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Howard
SKEMPTON (b. 1947)
Chamber Concerto (1995) [5:30] #
Clarinet Quintet (1997) [8:43] #
The Voice of the Spirits (1999) [7:30] *
The Bridge of Fire (2001) [7:04] *
Suite from Delicate (1999) [18:12] #
Roundels of the Year (1992) [7:15] *
Rise up, my Love (2002) [8:35] *
Ben Somewhen (2005) [12:16] #
Birmingham
Contemporary Music Group #; Exaudi */James Weeks
rec. St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London, 16-17 January
2007 (choral works) and CBSO Centre, Birmingham, 14-15 April
2007 (instrumental works)
Texts included NMC D135 [76:08]
Howard
Skempton is probably best known as a composer of brief and
often deceptively simple instrumental works including a large
number of short, at times very short pieces for piano. Some
of these were recorded several years ago by John Tilbury (“Well,
well,Cornelius” once available on Sony SK 66482).
His substantial orchestral work Lento of 1990 – originally
released as a single NMC D005 and later re-issued on NMC D032 – came
as somewhat of a surprise. More surprisingly still, he recently
turned to choral music and – curiously enough – his choral
works are generally more extended than his instrumental pieces.
I came to know this part of his output when reviewing a Guild
CD (“Flight ofSong” – GMCD 7213) including
a number of his choral works, both small and large. These
featured superb and highly idiomatic choral writing and the
composer’s often subtle response to word setting. The breadth
of words that Skempton sets in the works recorded here is
also worth noting: Flecker (The Bridge of Fire),
Shelley from Prometheus Unbound (The Voice of
the Spirits), John Drinkwater (Roundels of the
Year) as well as words from The Song of Solomon (Rise
up, my love).
This
disc, released to mark Skempton’s sixtieth birthday, encompasses
both sides of his music-making in that it includes and juxtaposes
instrumental and choral works. Most instrumental pieces recorded
here are suites consisting of short movements, sometimes of
an almost lapidary quality. For example, the Chamber
Concerto (1995) scored for a small mixed ensemble
of fifteen players consists of four movements, the whole playing
for a little over five minutes, whereas the Clarinet
Quintet (1997) is in three movements playing for a
little over eight minutes. The longest work here, Suite
from Delicate (1999), scored for two cellos and percussion,
is again made up of six very short movements, some of them
lasting less than one minute. The most recent work Ben
Somewhen (the title refers to drawings by Ben Hartley,
some of which are reproduced both on the cover and in the
insert notes) is a concertino for double bass and ensemble
- a lovely, delightful work that has become a favourite of
mine.
As
already mentioned earlier in this review, the choral works
are the longest single items here. James Weeks aptly describes
them as “miniatures-writ-large”. All but one are expressed
in a single fairly large movement. Rise up, mylove (2002)
is more like a small-scale cycle of short part-songs. Skempton’s
choral writing – in much the same way as his instrumental
writing – is deceptively simple. In fact it puts considerable
demands on the singers in order to sustain what Weeks rightly
describes as “mighty overarching spans”. Moreover, the apparently
simple choral writing must nevertheless pose considerable
problems of intonation and breath control. The Exaudi singers
rise magnificently to the challenge.
This
generously filled disc was released to mark Howard Skempton’s
sixtieth birthday. It seems to provide a fair appreciation
of his achievement. The music is superbly served by immaculate
readings that perfectly bring out the many qualities of this
music – material that unerringly achieves its aims but without
undue fuss. I fully share Gerald Barry’s words as quoted in Oxford
Music Now – Summer 2007: “Howard Skempton’s music is like
himself, generous, direct and clean”. It is as fine a birthday
tribute as a composer might wish, and offers much listening
enjoyment throughout.
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