Stanford and Parry were major influences on British music for almost
half a century as talented composers, conductors, teachers and academics.
Stanford served as Professor of Composition at the Royal College of
Music (RCM) for a remarkable four decades (1883-1923) and also as
Professor of Music at Cambridge University for 37 years (1887-1924).
At the RCM the best known of Stanford’s composition pupils included
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, John Ireland, Frank Bridge and
Arthur Bliss.
Although the prolific Stanford composed in many genres including nine
operas and seven symphonies he is often described as the ‘Father
of English Choral Music’. He is still principally remembered
today for his contribution to sacred choral music. A remarkable writer
for the voice he is frequently at his very best in his liturgical
works. His settings of five masses together with canticles, hymns,
anthems and services composed for the Anglican Church, are amongst
the finest of their type and are still frequently performed in Anglican
cathedrals around the world.
Responding to the rise of interest in Stanford’s music in recent
decades Paul Spicer and his Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir
have turned their attention to the partsongs. The present collection
consists of 25 songs and Somm on their website claim nine première
recordings but actually lists ten: Diaphenia; Corydon Arise;
A Dirge; Peace Come Away; To Chloris; On a
hill; Like Desert Woods; To his flocks, A lover's
ditty and Praised be Diana.
I especially enjoyed the opening work: the complex and substantial
On Time, Op. 142 to words by Milton. It’s full of contrast
and interest. One of the Six Elizabethan pastorals set
II, Op. 53 for chorus, Like desert woods is mournful in character
yet affectionately tender. It features some especially lovely singing.
I found the Mary Coleridge setting of The haven, Op. 127 a
real masterpiece. It is beautiful and memorable with really appealing
contrasting lines for men and women. There’s also a highly effective
climax. This setting could be a tremendous success if used as a theme
to a TV series. Director Paul Spicer tells me of his particular fondness
for the scores On Time, Op. 142 and Heraclitus, Op.
110; an opinion it is hard to disagree with.
According to the authoritative booklet notes written by Stanford biographer
Jeremy Dibble this is the first time on CD for the complete Eight
Part-Songs, Op. 119. The blue bird formspart of
that set together with The witch; Farewell, my joy!;
The Train; My heart in thine; Chillingham; The
swallow and The inkbottle. I don’t know of a more
beautiful part-song than The blue bird. I’m sure that,
like myself, many others will be familiar with the classic 2000 New
College Chapel, Oxford account from Decca. It’s sung by the
Choir of New College Oxford - with, I believe, treble soloist Max
Jones - directed by Edward Higginbottom. The present performance of
The blue bird is one of the finest I have heard with soaring
soprano soloist Natalie Hyde in glorious voice.
Paul Spicer has prepared his Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir
impeccably. The unity of the voices is beyond reproach, however, the
weight of the woman’s voices does tend to rather dominate those
of the men. The engineers are to be congratulated for providing satisfying
sound which is clear and well balanced. It would have been helpful
if the annotation on the rear cover had included the opus numbers
for each part-song instead of just listing the song titles. In addition
I would have preferred the Eight Part-Songs, Op. 119 to have
been kept together.
There are some gems to discover here on this splendidly performed
disc: indispensable listening for all lovers of British music.
Michael Cookson
And a second review ...
If Stanford's name lives on at all in live performance today it must
surely be through the medium of his church choral music. The reason
for this must in no small way rest with the fact that he wrote eminently
practical attractive music for voices that is grateful for both performer
and audience. No real surprise then that the same values clearly apply
to his secular part-songs. Indeed I am certain that at least a couple
of the examples given here will have been performed by just about
every amateur choir in the UK. What is more of a surprise, and thereby
increases the interest and value of this disc, is how few of these
part-songs have been preserved in recordings - according to the Stanford
Society website this is the first recording that has been devoted
exclusively to Stanford's work in the genre.
Overall, I would say this is a very valuable disc but not one without
some minor flaws. The Birmingham Conservatoire are lucky indeed to
have a choral trainer of the stature of Paul Spicer at the helm of
their Chamber Choir. This is not that ensemble's first release - there
are similar collections featuring Ireland and Delius, Leighton and
MacMillan and an anthology entitled "To Music". Lucky too the members
of the choir who get to experience professional standard recording
while still training. While good, it has to be said that the choir
is not exceptional. Balance in some of the pieces can be an issue
- I'm thinking of an overly enthusiastic baritone sticking out detrimentally
in the opening (very fine) On Time - and some general untidiness
of attack that I am surprised slipped past the producer. Curiously,
for what one assumes is a generally 'young' choir the sopranos do
not always sound as fresh voiced as one might expect. However, intonation
is secure and clearly these are detailed and well-prepared performances.
My other gripes - which I might as well mention and get out of the
way is the presentation and the liner. The latter is written by Stanford
expert Jeremy Dibble but it seems to presume a certain amount of prior
knowledge. Nowhere are given the opus numbers or numbers of the songs.
This deprives the listener of being able to place the music in any
kind of historical context - either of its composer or the wider musical
sphere. Worth noting though that the liner does include full texts/authors
albeit in English only.
