The magnificent opening
to Noye’s Fludde, ‘Lord Jesus,
think on me’, shows in a nutshell, how
Britten, with ease, created such effective
music through a vast mixed bag of forces,
many of whom are children. A simple
melody is built up with youthful voices
and recorders. It is accented, punctuated
and given impressive harmonies by the
professionals. And there you have it:
maximum inclusiveness. Many passages
in this score are far more demanding
however: young solo voices are given
complex rhythmic syncopations and counterpoint
in movements like ‘O, Lorde, I thanke
thee lowde and still’. There is little
compromise in the boisterous entries,
trills and thrills asked of the recorders.
The soloists are central
to the piece of course, and this production
has the benefit of very strong voices
in Benjamin Luxon – resonant and impressive
as ‘The Voice of God’ and David Wilson-Johnson
as a somewhat put-upon ‘Noye’. The musician’s
forces are peppered with names like
Jennifer Bate on organ, Tristan Fry
playing timpani and percussion, and
trumpeters from the Welsh Guards Band
on bugles. The recording is excellent,
though panning from left to right with
the mixing desk is never much of a substitute
for a procession. There is only one
real competitor in this field: Norman
Del Mar’s spirited 1961 Decca recording
(436 397-2), with Suffolk forces and
the location of Orford Church where
the première was given. This
has historical precedent in its favour,
but there is nothing amateur about Somm’s
more recent production, and there are
plenty of genuinely moving moments,
none more so than the final apotheosis,
preceded by some beautiful sounds from
the handbells. The Finchley Children’s
Music Group appear with the composer
in cheerful mood on the cover of the
booklet in a 1962 rehearsal, showing
that they too have a grand tradition
in contemporary music.
The aforementioned
Decca CD is coupled with ‘The Golden
Vanity’. With Somm we are given the
even more substantial if more frequently
recorded A Ceremony of Carols.
The first accompanied movement Wolcome
Yole! is swift and eager, and the
discipline and well-balanced sound from
the choir is apparent right from the
opening Procession. Britten wrote
this piece while on the boat returning
to England in the spring of 1942, and
the economy of means which he employed
became a turning point in the development
of his style. The pleasantly resonant
if non-churchy acoustic, a good balance
between harp and voices and great attention
to detail in the projection of the words
means that this recording provides all
of the richness and variety this music
has to offer.
This CD is worth it
for the big names and vast forces of
Noye’s Fludde alone, and the
coupling makes it doubly attractive.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this is
a souvenir from some school production
with only local interest. This recording
can hold its own in any catalogue, and
deserves as much recognition as any
around.
Dominy Clements
Benjamin Luxon (bar); David Wilson-Johnson
(bar); Catherine Wyn-Rogers (sop) 
