James WHITBOURN (b. 1963)
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (Collegium Regale)* (2005) [12:19]
Alleluia Jubilate (2008) [4:26]
A Prayer of Desmond Tutu (2003)** [1:44]
He carried me away in the spirit (2009) [6:15]
Pure river of water of life [2:43]
Eternal Rest (2002) [3:54]
Of one that is so fair and bright [3:38]
There is no speech or language [3:11]
Luminosity (2008)*** [30:31]
*Christopher Gillett (tenor); **Archbishop Desmond Tutu (speaker); ***Levine
Andrade (viola); Henry Parkes (organ); Andrew Ker (percussion); Steffan Jones
(percussion and tanpura); Commotio/Matthew Berry
rec. 11-12 July 2009, Radley College, Oxfordshire, England. DDD
English texts included
NAXOS 8.572103 [68:43]
James Whitbourn has a growing reputation as a composer, conductor and producer
of broadcasts. An earlier disc devoted to his choral music was warmly
received by Grace Lace, though I have not heard it. On the evidence of
this new disc I am keen to remedy that omission.
The most substantial offering here is Luminosity, a work in seven movements,
conceived for choir and dancers. In a staged performance there is also the
opportunity to use lighting further to stimulate the imagination and response
of the audience though here we must rely solely on the auditory aspect of
the work. The scoring is novel. The accompaniment features a solo viola obbligato,
played here most skilfully and persuasively by Levine Andrade, one of the
founder members of the Arditti Quartet. The other instruments involved are
organ, percussion and the tanpura, an Indian instrument that produces a drone-like
sound.
The texts selected by Whitbourn are by a number of mystic writers, including
St. John the Evangelist, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Augustine. Whitbourn
uses the forces at his disposal to create some most imaginative and often
subtle sonorities and textures – the way the husky tones of the viola are
employed is most evocative. There’s some most effective writing for the choir
and the Indian overtones are not used to excess so that when they feature
in the musical palette the effect generated thereby is all the stronger. The
rapt concluding movement is particularly beautiful but the whole score is
impressive and eloquent and its appearance on disc is most welcome.
The ‘Mag’ and ‘Nunc’ were written for King’s College, Cambridge and first
performed there on Easter Sunday, 2005. The music is impressive and often
dramatic, especially in the Magnificat. There are some passages of great power,
such as at the doxology of the Magnificat and at the words ‘to be a light
to lighten the Gentiles’ in the Nunc Dimittis. There are also some very poetic
stretches, especially at the beginning and end of the second canticle. The
only slight reservation I have is to wonder in passing how frequently the
canticles will be performed. The tam-tam part, though optional, seems to me
to be very important and many church choirs won’t have access to such an instrument.
That part may be optional but the tenor solo role is absolutely integral.
It sounds very demanding, requiring a soloist of the stature of Christopher
Gillett to do it justice – Gillett is excellent, by the way. I hope these
impressive canticles won’t languish unperformed, save on Big Occasions, simply
because the writing is too ambitious.
The smaller-scale pieces give much pleasure. It’s good to hear the distinctive
voice of Archbishop Tutu himself reading his own words, even if his contribution
is brief. Eternal Rest was written to a BBC commission for the broadcast
of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The music was originally
conceived for orchestra – and it’s not clear from the notes, parts of which
could have been more expressed with greater clarity, whether it was the orchestral
version that was used for the funeral broadcast. If the choral version, with
organ accompaniment, is a later inspiration then it seems to me to work very
well. Of one that is so fair and bright uses, I think, the same text
that Britten uses for his A Hymn to the Virgin. I can’t be sure since
this is one of the texts not reproduced in the booklet. Whitbourn’s setting,
for unaccompanied voices, is a good one.
The music on this disc reveals a composer with a fine ear for vocal writing.
The music sounds well conceived for the voices and the accompaniments are,
without exception, effective and complement the singing very well. James Whitbourn
has made a shrewd choice of texts for these pieces and it’s obvious that the
words have inspired him. The performances seem to me to be very good and accurate
– though I haven’t seen any scores. Commotio, a choir which I’ve not previously
encountered, sings very well indeed and the instrumentalists match the excellence
of the singers. I would imagine that Matthew Berry is fully convinced by the
music since he inspires performances of great conviction.
I’ve enjoyed this disc very much. James Whitbourn seems to be a choral composer
of no mean accomplishment.
John Quinn
Good performances of a collection of recent pieces by a composer with a fine
ear for vocal writing.