I must declare something
of an interest here as I have lived
in Gloucester for some nineteen years
and over that period I have heard the
Cathedral choir on many occasions, though
I have no connection with either the
Cathedral or with the choir itself.
Over that period of time inevitably
the membership of the choir has changed,
particularly as boys’ voices have broken
and at some times the choir has been
stronger than at others. I would say
that under its present Director of Music,
Andrew Nethsingha, who has been in post
since 2002, it is enjoying a period
of vocal prosperity.
The first thing that
commends this programme to me is its
enterprise. I should think that all
English cathedral choirs have Lo,
the Full, Final Sacrifice in their
repertoire and many will be familiar
with Rejoice in the Lamb, even
if opportunities to sing it are relatively
rare. However, Copland’s In the Beginning
is scarcely staple fare while I
venture to suggest that few if any English
cathedral choirs will have ever essayed
Pizzetti’s Tre composizioni
corale. So, full marks to Nethsingha
and his choir for not being afraid to
stray from the usual well-trodden paths.
They also score well under the heading
of "execution", as we shall
see.
It was a clever idea
to put together a programme of choral
music from the 1940s. However, there
are some other links between some of
the composers here represented apart
from chronology. For instance, both
the Britten and Finzi pieces were among
the many works of art commissioned by
that tireless and discriminating patron,
Rev. Walter Hussey, when he was vicar
of St. Matthews Church, Northampton.
In a further link Copland and Britten
became friendly during the latter’s
self-imposed exile in the USA but I
had not known until reading it in the
notes accompanying this disc that Britten
encouraged Copland to write In the
Beginning.
That work was Copland’s
first significant choral composition
– indeed, this was a genre in which
he rarely composed – though he did write
four motets in 1921 while studying with
Nadia Boulanger. As Copland himself
said it was "brave" of him
to accept the commission in 1947. If
the decision was courageous so was the
choice of text for it was far from an
obvious decision to set the entire first
chapter and several verses from the
second chapter of the Book of Genesis.
The result, however, was an absorbing
setting for mezzo-soprano and a capella
chorus. Copland himself suggested that
the piece should last for about 13’30".
On that basis Nethsingha’s reading appears
decidedly spacious, the more so by the
side of the Corydon Singers Hyperion
recording (CDA66219) which lasts 15’46".
However, this new Gloucester reading
doesn’t sound unduly slow and I suspect
that in opting for relatively broad
tempi Nethsingha has very sensibly taken
into account the resonant acoustics
of Gloucester cathedral. The piece contains
several passages where short, repeated
notes predominate and in the Gloucester
acoustic these would almost certainly
have sounded mushy and indistinct. As
it is, the dancing passage at "And
let there be lights in the firmament
of heaven" (track 10, 5’33")
is splendidly light-footed. The choir
sings very well in this finely shaped
reading. The crucial solo part is taken
by the young British mezzo, Frances
Bourne. I think she makes a splendid
job of what is a demanding role. Hers
is quite a different voice from that
of the admirable Catherine Denley on
the Corydon version. Miss Bourne’s voice
is the lighter of the two and she has
a very pleasing, clear tone. Her diction
is splendid and though I’ve mentioned
a lightness in the voice there is no
lack of warmth. I also appreciated her
evident commitment to the music.
The Finzi anthem could
hardly be more different. It contains
some absolutely beautiful passages,
characterised by typical loving vocal
lines and bittersweet harmonies. In
an interesting parallel with the Copland
this was also Finzi’s first substantial
choral work. I did wonder if the initial
tempo was a bit on the swift side but,
in fact, it’s only a fraction quicker
than the metronome marking of crotchet
= 44 and I found the tempi throughout
were convincing. One reservation about
this performance concerns the dynamics
at the start. The first choral entry
is marked pp, falling back even
further to ppp within the first
two pages. To my ears the choir doesn’t
really sing quieter than piano
in this passage although this may have
something to do with the relatively
close placing of the microphones. However,
overall the performance is responsive
and convincing. The short treble solo
is sung by one of the choristers and
he sings clearly and well though he
does cut off sustained notes rather
too quickly. In the duet for tenor and
bass, "O soft, self-wounding Pelican!"
it’s luxury casting indeed to have James
Gilchrist on the tenor line. He is well
partnered by James Birchall, one of
the Gloucester basses. The concluding,
languorous "Amens" sound as
heart-easingly beautiful as they should.
