The relative novelty here is Sileti Venti, a motet
for soprano and strings – and a substantial one – that is a significant
attraction in its own right in the otherwise overstocked pool of Coronation
Anthems. Jeremy Summerly directs the Tallis Chamber Choir, bright and
firmly focused, and the Royal Academy Consort, which is drawn from postgraduate
and final-year undergraduate students there. They are, in the words
of the booklet notes, a modern-instrument Baroque orchestra and they
apply themselves with thoughtful imagination to their parts. There is
for example a splendid first trumpet – I assume Adam Wright – in Zadok
the Priest and he is joined by some fine delineation of the string
figuration here. At first I thought the acoustic of Duke’s Hall at the
Royal Academy unhelpfully recessed the choral contribution but it soon
emerged as a just balance. Let thy hand be strengthened is especially
successful; this Anthem, scored without trumpet or drums, here generates
considerable gravity, the Tallis Chamber Choir successfully vesting
its collective tone with an admonitory sternness. Contrast that with
the airy certainties of The King shall rejoice – strong choral
entries and fluent brass once more; in Exceeding glad (a feature
of the disc is the separate banding of each verse) there is a delightfully
well-realised shaping to the contour of the line, the choir softened
in tone, violin entries crisp and well articulated, the orchestral colour
apt and suggestive. The concluding Alleluia is notable for a dramatically
bold four-second gap before the final flourish. Too much for me I have
to admit. Finally My Heart is inditing is again well negotiated;
the solo voices in the first verse are attractive and not over scaled
and there is good string weight and sense of direction – airborne and
buoyant – in Upon thy right hand. When it comes to the concluding verse
the clarity of diction of the choir is complemented by the clarity of
orchestral texture and the genuine head of steam built up.
Rebecca Ryan is the soprano soloist in Sileti Venti.
New Zealand born it was Ryan who gave the British premiere of the recently
(re) discovered Handel Gloria. This is her first disc and it highlights
a distinct talent in the making. The motet is a test of characterization
and technique as much as the soloist’s ability to encompass pastoral
as well as drama-laden runs, from the operatic to the masque, with a
strong component of recitative. A microcosm of contemporary performance
practice in fact. She shapes the lines Dulcis amor (Sweet love) with
real sensitivity and her expressive diminuendos inflect the text with
shades of meaning. She is equally adept in the more florid moments too;
Date serta has some fluid runs, brought off with winning panache. This
is a sprightly and capricious Motet and it’s carried off with equal
aplomb.
Jonathan Woolf
