BYRD 1588: PSALMS, SONNETS & SONGS OF SADNESS & PIETIE
GRACE DAVIDSON, soprano, MARTHA McLORINAN, mezzo-soprano,
NICHOLAS TODD, tenor
ALAMIRE – FRETWORK – DAVID SKINNER
INVENTA RESONUS INV1006 78’20 (2 CDs)

This recording presents this 1588 publication from Byrd in its entirety over two discs. As such it is a fascinating insight into the variety of music collected together in one published volume. There is music for funerals and with other sacred themes as well as lighter secular songs expressing a range of emotions. Much care has gone into this production.

MUSIC FOR THE KING OF SCOTS 

INSIDE THE PLEASURE PALACE OF JAMES IV
THE BINCHOIS CONSORT
ANDREW KIRKMAN, conductor
HYPERION CDA68333 55’20

Judging from the subtitle to this CD I was expecting a lighthearted entertaining programme. This is a fine recording but it is not a lighthearted listen. The title refers to James IV’s residence, Lingithlow Palace, and the music is devotional, as may have been heard in the chapel there. On this occasion, as the chapel is now ruined, the decision was made to attempt to reconstruct the acoustic properties of the building. This process was part of a project funded by the Arts & Humantities Research Council, “Space, Place, Sound & Memory: Immersive experiences of the past”. By scans, 3D modelling and recording in an anechoic chamber this is as authentic as historic reconstruction gets. The main work is Missa Horrendo subdena rotarum machinamento (‘Catherine Wheel Mass’) Alongside this is a Magnificat from the Carver choirbook and three shorter pieces including the chant from which the mass takes its name. Fascinating.

A CLAUDE
BENEDETTO BOCCUZZI, piano
DIGRESSIONE MUSIC DCTT111 75’75

This CD weaves together music by Debussy, Crumb, Messiaen Takemitsu, and Diana Rotaru together with a short piece and arrangements of Debussy by the performer. There are clear links between many of the works and together they make for a very entertaining, original programme. There is much to discover here.

JOHANN WILHELM HERTEL – CELLO & ORGAN CONCERTOS
BETTINA MESSERSCHMIDT, cello
MERSEBURGER HOFMUSIK
MICHAEL SCHONHEIT, organ & director
CPO 555 203-2 63’35

Hertel was a prolific 18th century German composer and like other contemporaries of his was born into a family of composers. He was an accomplished performer on the violin and harpsichord. He became a court composer and wrote much sacred music as well as instrumental works such as those featured here. The CD comprises 2 Sinfonias, 2 Cello Sonatas and an Organ Sonata.

THE ORGAN TRADITION OF APULIA-NAPLES

FROM RENAISSANCE TO BAROQUE
MARGHERITA SCIDDURLO, organ
Chiesa di Saint’ Antonio, Santa Maria del Passo, Mola di Bari (1747)
TACTUS TC670004 52’37

Don’t be put off by the title! This recording may be a little ‘niche’ but it is exciting and well produced. Spanning the 16th to 18th centuries the music included here is often virtuosic and is brought to life brilliantly on this historic and appropriate instrument. Several pieces have not been previously recorded and I would suggest that, despite its age, to many listeners much of this music will be new.

SP

JOSQUIN DES PREZ – MOTETS & MASS MOVEMENTS

THE BRABANT ENSEMBLE, conductor Stephen Rice

HYPERION CDA68321 78’38

FRANCISCO GUERRERO – MAGNIFICAT, LAMENTATIONS & CANCIONES

EL LEON DE ORO, conductors Peter Phillips & Marco Antonio Garcia de Paz

HYPERION CDA68347 60’53

There is a very ‘easy’ feel to these two CDs of Renaissance choral music. The various lines flow with a calm legato, disguising the underlying complexity of composition, allowing the listener to be transported to a different time and place. In the first case France in 15^th/early 16^th Centuries and in the second, Spain of the mid to late 16^th Century. The second CD carries additional interest and authenticity by including alongside Latin texts, a set of Cantiones y villanescas espirituales, written in Spanish and sung here by a Spanish choir.

