The opening of Parry’s anthem, I was glad
is one of the most arresting in the English choral repertoire
and it must have been a natural choice to open this recital
of popular items which are at the heart of the repertoire of
every English cathedral choirs. Sadly, the performance here
fails to meet expectations. The trouble is the balance of the
voices. The trebles do not register strongly enough while individual
inner voices are often too prominent – the altos in particular.
At first, I thought this might be because the engineers had
placed the microphones too close to the singers in order to
balance them against the powerful sound of the organ. However,
the choir appears to occupy the same place in the sound picture
for the remainder of the programme. After repeated hearings
I have come to the conclusion that the problem lies with the
singers themselves. Some of them are simply trying too hard
and over sing as a result. I suspect this is particularly true
of those male singers who have to sing a part by themselves
in this anthem for double choir. (The choir consists of 17 trebles,
three each of altos and tenors, and two basses.) I’m sorry to
labour this point but it is not a satisfactory recorded performance
and makes an unfortunate initial impression.
Happily, things improve thereafter, particularly
in items where the singing is more relaxed. There is, for example,
a very pleasing performance of Howell’s Like as the hart
and the two Tallis pieces are well done. Mendelssohn’s Hear
my prayer would not be on my list of desert island anthems
– frankly, I find it a piece which greatly outstays its welcome.
However, the treble soloist here (the Head Chorister, Benjamin
Dean, I assume) sings the demanding solo role very well and
he receives good support from his colleagues. The other items
are generally well sung, though I noted a few occasions when
pitching seemed just a touch "queasy" during the Stanford
anthem where al sections of the choir have to come to terms
with some extremely demanding long, floating lines.
There is one item which was new to me, though
it has been recorded at least twice before. This is the anthem,
And when the builders by Richard Shepherd. The notes
tell us that this was commissioned by the Friends of Salisbury
Cathedral (but not when) and that it celebrates the cathedral
itself and its construction. It is an exuberant, rhythmically
buoyant piece, the style of which rather reminded me of William
Mathias or even Walton. I enjoyed both the music, and the performance
it receives here, very much.
The recital opened with a less than fully successful
performance of a masterpiece of English church music. It closes
with another masterpiece but this time the choir rise splendidly
to the challenge of Harris’, Bring us, O Lord God. This
hugely demanding, radiant anthem is for double choir and is
in the remote key of D flat. Though the Salisbury singers lack,
perhaps the last degree of ecstasy which distinguishes the finest
accounts I have heard, their performance is secure and it brings
the disc to a satisfying conclusion.
Metronome provide texts of all the pieces as
well as translations where appropriate. The notes are translated
into four languages but are rather superficial. Recorded sound
is satisfactory.
The programme presents a nice selection of
the most popular items in this repertoire. However, it enters
an extremely competitive market and, ultimately, lacks the last
degree of distinction. I’m afraid I can’t honestly recommend
this disc as a best buy since there are several similar compilations
available which represent better value for money. However, anyone
wanting this precise programme or a memento of how the Salisbury
choir sounded in 1996 will find the recital generally enjoyable.
John Quinn
Salisbury Cathedral
Choir directed by Richard Seal. 