In the first paragraph of his booklet note Andrew
Stewart has this to say about the music on this disc: “The works
recorded here arise with strength from rich cultural and spiritual soil
while challenging the often cosy and conservative tastes of Choral Evensong
addicts. Above all, they connect directly with the ritual of the Anglican
liturgy and, beyond that, the vast
mythos of Christian communal
worship, encompassing the particular qualities of the buildings and
choirs for which they were written and deepening the universal tradition
of music as sounded symbol.”
Leaving aside the slightly
unfair sideswipe at
“Choral Evensong addicts”, by
the time I’d finished listening to this latest CD from Mathew
Owens and his able and enterprising choir I felt Mr Stewart’s
summary was a pretty accurate one.
There is some highly original music here but one thing - of many - that
I like about it is that the originality isn’t originality for
its own sake and doesn’t leave the listener behind. I think it
helps enormously that Miss Bingham is a
singer-composer; she
studied singing as well as composition at the Royal Academy of Music
and she spent several years as a member of the BBC Singers. This isn’t
the first CD devoted to her choral music. Naxos released a CD in 2007
(
review)
and in 2009 there followed a disc from Signum Classics (
review);
I don’t believe I’ve heard the latter disc. This present
disc, unlike the others, focuses largely on her church music and there’s
no duplication with the previous releases.
Andrew Stewart’s comment about the music relating to buildings
for which it was written is nowhere better illustrated than in the
Missa
Brevis ‘Awake my soul’. This piece - and
The Shepherd
- was written to mark the 50
th anniversary of the re-consecration
of the Parish Church in Bromley, Kent, which was destroyed in 1941 during
the Blitz and rebuilt after World War II. Bingham’s music relates
to the timeline of the destruction and rebuilding so the Kyrie reflects
sorrow at the destruction; the succinct Gloria reflects the determination
and renewed confidence that brought about the reconstruction; the Sanctus,
in the composer’s words, “enshrines the solemnity of the
new church’s consecration”; in the Agnus the process of
forgiving enemies is reflected. Despite these direct and very specific
associations the Mass is emphatically not a
pièce d’occasion
and is a most worthwhile work for regular liturgical use though, clearly,
it will need a good choir to do it justice.
The opening and closing works on the programme were composed for Wells
Cathedral.
Our faith is a light was written for the celebration
of the tenth anniversary of the first admission of girl choristers at
the cathedral. Appropriately the 2012 cohort of girl choristers join
the male Vicars Choral for this piece - elsewhere the top line is taken
by the boy trebles.
Our faith is a light is an impressive, ecstatic
piece but I think the canticles that comprise the Wells Service are
even more original - and important. I say ‘important’ because
one doesn’t hear the alternative Evensong Canticles too often
- perhaps because there aren’t too many good settings of them?
The canticles in question are Psalm 98 (‘O sing unto the Lord
a new song’) and Psalm 67 (‘God, be merciful unto us, and
bless us’) which can be sung in place of the Magnificat and Nunc
dimittis. Bingham’s response to these texts is very original,
especially in the case of Ps. 98. One might expect a joyful, extrovert
setting of these words but instead the music is thoughtful and, for
the most part, meditative though briefly it does become louder and more
urgent in tone midway through. The doxology is gentle and contemplative.
Ps. 67 receives a strongly rhythmical and assertive setting yet even
here towards the end, at the words ‘Then shall the earth bring
forth her increase’ the music becomes quietly prayerful which
paves the way for a reprise of the doxology; here the material is the
same as in Ps. 98 but the scoring is different.
There is a setting of the ‘Mag’ and Nunc’ later in
the programme in the shape of the canticles which Judith Bingham wrote
for the fiftieth Erdington Festival of Music within the Liturgy in 2005.
These are in Latin and Bingham apparently sought to create a mood that
harked back to the early Christian church. One remarkable feature in
these very imaginative canticles is that in the Magnificat the organ
accompaniment is confined to the pedals, creating a most interesting,
almost primitive effect.
Jesum quaeritis Nazarenum is taken from a larger work,
The
Ivory Tree, written in 2002-4 for St, Edmundsbury Cathedral. The
extract here recorded has been revised for treble solo with organ and
Finn Lacey sings it very well indeed.
Ave verum corpus is both
interesting and unexpected. We’re all familiar with Mozart’s
classic setting of the same words, which is calm and devotional. Bingham’s
setting is very different; where Mozart’s music - and that of
some other composers who have set the text - is serene Bingham’s
music is troubled and unquiet and the rhythms, says Andrew Stewart,
“suggest the weary tread of Jesus on the road to the cross.”
Judith Bingham has identified, very rightly, that the majority of the
text refers to the Passion and Crucifixion so her response to the text
is completely justified.
The only music on the disc for which I struggle to raise much enthusiasm
is
Christmas Past. These four short movements began life as children’s
piano pieces - though aspects of them would challenge young players,
I’m sure. They’re presented here in a brand-new re-working
for organ. Snippets from popular carols keep cropping up but I have
to say that I didn’t think the music was desperately interesting.
That’s no reflection on the playing of Jonathan Vaughn, by the
way.
That aside the music on this disc is consistently interesting and rewarding.
It receives splendid advocacy from these Wells musicians. The choir
sing this demanding music with great skill and assurance while Jonathan
Vaughn is on top form at the organ console. The sound is excellent.
I’ve mentioned Andrew Stewart’s notes several times: they’re
exemplary, mixing enthusiasm for the music, useful information and perceptive
comment in just the right quantities. Matthew Owens and his choir already
have to their credit a significant list of albums of music by contemporary
British composers, including Geoffrey Burgon (
review),
Bob Chilcott (
review),
Jonathan Dove (
review),
Kenneth Leighton (
review),
James MacMillan (
review)
and William Mathias (
review).
This new recording is a notable and welcome addition to what I hope
is a continuing series.
John Quinn
