The Italian, all male
Renaissance polyphony group, Odhecaton
were new to me, but they have been around since 1998 and have a number of discs
behind them, as well as several awards.
Their latest recording, entitled De
Passione, consists of music by Franco-Flemish composers Josquin des Prez (c.1450/55–1521), Jacob
Obrecht (1457/8-1505), Loyset Compère (c.1440-1518) and Gaspar van Weerbecke (c.1445-after 1516), all
published by Ottaviano Petrucci in Venice in 1503. The 11 singers are directed by Paolo Da Col, and the motets they have
chosen for this collection all focus on texts relating to the passion and Holy
Week. The substantial works by Josquin (O Domine Iesu Christe, Miserere mei Deus, and
Qui velatus facie fuisti) are
familiar to me, and they receive assured and beautifully sustained performances
here. Compère’s equally substantial In nomine Iesu was new to me, however,
and is beautifully rich in texture, with Odhecaton exploiting the composer’s
use of the lower registers of all the voice parts. I really enjoyed the sound world of all male
voices, and the countertenors consistently avoided the common tendency for a
slightly hooty sound on top, blending perfectly with the lower voices. Obrecht’s subtle Parce Domine opens the disc, and van Weerbecke’s dark, sonorous Tenebrae factae sunt is an added
treat. This is followed on the disc by a
startling contrast – which certainly surprised me on first listening, as I
hadn’t read the notes beforehand.
Sardinian singer Clara Murtas
sings a solo traditional lament, O
tristu fatale die. The style is a
sudden change, but somehow finds a fitting place here, the mother of Jesus’
lament almost providing a release after the contained and controlled polyphony. To follow this and close the disc, Odhecaton
return with Josquin’s Miserere mei Deus. Highly recommended.
Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra continue the series of Orchestral Works by Gustav
Holst (1874-1934) they took over following the sad death of Richard
Hickox. The latest volume contains two
works, The Mystic Trumpeter, and his
First Choral Symphony. Both works employ a soprano soloist, here the
great Susan Gritton, and they are
joined in the Choral Symphony by the BBC Symphony Chorus. The
Mystic Trumpeter is the shorter work here, and perhaps because of this, is
the more successful in my mind. The text
is by Walt Whitman, and Holst achieves a real sense of structure, guided by the
poem, building to suitable peaks, before subsiding into peace and tranquility
at its close. The First Choral Symphony, at over 50 minutes long, however, struggles
to maintain coherency for me. There is
great music here, and the first three movements succeed to a great extent in
creating a variety of textures and moods from the diverse texts by Keats – the
seven beats to a bar Baccahanal, the relaxed calm of the second movement’s Ode,
and the delicate orchestral textures at the close of the third movement. But having explored this variety, one gets
the sense that Holst didn’t quite know how to conclude this mammoth work, and
the finale dissapoints. However, the
performance here cannot be faulted and Gritton in particular is in fine form. Credit also to the BBC Symphony Chorus, who produce
a well-disciplined and rich sound throughout.
Another continuing Chandos
series with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus, this time with Edward Gardner conducting two works by Karol
Szymanowski (1882-1937). His Stabat
Mater from 1925/6, with solo voices in addition to the chorus and orchestra, is
a striking and affecting work, with a stunningly beautiful lament from the solo
soprano (here impressively sung by Lucy Crowe), and a fiendish fourth movement for just female choral voices, later
joined by the female soloists.
Szymanowksi makes great use of these different forces, using choral
chanting, a duet between solo alto (Pamela Helen Stephen) and clarinet, and melody in the final sixth movement for the
solo soprano that is to die for. The
other piece here is the Choral Ballet, Harnasie,
which is rooted in the culture of the Podhale region in the Tatra mountains
in Poland. Whilst there are moments
reminiscent of Stravinsky and Janáček here, the overall effect is of a totally
individual sound, and without even looking at the texts, images of folk
dancing, revelry and wedding scenes are immediately conjured up. In fact the story is of a bride who is
abducted by a robber (Harnás). I can’t
profess to understanding Polish, but the BBC Symphony Chorus sound totally
convincing and authentically unison in their diction, which must have been a
considerable challenge. There is real
excitement and life in this music, which is fully expressed in this commanding
performance from all concerned.
(These reviews first appeared in GScene, February 2014)
Canadian
pianist Louis Lortie is now on the
second volume of his planned complete Chopin
collection, and this disc, as with the first, mixes and alternates Nocturnes with more substantial works –
here we have the four Ballades, with
the Barcarolle and Berceuse. This approach makes for a much more
satisfying listen, with pieces following in connected keys and flowing together
more appropriately than the usual systematic working through of all the
Nocturnes, say, in numerical order. Lortie’s
style is less overtly dramatic than some other Chopin interpreters – in fact,
he allows the music to speak in a way that many other pianists do not
achieve. That is not to say that these
are totally passive performances – virtuosity is certainly on display, and the
Ballades in particular receive full-blooded expression. I think it’s just that you’re left with a
sense of ‘this is the wonder of Chopin’, rather than solely ‘this is an amazing
pianist’, which is so often the case – and paradoxically, that is the sign of a
truly great pianist.