Britten’s Rejoice
in the Lamb sets a truly odd text
by the eighteenth century poet Christopher
Smart. It’s well done by the Gloucester
choir. The various solo sections are
all effectively sung and once again
James Gilchrist is on hand to lend particular
distinction to the tenor solo, "For
the flowers", which he delivers
with plangent eloquence. The extraordinary
section "For I am under the same
accusation with my Saviour" is
particularly powerful in this performance.
The singing burns with conviction and
Robert Houssart conjures up some massive
sonorities from the organ. This section
is even more overwhelming than the very
fine account from St. John’s College,
Cambridge on Naxos (8.554791). However,
later on, in the section beginning "For
the instruments are by their rhimes"
I thought the organ sound was just a
bit too much of a good thing; it could
and should have been reined back a bit
at this point so as not to dominate
the singers. The work closes with a
sustained hushed passage beginning at
"For at that time malignity ceases"
and the Gloucester performers manage
this very well indeed, conveying a fine
sense of atmosphere.
The music of the conservative
Italian, Ildebrando Pizzetti will be
unknown to many people. Hyperion has
issued a couple of discs of his music,
most notably a very fine recording of
his often-serene Messa di Requiem
of 1922 (CDA67017). These three pieces,
composed some two decades later and
all for a capella choir, were
completely new to me. The first, ‘Cade
la sera’ (‘Evening falls’) is a setting
of part of a nocturnal poem by the composer’s
friend Gabriele d’Annunzio (1863-1938)
which muses on the countryside round
Assisi. This sounds to me to evoke a
deeply nostalgic longing for the peace
and beauties of the Italian campagna
at a time when Italy was in the grips
of Fascism and war. The other two pieces
respectively take words from Isaiah
and from the Book of Lamentations. The
former, ‘Ululate, quia prope est dies
Domine’ (‘Howl ye, for the day of the
Lord is at hand’) is for the most part
a powerful, emotional piece but it ends
quietly, with a subdued plea for God’s
mercy. The concluding piece ‘Recordare
Domine’ is, at just over nine minutes
long (in this performance), nearly as
long as its two companions combined.
This is a dark and powerful plea for
mercy in adversity. The music places
great demands upon the singers, especially
the trebles, and though the boys sound
to be stretched by the music they prove
equal to the challenge. This is one
of those occasions where it actually
enhances the music if one feels that
the performers are being taken to their
limits. The singing in all three pieces
is committed and potent but that’s especially
true of the performance of this last
one. This fine piece eventually subsides
into a consolatory, trusting ending
One or two pretty small
reservations aside the standard of performance
on this CD is excellent. It’s good to
hear the Gloucester choir in such fine
fettle. Andrew Nethsingha clearly has
the measure of all the music and, having
trained his choir very thoroughly, he
leads them in very convincing performances.
Robert Houssart’s accompaniments in
the Britten and Finzi pieces display
the capabilities of the cathedral’s
organ inventively.
Having sung in the
cathedral on a good number of occasions
and heard many more musical performances
there I know that the acoustics of this
superb building are notoriously tricky.
The engineers were clearly aware of
the potential problems that the resonant
acoustic might bring. They have opted
to record both the choir and the organ
relatively closely. However, they have
skilfully allowed enough space around
the sound so that there is a natural
bloom on the sound, just the right degree
of resonance and a proper ambience.
I enjoyed this disc
very much. It offers a stimulating and
enterprising programme, which is well
executed. I can honestly put local pride
aside and give this disc an objective
but very warm recommendation.
John Quinn
Gloucester Cathedral Choir/Andrew Nethsingha
(Chorister Voice Coach, Russell Burton) 
