New
York Polyphony, a male voice quartet,
was founded in 2006. Here, augmented
in a few items by three female singers,
they present an unusual but extremely
thoughtfully constructed programme of
Christmas music Some of the items were
recorded for a Christmas broadcast on
Public Radio International in 2006 and
earlier this year further tracks were
recorded to complete the album. I suspect,
though it’s not stated explicitly, that
the ensemble’s musical adviser, Malcolm
Bruno, played a key role in devising
the programme. He contributes a stylish
and interesting liner note.
The four members of
New York Polyphony are evidently extremely
skilled singers. The blend, tuning and
ensemble work are flawless and they’ve
been recorded with clarity in a sympathetic
acoustic, which has just the right amount
of resonance. Where female voices are
essential additions the ladies concerned
match and complement the men admirably.
The programme explores
Christmas music of a certain type down
the ages. As Malcolm Bruno says, "The
landscape traversed on this disc is
broad, from twelfth-century conductus
to a twenty-first century carol, though
the music centre is firmly polyphonic
and rooted in the late medieval world."
In addition the selection of music takes
us on a narrative journey encompassing
several incidents surrounding the birth
of Christ. The shepherds may not figure
here but the Magi do, at the end, and
it’s noticeable how much emphasis, explicit
and implicit, is placed on the Massacre
of the Holy Innocents, the dark side
of the Christmas story.
As will be noted from
the track-listing above, the programme,
which is divided into four sections,
is interspersed with pieces of plainchant.
These are shrewdly chosen and positioned
within the running order. Chant pervades
one or two other pieces too, including
Andrew Smith’s Veni Redemptor gentium,
specially commissioned for this recording.
It’s a lovely offering that demonstrates,
in Bruno’s words, the "synergy
of chant and polyphony" as does
Palestrina’s Hodie Christus natus
est, which follows close on its
heels.
The setting by William
Cornysh is a fine, rugged piece and
it was an excellent decision to preface
it with the piece by Pérotin,
sung here most evocatively, just by
a solo counter-tenor.
Later in the programme
the setting of Vox Rama by Clemens
non Papa, is intense and fittingly doleful.
Intelligently, it is preceded and followed
by the same text sung to plainsong.
The two modern British pieces, by Leighton
and Maxwell Davies, sit easily in this
company, as does the excellent arrangement
of the Irish traditional song, The
darkest midnight in December.
The tune is genuinely haunting and the
arrangement is very successful in its
treatment of the melody, which always
makes its presence felt. Rather more
familiar fare is provided in the shape
of Away in a manger. This is
sung to a quite lovely, less familiar
tune from Normandy, in an excellent
arrangement by the singers themselves.
I must admit that I
enjoyed the third section of the programme
rather less than the rest. To be frank,
medieval vocal music, with its often
spare and austere textures and strange
harmonies doesn’t do a great deal for
me and four such items in quick succession
is rather a large dose for my taste.
Other listeners may well take a different
view and, so far as I can judge, the
performances are expert. Incidentally,
I’m a little bit puzzled by the attribution
of Mervele noght, Josep and Nowell:
Dies wous garde, byewsser. I’ve
preserved, in the heading to this review,
the attribution in the booklet listing
but Malcolm Bruno attributes Mervele
noght, Josep to Richard Smert and
I haven’t been able to check which way
round is correct.
There are a couple
of items that I think are a little less
successful as performed here. A few
of the pieces have been transposed downwards
to suit the voices that make up New
York Polyphony. One such is Byrd’s magnificent
O magnum mysterium and I’m not
entirely sure that the treatment works
that well. As Malcolm Bruno says, the
lower key imparts a "dark and rich"
hue to the music but I wonder if it
isn’t just a bit too dark. However,
New York Polyphony make a good case
for the piece to be done this way. Where
I do part company with them is in their
treatment of Robert Parson’s sublime
Ave Maria. This short piece is,
I believe, one of the glories
of Tudor polyphony. Unfortunately this
performance is just too brisk. I checked
two or three other recordings in my
collection and I couldn’t find one that
doesn’t take about a minute longer,
or more. I feel that at the flowing
speed adopted here the music is robbed
of the amplitude and the sense of space
that it should have. Parson’s glorious
lines just don’t float timelessly in
the way that they should.
However, that’s just
a single disappointment in an otherwise
superbly executed and very thoughtfully
constructed recital. Many years ago
I read a review by the late Gordon Reynolds
of a Tallis Scholars recording which,
if I recall correctly, ended with the
phrase, "a lovely record, beside
which so much of our traditional Christmas
musical fare seems meretricious."
Having heard this stimulating and very
satisfying new disc by New York Polyphony
I know what he was getting at. Inevitably
this disc is slightly esoteric in its
appeal but it puts a different and suitably
reflective angle on Christmas music.
I’d urge you to make it part of your
seasonal listening.
John Quinn
New York Polyphony (Geoffrey Dunstan Williams
(counter-tenor); Geoffrey Silver (tenor);
Scott Dispensa (baritone); Craig Phillips
(bass-baritone)) 