Most of the collection are taken from larger sets with the important
exception of being given all eight songs from the Op.119 settings
of Mary Coleridge. The liner does allude to the sets/opus numbers
but in a far from clear manner. Personally - and CD programming does
allow me this indulgence - I prefer to hear songs grouped as intended
by the composer. That way we hear the relationship of song to song
as originally planned. I assume there will have been some rationale
behind the recital ordering as given here but I would have like it
explained. Otherwise it seems simply odd to have the superb Op.119s
closing the programme except for two - including Stanford's
most famous single partsong The Bluebird - plopped elsewhere.
In fact the positives far outweigh the griping negatives. At their
considerable best there is stunning and powerfully effective music
here. Already mentioned is the striking setting of Milton's On
Time which opens the disc. The engineering skilfully emphasises
the antiphonal writing which the Birmingham singers dispatch with
real gusto. Aside from the Bluebird comparative versions don't
exactly abound but this song is present on an older mixed composer/recital
from the Ionian Singers under Timothy Salter. In every respect the
new disc is to be preferred although the Coleridge-Taylor partsongs
performed by the Ionian singers are well worth a listen. One of Stanford's
very earliest compositions - To Chloris - is quite charming
and shows the real craftsmanship of the composer even at a young age.
The faux-Elizabethan settings interest me less - again the sheer compositional
skill is without doubt but there is a nagging sense that this is exactly
the kind of Institutional "niceness" that Elgar was rebelling against.
If you compare say Moeran’s - much later - Songs of Springtime
to these sets of Elizabethan Pastorals the former exhibit a
clear influence of the 16th century model while clothing
them in something of its own time too. Stanford’s settings do
not seem sure if they are trying to be ‘just’ pastiche
or something greater, beautiful and accomplished though they are.
Just when the "fa-la-lahs" of Shall we go dance start to grind,
along comes an extraordinary masterpiece - The Haven. I apologise
in advance if this setting of Mary Coleridge (not part of the Op.119
set, mind) is known to choristers far and wide. It was new to me.
I would go so far as saying it is worth the price of the disc for
this work alone. Jeremy Dibble's liner gives the music in chronological
rather than performance order which implies this is a late-ish work
written somewhere between 1912 and 1914. The chord progressions are
quite unlike any other Stanford and anticipate those glorious modal
movements in Vaughan Williams' marvellous unaccompanied choral works.
At one fell swoop Stanford moves from being a highly competent writer
of emotionally limited but technically polished partsongs into being
a writer of searching brilliance. The choir sound inspired too, giving
one of the most focused, concentrated and compelling performances
on the disc. Indeed, I would say the calibre of the music increases
with the opus numbers. Parry's Songs of Farewell remain for
me the finest of all partsongs from this period by any British composer
but The Haven is a must-hear work for anyone interested in
the genre. What we are offered from the Op.110 set - Heraclitus
and A dirge - are especially fine too and I would love to hear
the remaining songs. Likewise the Op.97 Songs of Faith would
seem to demand attention if the single representation here - God
and the Universe - is anything to go by.
I was slightly underwhelmed by the Birmingham performance of the ubiquitous
Bluebird. Once or twice Spicer can seem slightly fussy with
self-conscious word painting. Yes, there are dots over the notes of
"be-low the hill" but I am sure Stanford wanted clear articulation
rather than the staccatissimo effect Spicer opts for. Compare with
the famous version from John Rutter and his similarly youthful Cambridge
Singers on his famous "There is Sweet Music" compilation on Collegium.
Rutter wholly ignores Stanford's dots and prefers a languorous summer-drenched
legato - it might not be what the composer wrote but, by golly, it's
glorious. Rutter is blessed with far finer sopranos too - the high
solo E flat on the word "blue" another moment of inspired genius.
Spicer's soprano sounds simply plain instead of pure.
Paul Arden-Taylor's engineering makes use of the generous acoustic
of St Alban the Martyr in Birmingham to set the choir pleasantly back
into the church with the resonance supporting the choir without blurring
diction or internal balances. As I mentioned earlier, this is good
if not exceptional choral singing but then this is a choir of young
singers learning their trade. In the past I have not been overwhelmed
by much of Stanford's music, too often finding solid craft in the
place of the spark of genius. However, there is enough music of real
calibre here to make me hope that Somm will wish to return to this
repertoire and extend or even complete this survey.
Nick Barnard
Track listing
On Time, Op. 142 [5:40]
Heraclitus, Op. 110 [2:42]
To Chloris (c. 1873) [4:22]
Corydon, arise! Op. 49 [2:32]
The swallow, Op. 119 [1:39]
Praised be Diana, Op. 53 [2:36]
Like desert woods, Op. 53 [3:36]
To his flocks, Op. 49 [2:34]
On a hill there grows a flower, Op. 53 [2:33]
The blue bird, Op. 119 [3:19]
Shall we go dance? Op. 67 [1:22]
When Mary thro' the garden went, Op. 127 [3:15]
Diaphenia Op. 49 [2:07]
The haven, Op. 127 [3:24]
A lover's ditty, Op. 111 [2:24]
God and the Universe (1906) [4:44]
Peace, come away (1892) [3:17]
A dirge, Op. 110 [4:09]
Out in the windy West (1898) [4:50]
The witch, Op. 119 [3:23]
Farewell, my joy! Op. 119 [2:33]
The train, Op. 119 [1:43]
The inkbottle, Op. 119 [2:19]
Chillingham, Op. 119 [1:50]
My heart in thine, Op. 119 [2:25]
