Naxos has already reissued
several excellent recordings from the
now-defunct Collins Classics label.
However, with due respect to the artists
involved in the previous reissues, I
venture to suggest that this is the
most important to date for it restores
to the catalogue a recording that gives
us a relatively rare chance to hear
Tippett conducting one of his major
scores.
Written between 1939
and 1941, A Child of Our Time
was inspired by an event in 1938. A
young Jewish boy murdered a German diplomat
in Paris and this was the excuse for
the horrifying series of pogroms in
Germany and Austria known collectively
as ‘Kristallnacht’. Tippett devised
his own libretto (one that is neither
as wordy nor as abstruse as those that
he later provided for some of his operas),
which reflects on these events and their
consequences. In his excellent and succinct
liner note Anthony Burton recalls that
the composer himself commented that
the tripartite structure of Messiah
was to some extent his model, in that
Handel’s masterpiece consists in the
first part "of ‘great but general
prophecies’, the second of narrative,
and the third of ‘commentary and judgement.’"
I hadn’t read this before but I appreciate
the comparison. Much better known, of
course, is Tippett’s inspired decision
to weave into his work five Negro Spirituals,
which is comparable to Bach’s use of
chorales in his Passions.
Tippett, then aged
85, directed a fine performance of this
deeply serious work. He is fortunate
to have had a very fine team of soloists,
all of them, apart from Sarah Walker,
American. As a point of interest three
of this team (Jon Garrison is the exception)
also took part in Sir Andrew Davis’s
EMI recording of Tippett’s The Mask
of Time. The contributions of all
four singers are very impressive. Sarah
Walker is at all times clear and eloquent;
as, for example, in her opening solo,
‘Man has measured the heavens with a
telescope’. Jon Garrison is a fine,
ringing tenor who sings intelligently
and with a well-controlled ardour. His
diction is excellent, as is that of
John Cheek ... and Sarah Walker, also.
Cheek commands attention throughout,
though it sounded to me as if he was
recorded just a fraction more distantly
than his colleagues. Faye Robinson sings
with a pretty wide vibrato and unfortunately
this means that her words are not as
clear as are those of her colleagues.
However, she sings with lovely tone
and soars beautifully above the ensemble
in ‘Steal away’ and another of the spirituals,
‘Oh, by and by’.
The CBSO Chorus makes
a telling contribution. Clearly energised
by the octogenarian composer, they sing
with a commitment that is just as evident
in soft passages as in the more fiery
stretches. The orchestra too plays very
well, responding positively to Tippett’s
direction. Much of the work is dark
and powerful and the CBSO makes a major
contribution to the success of this
performance by projecting Tippett’s
music strongly The final ensembles,
‘I would know my shadow’ and the spiritual
‘Deep river’, which ends the work are
very moving, as is the spiritual ‘Go
down, Moses’, which lies at the heart
of Part II.
In summary, this is
a very committed and eloquent account
of a serious and important work. The
fact that the composer presides adds
an extra frisson of authenticity.
The recorded sound is very good and
the documentation (in English only)
includes a full libretto and the very
interesting note by Anthony Burton.
This release is doubly
welcome as a contribution to the Tippett
centenary celebrations. I’m delighted
to see it restored to the catalogue.
It’s an indispensable purchase for all
admirers of Tippett and all lovers of
the English choral tradition. At the
Naxos price it represents an incredible
bargain. Strongly recommended.
John Quinn
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Sir
Michael Tippett 
