RECORD OF THE MONTH
Renaissance Radio. Sacred Music from the Renaissance Era for Celestial
and Secular Radio
The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips
rec. Merton College Chapel, Oxford; *Salle Church, Norfolk; ** Temple Church,
London; ***Church of St. John, Hackney, London. Published 1986-2013. DDD
Texts and English translations of Latin texts included
Full track-listing at the end of this review
GIMELL CDGIM 212 [75:00 + 76:79]
2013 marks the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of The Tallis Scholars.
This milestone will be marked by concerts all over the world, including a
special birthday event in St Paul’s Cathedral in March at which music by Byrd
and Tallis, including the latter’s Spem in alium. This will
be heard alongside some contemporary pieces such as the world premières of
commissioned works by Eric Whitacre and Gabriel Jackson (details here).
I expect – and hope – that some new recordings will be forthcoming also. In
the meantime Gimell has come up with this very clever idea of issuing a set
of forty-seven short recordings, mainly from their back catalogue, though
I think I’m right in saying that the two Taverner items on disc two are brand
new and come from a disc of that composer’s music that is due out later this
year. The concept behind this compilation is that whereas forty years ago
Renaissance vocal music was seldom heard on the radio that’s no longer the
case and this release will be ideally suited to radio presenters who need
a “Renaissance snippet”. As such, these discs may well introduce radio listeners
to the art of The Tallis Scholars and to the music which they’ve so effectively
championed for four decades. For the CD collector this is a splendid compilation
set to dip into, though I warn you that if you do so you’re likely to find
your ear led on to further tracks.
The selection doesn’t take us right back to the start of the ensemble’s recording
history, that famous recording of the Allegri Miserere made when
the group had been in existence for six or seven years (review).
In fact, the recording of the Allegri that’s included here, in a foreshortened
version, is their second account of the piece, which incorporates some embellishments
devised by soprano, Deborah Roberts (review).
Actually, because verses 7-18 of the piece are omitted, we don’t get to hear
much of the embellishments. The recordings included in this present set span
a period of some twenty-seven years. During that time the composition of The
Tallis Scholars has changed quite a bit – 65 singers are listed in the booklet,
quite a few of whom have gone on to have illustrious solo careers. Yet the
sound that the group makes has remained remarkably consistent – though it
can vary subtly according to which composer’s music is being sung; some differences
of approach are appropriate as between, say, Byrd and Victoria. However, the
fundamental consistency – and excellence - is a tribute to the fact that Peter
Phillips has always known what sound he wants and how to get it.
The recorded sound is also pretty consistent across the set – to my ears,
anyway – though the sound of the recordings from St. John’s, Hackney, especially
in the Byrd pieces at the end of disc two, is somewhat different to the rest.
That, I think, is down to two factors. One is that the group has used very
few recording venues: they started off at Merton College; they then recorded
largely at Salle for quite a few years, with a few excursions to London, before
coming home, as it were, to Merton some years ago. So Peter Phillips and his
singers know the acoustics of their venues extremely well. So do the engineers:
I don’t know how many separate recording sessions are represented here but
only five engineers have been involved, which must also have benefits in terms
of consistency.
Disc One is given over to music from continental Europe and many gems
have been included. Early on we hear two settings of words from the Song of
Songs, one by de Rore and one by Clemens non Papa, both of which are in seven
parts. De Rore’s piece is wonderfully poised, though the pulse quickens for
the last two lines of text. His music is richly scored, as John Milsom says
in his notes. By contrast the music by Clemens non Papa is strikingly pure
in texture – as is the sound made by the singers; it’s like the musical equivalent
of crystal-clear water. Not long ago The Tallis Scholars released a disc devoted
to the music of Jean Mouton (review)
and that’s represented here. One might have expected, perhaps, to encounter
Mouton’s best-known piece, Nesciens mater, but it’s good that we
are offered instead something less familiar in the shape of Salva nos,
Domine, a succinct and beautiful piece scored, I think, in six parts.
