This
set is effectively the Naxos equivalent of the superb “Fairest
Isle” compilation that BBC Music Magazine brought out
in 1995. It too charts the history of British music from
the thirteenth century up to the present day. This Naxos
set represents the period up to the turn of the last
century on the first disc, and covers the whole of the
twentieth century on the second disc. Thus, disc 1 opens
with a few mediaeval Anons, and includes Dunstable, and
Carver’s glorious
Missa Dun Sacrum Mysterium,
before expounding the Jacobean and Elizabethan composers
Tallis, Byrd, Dowland, Taverner, Bull, Gibbons and Lawes.
Purcell (extracts from
Dido and Aeneas) represents
the Restoration period; Avison and Boyce the eighteenth
century and Field, Sterndale Bennett, Wesley and Sullivan
the nineteenth century. As a fair portrayal of pre-twentieth
century British music, this certainly refutes the too-oft-held-notion
that England was a “land without music”, or that there
was a “musical ice-age” between Purcell and Elgar. I
was disappointed, however, not to see any Arne, Eccles
or Linley – since the latter of whom showed, according
to contemporary reports, “stronger proof of original
genius” than even his contemporary Mozart. On the other
hand, it was good to have the inclusion of Carver, Cornysh
and Avison. Performances, taken mainly – but not exclusively – from
Naxos recordings, are all exemplary and feature such
artists as the Orlando Consort, Oxford Camerata, Tonus
Peregrinus, The Sixteen and, in the overture to
Yeomen
of the Guard, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
Disc
2 opens with Parry’s astounding and revelatory
I was
Glad (with the Scholars Baroque Ensemble) which is
followed by a meltingly tender performance of Stanford’s
The
Blue Bird (with the Oxford Camerata again, and Jeremy
Summerly). The disc then features all the major twentieth
century composers – Elgar (third movement from the Second
Symphony); Delius (
A Song Before Sunrise); Bax
(
A Country Tune by Ashley Wass); Vaughan Williams
(an extract from
Job); Holst (
Uranus from
The
Planets); Walton (the second movement of the violin
concerto) and Britten (
Winter Words with the wonderful
Philip Langridge). Tippett and Malcolm Arnold are also
represented. It is good to have some of the less-well-known
works (such as
Job and the
Winter Words);
alongside the utterly familiar (
Planets); although
the choice is arguably not always that which showcases
the best of the composer. I also find the mix slightly
curious in that it sets out neither to chart the major
events of British composition by featuring the masterpieces
of each composer or the works that made his name; nor
to take the opportunity to bring less familiar pieces
to the audience. Similarly, I find it a bit of a shame
that none of the less famous – but nonetheless brilliant
and highly innovative – twentieth century composers are
featured, such as Foulds, Bowen, Howells or Moeran, nor
any of the composers of English solo song (such as Quilter,
Gurney and Warlock) – since solo song is such an important
part of British music. And where, too, is Finzi? There
is also no inclusion of the large-scale choral works
at which we so excelled (just think of the
War Requiem,
of Elgar’s oratorios, of Vaughan Williams’s
Sancta
Civitas or Holst’s
Hymn of Jesus, Howells’s
Stabat
Mater or
Hymnus Paradisi, Finzi’s
Intimations
of Immortality) – or, even, operas. The final part
of the disc is given over to modern composers – Peter
Maxwell Davies, Judith Weir, Tavener and Colin Matthews.
Again, all performances (with top artists, including
the BBC Philharmonic with Edward Downes, the City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National
Orchestra, Maggini Quartet, and conductors including
Paul Daniel and David Lloyd-Jones) are of the highest
quality.
It
is as much for the excellent booklet, with a wonderfully
comprehensive and detailed, well-written and interesting
history of British music by Antony Burton, as for the
sometimes rather eclectic choices of works (particularly
on the second disc) that I think one should purchase
this set.
Em Marshall
see also review by Raymond Walker
Track details
CD 1
ANONYMOUS (c.1300) Thomas
gemma Cantuarie/Thomas cessum in Doveria [2:11]
ANONYMOUS (15th
century) Ave Maria [2:45]
John DUNSTABLE (c.
1390-1453) Veni Sancte Spiritus/Veni Creator [6:55]
Robert CARVER (c.
1490-after 1546) Missa Dum sacrum mysterium
Sanctus: beginning [2:52]
William CORNYSH (d.
1523) Ah Robin, gentle Robin [2:15]
John TAVERNER (c.
1490-1545) Missa Gloria tibi trinitas Benedictus [2:56]
Thomas TALLIS (c.
1505-1585) Salvator mundi [3:53]
William BYRD (c.
1540-1623) Ye sacred Muses [3:46]
Thomas WEELKES (c.
