First,
music from American composer, John Adams
(b.1947). I saw his opera in 2009 at the ENO, Doctor
Atomic, which centres around the physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, and the build
up to the first test of the atomic bomb.
An unlikely ‘story’ for an opera perhaps, but then Adams has carved
somewhat of a niche for tackling political and controversial topics in his
operas (Nixon in China, and The Death of Klinghoffer, for example). I was absolutely blown away by the intensity
and drama of the music, and also the central performance of Gerald Finley as
Oppenheimer. However, transferring the
music from this to an orchestral symphony, as Adams did in 2007 to produce his Doctor Atomic Symphony, was a tricky
move. Yet for me, the music still holds
the energy, and the second movement in particular (titled ‘Panic’) is truly
terrifying. Adams transcribes the
stunning aria ‘Batter my heart, three-person’d God’, which Finley made his own,
for solo trumpet here, and it almost works.
Overall, the work stands as a coherent symphony, and it is energetically
performed here by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Peter Oundjian. They follow this with
Adam’s popular concert work, A Short
Ride in a Fast Machine. This is a
great orchestral showpiece, and its energy and humour is irresistible. Here, the driving rhythms do not always feel
totally secure, but the drive to the finish is convincing nevertheless. The rest of the disc is then given over to Harmonielehre – which is a really a
three movement symphony. Composed in
1985, it was perhaps one of the earliest large scale orchestral works to emerge
from minimalism. Again, it contains the
same elements of drive, energy and power, achieved from Adams’ relentless use
of the clever combination of slow moving harmonies against fast, repetitive
rhythms, with hypnotic results.
Relatively
little is known about the life of the English Tudor composer, John Sheppard (c.1515-1558), and a lot
of the music that survives is incomplete.
However, the music we do have shows what a skilled writer he was,
particularly in combining and drawing on chant with choral textures. He also made especially imaginative use of
the soprano/treble voice, creating beautifully soaring lines which rise
wonderfully out of the choral textures from time to time. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, under Andrew Nethsingha, have recorded two of the more substantial works – the ‘Western Wynde’ Mass, and Gaude, gaude, gaude Maria virgo – and
interspersed them with a number of shorter motets and anthems. The opening Gaude, gaude is perhaps the most successful here, and the six part
motet, Spiritus Sanctus procedens is
given a convincing reading. However,
there are some problems of blend overall here.
The boy trebles produce a pleasant sound, but are not uniformly secure
particularly at the top end of the range.
Equally, there are some quite strong and individual lower voices which
stick out of the texture at times. I
suspect there are some budding solo voices here amongst the men, but that’s not
necessarily an asset in this repertoire.
