Confidence and precision from St Albans Cathedral Choir & Andrew Lucas make this survey of Bruckner's motets a must

Choral singers will be familiar with most of Anton Bruckner’s (1824-1896) Motets, but possibly not all of them. So it’s great to hear such an extensive selection, and especially when they are performed with the confidence and precision of a choir like the St Albans Cathedral Choir, conducted by Andrew Lucas. The most well known stem from his late Vienna period, and all the full choral settings are here. Locus Iste is brief but perfectly formed, and the choir here give a pure sound and smooth flow. The crescendo to the climax is tastefully handled, and the tuning of the falling chromatic lines that follow is precise, leading to a poised and gentle, if very slow, conclusion. Christus factus est is more substantial and complex. Lucas takes the opening slowly, only picking up the pace at ‘Propter quod’, possibly to enable greater precision in Bruckner’s slightly fiddly semiquavers. The dynamic contrasts here are crucial, from ppp to fff, with the full range in between, and Lucas and the singers achieve well this in the resonant cathedral acoustic, apart from a tiny bump as the trebles hit the final ppp ‘Quod’. Tota pulchra est contrasts the tenor solo with choral sections and sparing but dramatic use of the organ (played by Dewi Rees). I’m not sure if tenor Philip Salmon moved around for his different sections, but he achieved really effective contrasts between his more distant opening and the fuller, more present ‘Ora pro nobis’. Os justi has the most glorious falling lines and suspensions, and here the trebles in particular produce a wonderful ringing sound. Lucas picks up the pace again for the central polyphonic section, and ensemble is managed well here. Baritone William Houghton gives the strong solo in Salvum fac populum tuum, and again, Bruckner uses constant contrasts (solo plainchant, unison chant and choral textures) in his setting, and the unexpected chord at ‘speravimus’ after relatively straightforward harmnonies is a great moment. The blend of voices in the chant, and Houghton’s clear focussed tone make for a strong performance here. Vexilla regis and Virga Jesse both receive equally solid performances here. The former flows along nicely, although tuning in Bruckner's B major swerve of the second verse isn’t as secure as elsewhere. Lucas manages a wonderfully smooth crescendo through the opening section of the latter, then the tenors deserve mention for a beautiful piano top G following the general pause, as do the trebles for their pianissimo falling sixths on ‘in se’. 

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.

This survey of these wonderfully dramatic and varied choral gems is a must for choral singers and enthusiasts alike.

Bruckner, A. 2023. Bruckner Motets. St Albans Cathedral Choir, Dewi Rees, Andrew Lucas. Compact Disc. First Hand Records FHR143.