In a recent (19 April 2003) survey of the recordings
of Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony for BBC Radio Three the critic
Piers Burton-Page lamented that not one of the current versions
in the catalogue was played by a non-British orchestra. How refreshing,
therefore, to find the music of Edmund Rubbra, sadly an even less
"exportable" British composer, it would seem, being
taken up, and to such good effect, by an American choir.
Gloria Dei Cantores is a 44-strong mixed choir
based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts which specialises in liturgical
music. The documentation accompanying this CD does not give the
date of the recording but I note that the disc was published in
1997. The venue was the Mechanics Hall in Massachusetts’ second
city, Worcester, which possesses a fine, sonorous organ and excellent
acoustics.
Since this recording was first issued fierce
competition has arrived in the shape of an excellent Rubbra CD
from Naxos issued to mark his centenary. This is by the all-male
choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge and it contains all the
music included in the GDC programme with the exception of Salutation
and the Festival Gloria. St. John’s also include another
fine and substantial work in the shape of the Missa Cantuariensis.
However, as I hope to make clear, these apparently rival CDs
tend to complement each other.
The Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are
probably Rubbra’s best known liturgical works for they are in
the repertoire of most English cathedral choirs, and rightly so.
The ‘Mag.’ is strong and confident with an arresting organ part
(well realised here) while the ‘Nunc’ is characterised by tranquil
loveliness. Both share a common, grand ‘Gloria’. The performances
here are wholly successful. The ‘Mag.’ has a degree more spaciousness
than it receives from the St. John’s choir (who take a full minute
less). I rather like the extra breadth. On the other hand, some
may prefer the slightly greater cutting edge to the St. John’s
sound which stems from the use of trebles and male altos (and
smaller forces). The organ is an even more potent presence in
the GDC recording than is the case on the St. John’s version and,
again, I like this.
This may be a good point to say something about
the respective recordings. The St. John’s choir are set a bit
further back, as is the organ, in a pretty faithful recreation
of the acoustic of their chapel. This gives their recording a
bit more of a liturgical feel than the GDC recording. The American
singers are balanced just that bit more forwardly and, as I said,
the organ part "tells" a little more on their disc though
as the Op. 65 canticles are the only accompanied item on their
programme this may not be a significant factor. Both choirs are
accorded excellent sound, albeit the engineers have adopted different
approaches.
The nine Tenebrae Nocturns deserve to be far
better known. Indeed, I can pay them no higher compliment than
to say that they deserve to be as well known as Poulenc’s marvellous
Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence. Ten years
separate the composition of the first set from the other two sets
so I wonder if Rubbra designed them to be sung as a set? The texts
are the nine responsories which are sung at Matins on Maundy Thursday
(there are similar sets, not set by Rubbra, for Matins on Good
Friday and Holy Saturday). I was interested to see that in the
liner notes the GDC recording is claimed as a premiere though,
surprisingly, this is not mentioned in the track listing. I am
indeed surprised they don’t make more of this fact since to make
the first recording of such a work would be a feather in the cap
of any choir, I’d say.
This is subtle, intimate and expertly crafted
music in which Rubbra responds with great acuity to the texts.
In short, they are magnificent, eloquent miniatures (though there
is nothing "miniature" about the emotions they express)
and they receive devoted performances here. Comparing the two
recordings I found that in general the St. John’s performance
adopted marginally quicker tempi but the differences are pretty
slight. The music is far from easy and both choirs rise to the
challenges which Rubbra sets them. Just at one point the Cambridge
singers seemed to have an edge. In ‘Amicus Meus’ there is a very
tricky harmonic shift at the words "ipse est, tenete eum"
(track 6, 0’44") and I thought this passage was managed with
greater clarity and therefore more successfully by St. John’s
choir. However, this was an isolated example and overall the GDC
account gives great satisfaction. In these pieces, as is the case
throughout the whole recital, they demonstrate a fine dynamic
range and good diction.
The Mass setting in honour of St. Dominic is
an equally personal work. It was composed in 1948 to celebrate
Rubbra’s reception into the Roman Catholic Church, an event of
great significance for him. The dedication to St. Dominic was
occasioned by the fact that Rubbra’s reception took place on 4
August 1948, that saint’s feast day. The liner notes include a
very significant quotation from Rubbra. He wrote of this composition:
"Everything from a hushed pianissimo to a fortissimo was
dramatically conceived, and every marked nuance should therefore
be overstated rather than understated." I haven’t had access
to a score but from the evidence of my ears I’d judge that the
conductor of Gloria Dei Cantores has taken this dictum to heart
for it sounds as if great attention has been paid to detail. The
setting is spacious and confident but never showy and I’d say
the same applies to the singing here. Though Rubbra eschews the
use of polyphony for this listener this Mass, like Vaughan Williams’
G minor setting, has always evoked the spirit and ambience, if
not the style of Tallis and Byrd.
It is a deeply personal setting, as can be deduced
readily, not least from the Credo which is a real profession of
faith. Sample the concluding passage (track 15 from 4’03")
where the concluding summation from "Et in Spiritum Sanctum"
is set to simple yet intense block chords, culminating in a concise,
affirmative "Amen". The Agnus Dei (track 18) displays
spare but profound reverence and devotion. It’s a beautiful setting
and, like all the rest of the Mass, there isn’t an excess bar
in it. The whole Mass is given a splendid, attentive performance
here.
I don’t recall hearing Salutation before.
It comes from the collection of part songs which the Arts Council
commissioned from ten leading composers (and poets) to celebrate
the coronation in 1953 of Queen Elizabeth II. Rubbra’s text was
supplied by Christopher Hassall (1912-1963) and is interesting
in that it remembers the sufferings and anxieties of the British
people in the Second World War and the austerity of those days
before briefly looking forward to the promise of the new reign.
Rubbra responds with eloquent music. This is far from a pièce
d’occasion; it’s a fine song in its own right. The singers
of GDC perform it well as they do the demanding Festival Gloria
for unaccompanied double choir with which they complete their
programme.
There is some excellent music on this CD by a
fine composer of great skill and integrity whose art is still
not appreciated anything like as fully as it should be. For this
reason I’m delighted to find his cause so expertly championed
on the other side of the Atlantic. I have made some comparisons
between this CD and the Naxos release. However, as I hope I’ve
demonstrated, differences are slight and both discs will give
great pleasure and satisfaction. That said, there is a
palpable difference between a mixed voice and an all-male ensemble.
So, as the Naxos disc is at bargain price I’d strongly advise
collectors to acquire both and savour the differences.
But whatever you do, I’d urge you to hear this
fine American disc, especially if you don’t yet know Rubbra’s
music. I have a number of the Gloria Dei Cantores recordings in
my collection already but this, I would say, is their finest achievement
to date. They deserve accolades both for the enterprise of their
choice of this repertoire and for their expertise in the execution
of it. Recommended with enthusiasm.
John Quinn
*James E. Jordan Jr. (organ)