Chopin, Frédéric. Louis Lortie plays Chopin, Volume 2. Louis Lortie. 2012. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 10714.
The Gould Piano Trio have just celebrated their
20th year performing together, and to mark this have released a
first volume of Beethoven Piano Trios,
with the ‘Ghost’ Trio and the Second Trio (Op. 1 No. 2), together
with two single movement works – an Allegretto
from 1812, and an early Theme and
Variations. These are in fact live
recordings from performances at St George’s, Bristol, and it shows – in a good
way. There is a real energy to their
playing, with spirited fast movements, and tender and sensitive playing in the
slow movements. The price is the
occasional rough edge in the presto sections, and a slightly dry acoustic, but
the payoff is a level of energy and immediacy rarely found in studio
recordings. The sign of a great live
recording is one that makes you wish you were there, and also one that will
survive repeated playing – this scores on both counts.
Following on from complete sets of the songs of
Butterworth and Delius, amongst others, baritone Mark Stone has now turned his attention to the rather trickier
English composer, Havergal Brian
(1876-1971), who ended his days in retirement in Shoreham.
Last year I sang in a performance in the Proms of his mammoth Gothic
Symphony, which involves a massive orchestra, four choirs, a childrens choir,
and four brass orchestras, as well as soloists – supposedly the largest
symphony ever written. This was
certainly an event, but I remained unconvinced by the composer’s ability to
maintain any sense of coherency over such a huge work So I was curious to hear
how the composer managed the complete opposite end of the spectrum in terms of
scale. In fact, this disc proved rather
a revelation. I was particularly taken
by the delicacy of his writing for the piano, sensitively performed here by Sholto Kynoch. Little
Sleeper is especially delicate and elegiac, with the almost Debussian
harmonies in the piano supporting a beautifully wistful solo line. Kynoch also performs Three Illuminations, and John
Dowland’s Fancy for solo piano, as well as accompanying Stone’s brother, Jonathan Stone (violinist with the Doric String Quartet) in an impressively
engaging Legend, and in fact these
are the works that stand out for me in interest. Mark Stone’s voice has a
beauitful tone, with only an occasional loss of focus at the top of the range,
and he performs these songs with great conviction. He sings Day
and Night with particular intensity, and once again, the piano writing here
is very atmospheric. This disc has
certainly made me reconsider this underperformed composer anew – I look forward
to the next volume!
The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, conducted by Andrew Nethsingha, are on fine form at present, as is evidenced in
their latest disc of Mozart
masses. They perform the popular ‘Coronation’ Mass, and appropriately
separate its movements with two Church
Sonatas, where the movements would have been interrupted by the
liturgy. The boy trebles sound secure at
the top, and the overall initmate sound, with period instruments (the St John’s Sinfonia), is very
engaging. Soloists Susan Gritton (soprano), Frances Bourne (mezzo), Sam Furness
(tenor) and George Humphreys (bass)
match the scale of the performance expertly.
The well-known Ave verum Corpus
comes next, but unfortunately here they follow the ‘tradition’ of performing
this beautiful gem at an incredibly slow speed, which is a shame. The then follow this with the delightful F
major Missa Brevis, and here they
are back on form. They end the disc with the popular favourite showcaser for
Susan Gritton, ‘Exsultate, jubilate’, and she doesn’t disappoint, providing a
suitably joyous finish to and enjoyable programme.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. 'Coronation' Mass, etc. Susan Gritton, Frances Bourne, Sam Furness, George Humphreys, John Challenger, Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, St John's Sinfonia, Andrew Nethsingha. 2012. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 0786.
Clarinetist Michael Collins begins his exploration
of British Clarinet Sonatas in
style, with works from John Ireland
(1879-1962), Arthur Bliss (1891-1975), Charles Stanford (1852-1924), Arnold Bax
(1883-1953) and Herbert Howells (1892-1983). Michael McHale ably accompanies him on piano. As ever, Collins produces an exquisite tone,
combined with effortless and fluid virtuosity when required. Ireland’s Fantasy-Sonata is particularly beautiful, and the slow movement of
the Stanford Sonata is dramatically
expressive. Bliss’ Pastoral is typically English, with lilting and rolling lines, once
again played here with a warm, liquid tone.
Another great disc from a soloist at the top of his game.
Various. British Clarinet Sonatas, Volume 1. Michael Collins, Michael McHale. 2012. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 10704.
(An edited version of these reviews first appeared in GScene magazine)