CECILIA McDOWALL – SACRED CHORAL MUSIC

CHOIR OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, conductor Stephen Layton

ALEXANDER HAMILTON, organ

HYPERION CDA68251 69’56

Cecilia McDowall’s music here blends exciting contemporary harmony and soaring melodies with features that connect and return us to choral writing from the renaissance and medieval periods. Adoro, te devote is a case in. point with echoes of Allegri’s Miserere. Unaccompanied settings of Latin and English texts are sung here by the large cast choir augmented with soloists and small groups. The substantial solo organ O Antiphon Sequence played by Alexander Hamilton serves as a beautiful contrast before the choir concludes with The Lord is good.. Exquisite music and performances.

ALEXANDER CAMPKIN – CHORAL WORKS

VOX CHAMBER CHOIR, conductor David Crown

Colin Spinks, organ, Tristan Fry, tam-tam

NAXOS 8.574186 64’13

Alexander Campkin has established himself as one of a number of younger British composers writing choral music that is fresh and innovative. True Light (2011) and Missa Brevis (2009) are the two largest works here together with three other more recent pieces. To my ear there are times when the choir could do with a slightly tighter delivery but perhaps this is part of the intended effect of this music which is often ethereal and gently shifting. A very enjoyable disc.

AND THE SUN DARKENED – MUSIC FOR PASSIONTIDE

NEW YORK POLYPHONY

Geoffrey Williams, counter-tenor, Steven Caldicott Wilson, tenor

Christopher Dylan Herbert, baritone, Craig Phillips, bass

BIS SACD  BIS-2277 58’26

This is a beautifully programmed and produced CD. Taking settings of medieval devotional texts and earlier prayers much of this music dates from the 15^th & 16^th Centuries. Inserted among compositions by Loyset Compere, Josquin Desprez and others are two works by Andrew Smith (b. 1970) and Cyrillus Kreek (1889-1962). Despite the obvious differences in harmonic structure these more modern works do not feel out of place and actually add to the sense of an ongoing tradition and a timelessness of devotion. The performances by New York Polyphony are first rate.

FRANCOIS COUPERIN – LES REGRETS OU L’ART DE LA MELANCOLIE

STEFANO LORENZETTI, harpsichord

DYNAMIC CDS7879 72’28

Fresh performances of this early 18^th century keyboard repertoire are given here by Stefano Lorenzetti on a 1986 Tony Chinnery French harpsichord.

LA LA HO HO – 16^TH CENTURY VIOL MUSIC FOR THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD

LINAROL CONSORT

INVENTA INV1005 67’26

This must be one of the most striking titles for a recording in recent years. Consisting of a recording of early 16^th Century viol music from a new edition of a manuscript dating from around 1535. It was placed in the library of Jacob Fugger, a wealthy German merchant. The title of the CD is the name of one of the short works, this one by Heinrich Isaac. An intriguing disc.

RELATIONSHIPS – MUSIC FOR VIOLIN & PIANO

BY ELIZABETH MACONCHY, NICOLA LEFANU & GILES SWAYNE

MALU LIN, violin. GILES SWAYNE, piano

RESONUS RES10271 75’56

Another intriguing CD, this one is based around the family relationships of the composers whose music is featured here. There is great variety, from the opening reflective solo violin in Elisabeth Maconchy’s Violin Sonata to the more exuberant rhythmic violin and piano Duo by Giles Swayne. Other music by these two completes the disc alongside Nicola LeFanu’s Abstracts and a Frame.

LINDA CAITLIN SMITH – MEADOW

MIA COOPER, violin, JOACHIM ROEWER, viola, WILLIAM BUTT, cello

LOUTH CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

An intimate, unhurried, meditative experience, this is a very enjoyable CD. The composer’s notes state that the intention is to let the music speak for itself and not be too explained. Apart from saying that the music is built of short episodes no further hints of structure are given as the music plays in a single track. Details from www.louthcms.org

GIROLAMO FRESCOBALDI – UNPUBLISHED MUSIC FROM “CHIGI CODICES”

IVANA VALOTTI, organ of Basilica palatina di Santa Barbara, Mantova, Italy (1565)

TACTUS TC580609 71’23

CECILIA McDOWALL – ORGAN WORKS

WILLIAM FOX, organ of St John the Evangelist, Islington, London

LUCY HUMPHRIS, trumpet

NAXOS 8.579077 65’04

Two single composer organ recordings complete this selection. They could not be more contrasting and would serve as a very good illustration for those who still believe that all organ music sounds the same! A world premier recording of organ music by Frescobaldi (16^th/17^th Century) is a rare thing but as the subtitle makes clear this music was unpublished and so has remained relatively “off the radar”. This music requires dexterity from any player and thanks to organist and appropriate historical instrument we are transported back to Renaissance Italy.

