St John’s Cambridge Choir returns: O Holy Night

The choral tradition of excellence at St John’s College, Cambridge carries on under Christopher Gray, continuing the work of Andrew Nethsingha.

Adophe Adam’s O holy night will need little introduction, but what a lovey arrangement by John. E. West: it starts so intimately, with a solo treble, but rises to almost symphonic proportions thanks to Alexander Robson’s organ contribution creating a wave of growth:

We have covered several pieces by Sally Beamish on Classical Explorer (very recently in the first instance: City Stanzas; but don’t forget her wonderful The King’s Alchemist; and she also was one of a number of composers in a set of variations), She brings a beautiful sense of simplicity of utterance to In the stillness, to equally beautiful words by Katrina Shepherd, the parts of Beamish’s setting nicely balanced in this St John’s performance:

If I were pressed for a favourite on this disc, though, it would be Tamsin Jones’ 2017 Noel: Caro verbum factus est. While the date is 2017, the words are anonymous 15th century, and Jones effects the most astonishing fusion of ancient and modern; in partular the ‘earthiness’ of the setting invokes the ancient:

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Familiar carols are strewn amongst the pogamme like rose petals: Sussex Carol (you’ll know it) is heard in Philip Ledger’s arrangement. Why Ledger’s? If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it, this’s why. And again, that sense of organ-driven grandeur pervades. There’s a lovely organ ‘trumpet fanfare’ for the end, too …

And no Chrismas disc is complete without some John Rutter, here There is a flower, a 1985 St John’s commission (when George Guest was director). It’s everything one might expect from Rutter, and how lovely the line of the trebles, so in tune, with no trace of strain:

.. and another ancient/modern juxtaposition, this time inter-piece and linked by botany: the rose (and, in Rutter’s text, the Jesse tree). This is anontmpous 15th-century again, heard bare and with a wonderful sense of restrained joy at he melismatic ‘Alleluias”.

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So to the first of the multi-movement works: Hebert Howells’ Three Carol Anthems (1918-20) . Written daring convalescence after a seven was of Graves disease, the set includes the famous “O spotless one” an English version of the 14th-Century text Es its ein Ros’ entsprungen. It features a lovely baritone solo, and a wonderfully (and quietly) uplifting final cadence:

“Sing Lullaby” features hypnotically circling writing; high voices seem to say above like larks. And then – then – the harmony twists so beautifully, so unexpectedly, a wist inward. But what pain is there?:

The final, and famous, “Here is a little Door” refers to a story around the Magi (the Three Wise Men) to r remarkably beautiful poem by Fances Cheserton (1869-1938). A beautiful poem, if not one to quite ouch the height’s of T. S. Elliot’s 1927 Journey of the Magi, and again Howell’s excels himself, not least – again! – in the final cadence:

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Speckles of famliarity continue to drop with Hubert Lucas Pearson’s lovely setting of In dulci jubilo. It’s modern follow-on is by Errolyn Wallen, Master of the King’s Music: Peace on Earth, to her own text. This is surely one of her best pieces, the organ slowly spiralling, discombobulating against the choral line:

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Over to Mendelssohn now. Not Elijah, but his Christus, Op. 97. The rinse piece is incomplete; and from what we have comes th with of Jesus (“When Jesus our Lord was born in Bethlehem”). Treble begins, with tenor and two basses offering a trio of Wise Men in retort (so beautifully performed here), which moves here into the full-choir “There shall be a star for Jacob come forth,” stunningly beautiful:

Franz Xaver Gruber’s Stille Nacht (Silent Night, to thee and me) in an arrangement by Simon Morley next: but is it too slow? This sounds just under to me:

Perhaps the speed was intended to be preparatory to the deep mysticism of Poulenc’s Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël; absolutely nothing awry with this performance. It complements the previous performance on Classical Explorer: Le Grand Mystère by Ensemble La Sportelle (see post here), not lest because that other disc nsterspersed Poulenc’s motets with plainchant. No plainchant here, but a lovely pformance nonetheless. Passages in “Videntes Stellam” (When they saw the star) positively glow; and just listen to the rejoicing in “Hodie Chistus Nat’s est” (Today Christ is born):

Becky McGlade is new to Classical Explorer. She sets Cristina Rossetti’s poem In the Bleak Midwinter (most famously set by Holst and Darke). A brave thing to do! Inspired by a walk on a, well, bleak midwinter day, McGlade gives the music, in her words, a “gentle, undulating feel,” perhaps reflecting the regularity of footfall. She dares to go to even more interior spaces than her colleagues’ settings at the words “What can I give Him / Poor as I am?”. Fabulous:

Finally, Jonathan Dove’s The Three Kings, written for the 2000 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge. Setting Dorothy L. Sayers’ poem describing each of the Three Kings in turn, Dove gives the “O balow, balow la lay” a gentle background quality against the storytelling. It is one of Dove’s finest works: while I enjoyed his The Monster in the Maze at Sheffield (post), I was, I think, in a minority in finding Itch at its OHP premiere profoundly unmemorable (review). but The Three Kings is a splendid piece of music, the performance impeccable:

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A superb disc, beautifully presenting a procession os stellar performances with detailed notes and in sterling sound. Perhaps one quibble re the notes: why not put the relevant composers and/or titles in bold or italics (or both) in an essay that does not discuss the programme in sequential manner? It’s fine if one has an electronic version (“control S” is your friend!) but in good old fashioned ink on paper, it does engender some hunting around on occasion …

Certainly not enough to preclude a recommendation, though. This lovely disc is available at Amazon here. Strangely, it appears not to be on iDagio (yet?), but it is on the ‘other channel’ (Spotify); link here.