That Mouton disc was the most recent Tallis Scholars recording but I’m glad
to find an example from the very first disc by them that I bought, many years
ago. The little Praetorius Christmas piece was originally released as part
of an anthology of Christmas Carols and Motets (CDGIM 010). It may be available
still in that form but it’s also now included on a two-disc set (review)
for which this charming little piece may whet your appetite.
Further on in the disc we hear an extract from Brumel’s ‘Earthquake Mass’,
with its astonishing 12-part sonorities after which another Agnus Dei,
this time by Palestrina, provides an intriguing and telling contrast. The
disc concludes with four consecutive pieces by the Iberian master, Victoria,
including the magnificent Kyrie from his Requiem and the
extraordinarily eloquent yet disciplined Versa est in luctum, surely
a prime example of patrician mourning.
Disc Two contains English music and the selection is dominated by the
music of Thomas Tallis – fourteen out of twenty-seven tracks. As well as samples
from his Lamentations we get to hear O nata lux, one of
my favourite Tallis pieces. There’s also Miserere nostri. In a small
way this is quite a remarkable piece; it’s a seven-part setting and Tallis’s
music takes, in this performance, some two and a half minutes to sing yet
he sets a mere four words! There’s also his exquisite If ye love me,
another personal favourite, and A new commandment. Why
fum’th in fight is one of the Tunes from Archbishop Parker’s Psalter
and it will be instantly recognisable as the source for the celebrated Fantasia
by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Moving away from Tallis, there are two pieces by John Taverner. These are
brand-new recordings scheduled for release on a Taverner disc later in 2013.
That will include a complete account of his superb Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas;
for now the Benedictus from that Mass whets our appetite for the
full Mass. Robert White’s Christe qui lux es alternates verses in
plainchant and polyphony, which I always think is such an effective device.
Here there’s wonderful variety in the polyphonic verses even though the piece
as a whole is not long. It will be seen that all three settings of John Sheppard’s
In manus tuas are included. It’s good to be able to experience these
three very different settings in immediate proximity to each other and to
hear how Sheppard found fresh inspiration each time he revisited this Responsory
for Compline. After Tallis the most represented composer here is William Byrd.
The sublime Agnus Dei from his Mass in Four Parts is balanced
to perfection by The Tallis Scholars and they are buoyant and vital in his
Sing joyfully. In complete contrast with that extrovert Byrd piece
the sorrow of Thomas Tomkins’ plangent music in When David heard
is movingly conveyed.
There are forty-seven separate tracks here and on each one you will hear singing
of the very highest quality. More than that you will experience music-making
that’s born out of scholarship and a deep understanding of each composer’s
music and how it should be presented; yet the scholarship is lightly worn.
Nineteen very different and highly individual composers are represented here
and all are expertly served. This pair of CDs is a splendid representation
of the art of The Tallis Scholars. If you are familiar with their work the
set is a welcome and highly pleasurable way to refresh your memory. If you
haven’t sampled much of their recorded output before – or if you’re unfamiliar
with the richly rewarding field of Renaissance vocal music – then I hope this
set may lead you to many new discoveries; you could not wish for better guides
than Peter Phillips and his expert singers.
As usual with Gimell, presentational values are high. This might be regarded
as a “sampler” but that doesn’t mean they’ve skimped on the documentation.
The very nicely produced booklet includes the full texts and succinct but
useful notes on each piece by that authoritative writer, John Milsom. There’s
also a reproduction of more of Raphael’s masterpiece, The Sistine Madonna.
It’s a detail from that picture that has been chosen for the booklet cover
and I must say it made me chuckle. It just invites a caption. What about “Forty
years on and the cherubs are still sitting at the feet of The Tallis
Scholars”?
Tune in to Renaissance Radio for some wonderful music – and no irritating
announcers to get in the way!