The second CD complements the earlier mentioned CD of Cecilia McDowall’s choral music. Here we turn to her work for organ. Some of these also feature a part for trumpet. Again there is a real contrast within the programme here, from reflective slow moving passages to exciting rhythmic episodes. This is very definitely writing for the contemporary organ. Many of the works here are less than a decade old and a number are world premier recordings.

SP

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro

Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt

UNITEL 803804

Over the years I have greatly admired much that Nikolaus Harnoncourt has done and was looking forward to this new release. Unfortunately I can’t recommend it. In 2019 Harnoncourt mounted semi-staged / concert versions of the three Mozart/Da Ponte operas at the Teater an der Wien within a month. The focus is essentially on the scores and in particular on the authentic presentation of the recitatives. This may be academically interesting but Figaro is a work of passion, revolution and upheaval. It comes across as bloodless, often at remarkably slow speeds, and can’t seem to make up its mind how the narrative is to be conveyed to the audience, either in the theatre or via the recording. Most of the singers are at music stands, reading from scores – but not all. The Count wanders round as if he is another production all together, and minor parts sing for themselves. Watching, I was never clear what I was supposed to be engaging with. Was his essentially a lecture in early music practise, or was it a slightly overblown concert performance? Eventually I gave up as I found it irritating. That so many superb musicians and singers should have been involved to such an unsatisfactory end was very sad.

Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia

Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, Riccardo Frizza

DYNAMIC 57849

Andrea Bernard creates a dark and violent modern world which is highly convincing for this disturbing work. Splendidly played and sung throughout it captures the vigour of Hugo’s play which underpins the narrative as well as he archly romantic musical lines Donizetti spins for our delight.

Weber: Der Freischutz

Insula Orchestra, Laurence Equileby

ERATO 0190295109547

This is an interesting approach to the work. We are given a CD with all the music, excellently sung and played, and perfectly enjoyable just as it is. The DVD does not cover the whole work, but does include some of the dialogue. It also gives us an insight into the wonders of the production. I still find it difficult to accept that the slow motion scenes and flying are real and not CGI. But they are and as such are gloriously effective. It is not clear why there was not a straight DVD of the whole as it would surely have been highly effective and convincing. More like this please.

Dvorak: Spirit of Bohemia

Fine Arts Quartet, Anna Gribajcevic, viola, Jens Peter Maintz, cello, Stephen Simonian, piano

NAXOS 8.574205

We have the string quartet No4 in E minor, the string sextet in A major and the polonaise in A major, all warmly engaging. The string sextet is very much ahead of its time, foreshadowing modernism when set alongside the more romantic sextet. The polonaise exploits the introspection the composer found in his homeland.

Faure: works for violin and piano

Jane Gordon, violin, Jan Rautio, Piano

RESONUS RES 10275

The Berceuse Op16 may be familiar but the Sonatas Nos 1 & 2 are certainly not among the composers more obvious, output but they are certainly worth our time to explore. This lovingly crafted performance brings out the deep romanticism of the scores as well as the sense of innovation. Jane Gordon and Jan Rautio play on original instruments and their two decades of experience working together is certainly captured in the nuances of this fine recording. The recording also includes the Andante Op75 and the Romance Op28.

Songs of Travel: Trombone Travels 2

Matthew Gee, trombone; Christopher Glynn, piano

NAXOS 8.579080

Some ideas must seem good in the pub and often that is as long as they last. Arranging Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Stanford for trombone and piano does have some merits – the muted sounds often work very well – but much of the time one is left thinking why? When the originals are so good, what do these arrangements add? Unfortunately the answer is, very little. It is is nice thought but maybe it should have ended at that point.

Saint-Saens: Music for Wind Ensemble

Band of the RAF College, Jun Markl

NAXOS 8.574234

Saint-Saens’ orchestration is so good in the first place that these arrangements need no excuse. They work extremely well and are hugely enjoyable, with music from Samson et Dalila, Suite algerienne and even the Lion from the Carnival of the Animals.