. Barry’s reworking of Slane is most welcome, as are two examples of Let all mortal flesh keep silence. Even some weaker tunes like Barnby’s for 0 perfect Love and Horsley’s for There is a green hill far away are graciously redeemed by the tasteful performances. All 20 selections are pleasant to hear. The Choir has the same vital tone and dramatic intensity that I praised in their recording Evensong for St. Andrew’s Day (May/June 2002), and the engineering effectively captures the spacious acoustic of Wells. Full texts and biographical notes are provided.
Victor Hill
A Land of Pure Delight
RSCM Millennium Youth Choir
Cathedral Music - April 03
What a super choir! It was formed in 1999 at the suggestion of the Archbishop of Canterbury: there are 38 singers, aged 16 to 23 and they are selected on merit alone. This is their first recording. They sing confidently, accurately and (despite their youth!) entirely professionally. Watch out for them!
Church Music Quarterly - June 2003
This is the first commercial recording by the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir, and is the perfect vehicle to display their professionalism. The eclectic selection of music ranges from composers of the sixteenth-century to those of the present day, including previously unrecorded and unpublished works. The sumptuous sonority of Stanford’s eight-part harmony in his previously unknown, early Pater Noster is contrasted with the exciting vigour of the foot-tapping arrangement of the spiritual Ev’ry time I feel the spirit by Bob Chilcott. For some of the pieces, there is also added instrumental accompaniment from three of the student members on harp, flute and oboe. This, together with the use of both organ and piano, adds some welcome colour to the disc.
The musical performances are most convincing throughout, with nicely controlled singing and subtle accompaniments. While the sound of a youth choir cannot match the same power and colour of an experienced adult choir, the MYC have produced an excellent disc showing the very high standards being upheld.
Kit Petrona-Wright
Cross Rhythms - March 2003
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This choir was formed in 1999 at the suggestion of the Archbishop of Canterbury, President of the Royal School of Church Music and is made up of 38 singers aged between 16 and 23. This is their first recording and - hopefully - we will not have to wait until the start of the next millennium for a follow-up, as it is a strong debut There are 18 songs in the collection, moving from Cristobal Morales’ 16th century ‘Peccantem Me Quotidie’ through to a good selection of modern works, including three by John Bell and some lovely traditional spirituals arranged by Bob Chilcott. Overall there is much to enjoy on this disc. My only quibble, writing as a baritone, is that the male voices are sometimes lacking in depth.
Steven Whitehead
The Organ - February 2003
The RSCM Youth Choir was formed in 1999 at the suggestion of the then Archbishop of Canterbury, President of the RSCM. This mixed choir is drawn from singers around the country ranging in age from 16 -23. The choir was formed under the direction of Martin Neary and first performed in London at the beginning of the Millennium Celebrations in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen on 1st January 2000. This is the choir’s first recording and marks the beginning of Gordon Stewart’s directorship and also marks the RSCM’s 75th Anniversary Celebrations. The music ranges from the sixteenth-century through to the present day and includes motets, a setting of the evening canticles and several modern hymns and worship-songs by composers such as Byrd, Stanford, Noble, John Bell and Andrew Carter. Whilst some of the items in the programme may not suit everyone’s taste, the music chosen reflects the wide range of music being performed in churches today and therefore the rich and varied repertoire that the RSCM so actively encourages. The singing is polished and secure with plenty of colour and the performers communicate an obvious sense of enjoyment. Timothy Byram-Wigfield beautifully plays all the organ and piano accompaniments, and the overall standard indicates an assured hand from Gordon Stewart.
Jeremy Jepson
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians
This program is a particularly interesting entry in the company of discs devoted to the two Evening Canticles, since most of the settings of the Magnficat and Nunc dimittis here are less familiar ones (with the notable exception of the Howells Collegium Regale). The selections here date from the 1830’s to the 1980’s and are wisely chosen to provide variety even though the texts are unvarying. The earliest pair is by Henry Smart, who was organist of Blackburn Parish Church (before it became a cathedral in 1926); it is a modest but festive work, making effective use of the Decani/Cantoris division. The settings written by Richard Lloyd for the Three Choirs Festival in 1982 are generally more contemplative, a good contrast to the opening Smart. Frederick John Read’s settings for men’s voices and Sydney Watson’s for treble voices provide further contrast, both in medium and in the elaborate style of the Read and the charming simplicity of Watson’s. Herbert Brewer’s Canticles in D are better known, especially in England, but are most welcome in this program. The unison pieces by Robert Ashfield and the “other” Collegium Regale by John Tavener (1987) - a truly stunning work - provide more contemporary sounds, especially exciting to hear.
The Blackburn singers perform with clean tone and a flexible sense of idiom as they progress through the contrasting styles. Recorded sound is exemplary.
Victor Hill
Cross Rhythms - April 2003
*******
This choir was formed in 1999 at the suggestion of the Archbishop of Canterbury, President of the Royal School of Church Music and is made up of 38 singers aged between 16 and 23. This is their first recording and - hopefully - we will not have to wait until the start of the next millennium for a follow-up, as it is a strong debut There are 18 songs in the collection, moving from Cristobal Morales’ 16th century ‘Peccantem Me Quotidie’ through to a good selection of modern works, including three by John Bell and some lovely traditional spirituals arranged by Bob Chilcott. Overall there is much to enjoy on this disc. My only quibble, writing as a baritone, is that the male voices are sometimes lacking in depth.
Steven Whitehead
The Organ - February 2003
The RSCM Youth Choir was formed in 1999 at the suggestion of the then Archbishop of Canterbury, President of the RSCM. This mixed choir is drawn from singers around the country ranging in age from 16 -23. The choir was formed under the direction of Martin Neary and first performed in London at the beginning of the Millennium Celebrations in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen on 1st January 2000. This is the choir’s first recording and marks the beginning of Gordon Stewart’s directorship and also marks the RSCM’s 75th Anniversary Celebrations. The music ranges from the sixteenth-century through to the present day and includes motets, a setting of the evening canticles and several modern hymns and worship-songs by composers such as Byrd, Stanford, Noble, John Bell and Andrew Carter. Whilst some of the items in the programme may not suit everyone’s taste, the music chosen reflects the wide range of music being performed in churches today and therefore the rich and varied repertoire that the RSCM so actively encourages. The singing is polished and secure with plenty of colour and the performers communicate an obvious sense of enjoyment. Timothy Byram-Wigfield beautifully plays all the organ and piano accompaniments, and the overall standard indicates an assured hand from Gordon Stewart.
Jeremy Jepson
Choir and Organ - January 2003
A mixed programme of short sacred works ranging from spirituals (Chilcott arrangements) and contemporary hymns to motets by Byrd, Morales and Victoria. The title track is by Grayston Ives and the fresh voices of the SATB choir respond well to the lyricism of this and the other fluently melodic contemporary pieces by such as John Bell, Paul Leddington Wright and Maurice Bevan. The singers show a generally well-blended sound in Andrew Carter's colourful Southwell Service and the Renaissance motets.
Alan Bullard
No Small Wonder
Music for Christmas and Remembrance by Paul Edwards
The Concord Singers
Gramophone - December 2002
No Small Wonder (subtitled ‘Music for Christmas and Remembrance’; is an anthology of choral music and organ pieces by Paul Edwards, selected from an oeuvre of over 400 opus numbers and performed with obvious affection by the Concord Singers, accompanied by the composer. Among the gems is the title track, I sing of a maiden and The Stars of Bethlehem. The remembrance pieces, though undeniably sincere and intense, seem ill at ease with the Christmas music.<