1575-1623) As Vesta was from Latmos hill descending [3:46]
John BULL (1562/3-1628) Pavan
- St Thomas Wake! [2:30]
John DOWLAND (1563-1626) In
darkness let me dwell [3:35]
Orlando GIBBONS (1583-1625) Hosanna
to the son of David [2:50]
Thomas TOMKINS (1572-1656) Above
the stars my Saviour dwells [3:50]
William LAWES (1602-1645) Consort
Set a 5 in A minor Fantazy [2:59]
Henry PURCELL (1659-1695) Dido
and Aeneas, Act I - Overture [1:54] - Shake
the cloud from off your brow (Belinda, Chorus) [1:04]
- Ah! Belinda, I am press'd with torment (Dido) [3:52]
Charles AVISON (1709-1770) Concerto
in D major, Op. 6 No. 4 - Movement 1: Andante [1:43]
- Movement 2: Allegro assai [1:51]
William BOYCE (1711-1779) Symphony
in F major, Op. 2 No. 4 - Movement 1: Allegro [3:27]
John FIELD (1782-1837) Nocturne
No. 10 in E minor [3:09]
William Sterndale BENNETT (1816-1875) Impromptu
in F sharp minor, Op. 12 No. 3 [3:21]
Samuel Sebastian WESLEY (1810-1876) Wash
me thoroughly [4:04]
Arthur SULLIVAN (1842-1900) The
Yeomen of the Guard - Overture [5:23]
Orlando Consort (track 1); Oxford Camerata/Jeremy
Summerly (track 2); Tonus Peregrinus/Antony Pitts
(track 3);
Cappella Nova/Alan Tavener (track 4); Oxford Camerata/Jeremy
Summerly (track 5); The Sixteen/Harry Christophers
(track 6); Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly (track
7); Catherine King, mezzo/Rose Consort of Viols (track
8); Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly (track 9); Joseph
Payne, harpsichord (track 10); Steven Rickards, counter-tenor/Dorothy
Linell, lute (track 11); Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly
(track 12); Red Byrd/Rose Consort of Viols (track
13);
Rose Consort of Viols/Timothy Roberts, organ (track
14); Kym Amps, soprano (Dido)/Anna Crookes, soprano
(Belinda)/Scholars Baroque Ensemble (tracks 15 – 16 – 17);
Avison Ensemble/Pavlo Beznosiuk (tracks 18 – 19);
Aradia Ensemble/Kevin Mallon (track 20); Benjamin
Frith, piano
(track 21); II'mii I'Minyi, piano (track 22); Emily
Gray, soprano/Jeffrey Makinson, organ/Manchester
Cathedral Choir/Christopher Stokes (track 23); Royal
Ballet Sinfonia/Andrew
Penny (track 24).
CD 2
Hubert PARRY (1848-1918) I
was glad [4:45]
Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924) The
blue bird [3:44]
Edward ELGAR (1857-1934) Symphony
No. 2 in E flat major Movement 3: Rondo: Presto [8:09]
Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934) A
Song Before Sunrise [5:23]
Arnold BAX (1883-1953) Country-Tune [2:14]
Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) Job
- A Masque for Dancing Scene 8: Galliard of the Sons
of the Morning, Altar Dance and Heavenly Pavane [5:16]
Gustav HOLST (1874-1934) The
Planets Suite: Uranus, the Magician [6:07]
William WALTON (1902-1983) Violin
Concerto - Movement 2: Presto capriccioso alia napolitana [6:21]
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)Winter Words: VI: Proud Songsters [1:07]
- VII: At the Railway Station, Upway [2:39]
- VIII: Before Life and After [2:54]
Michael TIPPETT (1905-1998) A
Child of Our Time, Part Two: The Narrator: And a time
came... [0:18]; Double Chorus of Persecutors
and Persecuted: Away with them! [0:59]; The
Narrator: Where they could... [0:28]; Chorus
of the Self-Righteous: We cannot have them... [0:48]; The
Narrator: And the boy's mother... [0:16]; Scena:
O my son!... [1:23]; A Spiritual: Nobody knows... [1:38]
Malcolm ARNOLD (b.
1921) English Dances, Set 1 No. 1: Andantino [2:51]
Peter MAXWELL
DAVIES (b. 1934) Naxos Quartet No. 2
- Movement 3: Allegro [4:45]
John TAVENER (b.
1944) As one who has slept [4:18]
Judith WEIR (b.
1954) Piano Concerto: Movement 2: The Sweet
Primroses [4:31]
Colin MATTHEWS (b.
1946) Pluto, The Renewer [7:01]
Scholars Baroque Ensemble (track 1); Carys-Anne Lane,
soprano/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly (track 2);
BBC Philharmonic/Edward Downes (track 3); Royal Scottish
National Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones (track 4); Ashley
Wass, piano (track 5); English National Philharmonia/David
Lloyd-Jones (track 6); Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David
Lloyd-Jones (track 7); Dong Suk Kang, violin/English
Northern Philharmonia/Paul Daniel (track 8); Philip
Langridge, tenor/Stuart Bedford, piano (tracks 9–11);
Faye Robinson, soprano/Sarah Walker, mezzo/Jon Garrison,
tenor/John Cheek, bass/City of Birmingham Symphony
Chorus and Orchestra/Michael Tippett (tracks 12–18);
Queensland Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Penny (track
19); Maggini Quartet (track 20); Choir of St John's
College,
Cambridge/Christopher Robinson (track 21); William
Howard, piano/The Schubert Ensemble (track 22); Royal
Scottish National Orchestra/Ladies of RSNO Chorus/David
Lloyd-Jones (track 23). DDD