John Quinn
Tune in to Renaissance Radio for some wonderful music – and no irritating
announcers to get in the way!
Full track-listing
CD 1 [75:00]
Gregorio ALLEGRI (1582-1652) Miserere (omitting verses 7-18)
[5.50]
Josquin DESPREZ (c1442/3-1521) Ave Maria … virgo serena* [5:27]
Cipriano de RORE (1515/16-1565) Descendi in hortum meum* [5:27]
Jacobus CLEMENS NON PAPA (1510/15–1555/6) Ego flos campi* [4:11]
Jean MOUTON (bef.1459-1522) Salva nos, Domine [2:31]
Orlande de LASSUS (1530/2-1594) Ave regina caelorum* [3:53]
Orlande de LASSUS Salve regina* [3:58]
Hieronymus PRAETORIUS (1560-1629) Joseph lieber, Joseph mein*
[2:33]
Josquin DESPREZ Agnus Dei II, from Missa L’homme armé sexti toni* [4:16]
Antoine BRUMEL (c1460-?1512/13) Agnus Dei II, from Missa Et
ecce terrae motus* [3:29]
Giovanni Pierluigi da PALESTRINA (1525/6-1594) Agnus Dei II,
from Missa Brevis [3:07]
Giovanni Pierluigi da PALESTRINA Sicut lilium inter spinas* [4:45]
Carlo GESUALDO, Prince of Venosa (c1561-1613) Precibus
et meritis* [3:03]
Carlo GESUALDO, Prince of Venosa Maria, mater gratiae* [3:43]
Francisco GUERRERO (1528-1599) Ave virgo sanctissima** [3:59]
Tomás Luis de VICTORIA (1548-1611) Ave Maria [4 vv]* [2:17]
Tomás Luis de VICTORIA O vos omnes, from the Tenebrae Responsories***
[2:53]
Tomás Luis de VICTORIA Kyrie, from the Requiem [6 vv]***[2:36]
Tomás Luis de VICTORIA Graduale, from the Requiem [6 vv]*** [3:11]
Tomás Luis de VICTORIA Versa est in luctum*** [3:51]
CD 2 [76:59]
Thomas TALLIS (c.1505-1585) Incipit, from Lamentations I* [1:22]
Thomas TALLIS Aleph, from Lamentations I* [2:39]
Thomas TALLIS Beth, from Lamentations I* [4:49]
Thomas TALLIS Mihi autem nimis* [2:37]
Thomas TALLIS O sacrum convivium* [3:40]
Thomas TALLIS O nata lux* [2:03]
Thomas TALLIS Miserere nostri [2:32]
John TAVERNER (c1490-1545) Leroy Kyrie [3:33]
John TAVERNER Benedictus, from Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas [2:59]
William CORNYSH (fl. c1500) Ave Maria* [3:11]
Robert WHITE (c1538-1574) Christe qui lux es III* [4:55]
John SHEPPARD (c1515-1558) In manus tuas I* [3:29]
John SHEPPARD In manus tuas II* [2:56]
John SHEPPARD In manus tuas III* [2:55]
William BYRD (c1540-1623) Agnus Dei II, from Mass for 4 voices
[3:18]
Thomas TALLIS If ye love me [2:04]
Thomas TALLIS Hear the voice and prayer [3:06]
Thomas TALLIS A new commandment [2:42]
Thomas TALLIS Why fum’th in fight [0:58]
Thomas TALLIS Even like the hunted hind [0:53]
Thomas TALLIS God grant we grace [1:04]
Thomas TALLIS Come Holy Ghost [0:41]
Thomas TOMKINS (1572-1656) When David heard* [4:27]
William BYRD Sing joyfully*** [2:48]
William BYRD O God, the proud are risen*** [3:04]
William BYRD O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth*** [2:52]
William BYRD Nunc dimittis, from the Great Service*** [5:21]
Support
us financially by purchasing this disc from |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |