Vytautas MIŠKINIS (b.1954)
Time is Endless
Dum medium silentium (2008) [4:37]
O sacrum convivium [4:55]
Pater noster [5:17]
Tenebrae factae sunt [4:26]
Neišeik, saulala (Don’t leave me, sun) (2007) [6:16]
Seven ‘O’ Antiphons for Advent (1995-2003) [19:04]
Oi šala, šala (Oh, it’s getting cold) [7:57]
O magnum mysterium (2008) [6:14]
Ave Maria II [3:34]
Salve regina [5:18]
Ave Maria III [3:39]
Time is endless (2007) [6:32]
The Choir of Royal Holloway/Rupert Gough
rec. St Alban’s Church, Holborn, London, 7-9 January 2010. DDD
Original texts and English translations included
HYPERION CDA67818 [77:57]
Since the name of Vytautas Miškinis may be unfamiliar, a short introduction
is probably in order. For this I draw on Rupert Gough’s informative booklet
note. Miškinis is Lithuanian and was born in the country’s capital, Vilnius.
Gough describes him as ‘the doyen of current Lithuanian choral culture.’ He’s
been associated with a boys’ choir, Ažouliukas (’little oak tree’), for much
of his life: he sang with it as a boy treble and has now been its artistic
director for thirty years. Miškinis does not consider himself to be a strong
religious believer but he has written many choral works to religious texts.
I think it’s also worth quoting a comment by Rupert Gough about this composer’s
music. ‘Repetition permeates much of Miškinis’s music but he is not to be
considered a minimalist. Vocal textures are certainly enhanced by a judicious
use of carefully controlled aleatoric effects and ostinatos, however coloration
of the text remains at the heart of Miškinis’s creative spirit.’ The programme
that Gough has chosen for his excellent choir confirms this well-made point,
I think.
Brian Wilson gave the download version of this album a warm
welcome in December and I concur with his enthusiasm. All the pieces here
are well worth hearing, especially when they are so well performed. The Royal
Holloway choir has already impressed me with a disc devoted to music by Miškinis’s
compatriot, Rihards Dubra (review),
and they’re on equally fine form here.
There’s a good deal of imaginative writing in these works for unaccompanied
voices. In Pater Noster, for example, Miškinis divides the voices into
as many as ten or eleven parts and the complexity of the texture is, I think,
a good metaphor for the universality of the Lord’s Prayer among Christians.
In the very first piece on the programme, Dum medium silentium,
we experience a multiplicity of overlapping choral figures, which device creates
a genuine ambience. Tenebrae factae sunt is a setting of the Fifth
Responsory for Good Friday. As Rupert Gough puts it ‘the piece begins and
ends in a shroud of darkness weighed down with murky ambiguous chords.’
I was also impressed with Neišeik, saulala, one of the handful of secular
pieces in the recital. Here, for the only time on the disc, instruments are
used. But once again Miškinis is imaginative, for the instruments he deploys
are skuduciai (Lithuanian panpipes) and their discreet sound is a most
unusual and effective addition to the tonal palette. The pipes make a distinctive
contribution to this haunting piece which features a fine, purely-voiced soprano
solo by Gillian Franklin. Another secular offering is Oi šala, šala. I
found this to be a remarkable and evocative piece, which the composer constructs
from just a few thematic threads – something of a case of multum in parvo.
Miškinis is one of several composers who have been drawn to the Seven ‘O’
Antiphons, the short texts, one of which is heard as the antiphon to the Magnificat
at Vespers on each of the days between 17 and 23 December. His pieces were
composed between 1995 and 2003. All but one are for double choir and the two
choirs are used most skilfully. I like these settings very much, especially
the third one, ‘O Radix Jesse’, a lovely setting, the music for which is warm
and gentle. The harmonic writing in these miniatures is evocative and falls
pleasingly on the ear. Later in the programme comes O magnum mysterium.
Like many composers before him, Miškinis has been inspired by this wonderful
Christmas text to produce a rapt, awestruck setting. His music conveys a real
sense of wonder and devotion and I think it’s one of the most memorable pieces
on the programme.
Another very fine piece of choral writing is to be experienced in the last
item in the recital, Time is endless. This is a setting of some wonderful
words by Rabindranath Tagore.. Clearly the text resonates deeply with Miškinis
for it has inspired him to produce a sustained, intense and very beautiful
piece of music, which makes a lasting impression on the listener – or, at
least, on this listener.
Vytautas Miškinis has been magnificently served by Rupert Gough and his choir
in this recital. Gough obviously believes in the music – one can tell that
from his notes – and he’s instilled that belief into his singers. Their performances
are responsive and full of conviction and I couldn’t fault the singing, even
if I wanted to. This is an expertly trained and very fine choir and they make
the best possible case for this music. It helps that the recorded sound is
excellent; the engineers have captured the sound of the choir most successfully
and truthfully and there’s just the right amount of atmosphere and resonance
around the voices.
Hyperion has a long and distinguished track record of issuing excellent discs
of unfamiliar choral music. This latest offering is a distinguished addition
to their list of achievements in this field.
John Quinn
Another Hyperion disc of unfamiliar but rewarding Baltic choral music, expertly
performed