Probably less familiar, due to its unusual scoring for choir, organ and three trombones (Joe Arnold, Matthew Lewis & Becky Smith here), is Ecce sacerdos magnus. Its huge dramatic impact makes it a great opener to the disc, yet there are huge contrasts here too. The moments for organ and trombones enforce Bruckner’s harmonic shifts, whereas the choral lines allow the text to soar, with secure top B flats from the trebles. Given the fullness of the sound and the acoustic, diction is impeccable, as it is throughout the disc. The trombones return for Afferentur regi, an interesting miniature, with tricky polyphonic entries for the choir, and the trombones providing underpinning at various points. Particularly noticeable here is the tenor control, avoiding pinging out of the blend at the top of their range. The other work with the trombones, Inveni David, sees them accompanying just the lower voices in four parts, here beautifully blended. The trombones provide great moments of drama here, making the harmonic progressions especially exciting. Lucas observes the changing dynamics throughout, and new to me, this turns out to be the highlight of the disc.
The Ave Maria here is one of three of Bruckner’s choral settings, this one from his Linz period. There is a smooth blend between the trebles and altos here, with the tenors and basses providing a contrastingly warmer sound when they come in. The trebles’ first high A could be a tad brighter, but on the whole, apart from the occasional hiccup into those high notes, they are solid and secure at the top. Lucas pays attention to all the details, such as accents and dynamics, throughout. Pange Lingua also stems from the middle Linz period, and the choir give its three verses a tender reading, ending with a beautiful Amen.
In his earlier years at Sankt Florian monastery, Bruckner made four settings of Tantum ergo, and two are included here. Their simpler, more hymn-like style provide a nice contrast to the more dramatic works, and allow the choir to show off their smooth, gentle blend. The two organ works included here come from Bruckner’s time at Sankt Florian too. In the Prelude and Fugue in C minor, the emphatic Prelude is followed by a Fugue with a long, drawn out melody, and here Dewi Lees makes great use of different registration to provide variety of texture, with a wonderful rumbling bass at the conclusion. Similarly, the Postlude in D minor has a dramatic introduction, flowing fugal lines and a rattling climax to show off Lees’ commanding playing and the St Albans instrument.
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