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2024-03-28
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2023-12-22 14:11:00
A welcome relief from regular Christmas fare: the Tallis Scholars introduce us to the subtle riches of Jacobus Clemens non Papa
[…] were chant sections but also chant running through the polyphonic ones. There was a sculptural quality to the music, rich of texture but calmly unfolding. Rather wonderful.Peter Philips, writing a century after Obrecht, used double choir and here we had swift-moving, intricate detail as the choirs answered each other. Philips was a Roman Catholic exile and should perhaps be understood in relation to his European contemporaries rather than the English tradition.We finished with the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei of the mass. Gentle undulating lines and subtle changes of mood, with the lovely Benedictus on three solo voices and to finish the low-key but beautifully expressive Agnus Dei. There was an encore, a fascinating Salva nos Domine by Jean Mouton.This was a lovely programme, quite low key and subtle in the choice of music and definitely a welcome relief from regular Christmas fare.Never miss out on future posts by following usThe blog is free, but I'd be delighted […]
2023-11-08 08:49:00
The Monarch's Music: recorded as part of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations and released to serendipitously celebrate the 2023 Coronation
[…] military band by William Duthoit. Not too bombastic a performance, and with the players relishing the range of colours Duthoit's version brings to the piece. This is followed by RVW's version of Old Hundredth, first heard at the 1953 Coronation but rightly used regularly on large occasions. It is a terrific piece, blending ceremonial fanfare with RVW's sheer love of the hymnal.We then move into less well-trodden territory, the Te Deum from Elgar's Te Deum and Benedictus Op. 34, written in 1897 for the Hereford Music Festival. Whilst Elgar did write the Imperial March for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria in 1897, this work has no direct connection though it influenced Stanford's Te Deum for Edward VII's Coronation. No matter, it is a welcome inclusion on the disc, moving things into a less hackneyed area. The band gets a rest here, and it is performed with organ accompaniment with organist Luke […]
2022-06-30 07:12:25
Premiere of James MacMillan's Mass of St Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey as part of celebrations for the Feast of St Peter
[…] choir) written for Durham Cathedral in 2011. His Mass of Blessed John Henry Newman (for cantor, congregation, organ with optional brass & timpani) written for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the UK in 2010.Mass of St Edward the Confessor, commissioned by Thomas and Mia Harding and dedicated to Westminster Abbey Choir School, is written for unaccompanied choir. James O'Donnell directed a full-strength Westminster Abbey Choir (16 boys, 12 men), and we heard the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus & Benedictus and Agnus Dei. MacMillan's use of polyphonic textures in the piece referred to a tradition that dates back to the early Tudor period, but the sound-world sometimes also evoked the music of a 20th century figure like Kenneth Leighton (who was MacMillan's teacher), but at the end of the day the music was very much his own with plenty of distinctive finger-prints in the shapes of phrases and the approach. Often, the music was surprisingly […]
2022-05-13 08:02:09
The Earth Moves: The Tallis Scholars in Antoine Brumel and David Lang
[…] but once your ears became accustomed you could sense structure underneath, and Brumel varies his forces thinning things down and in later movements like the Credo having groups in dialogue. There is a nod to comprehensibility in the opening of the Credo, but it doesn't last, the supreme decorator gets busy again. the Sanctus had a terrific sense of building in the opening section, but then the Pleni is almost light. And again for the Benedictus, he thins textures down before adding more voices. What you notice is the almost Minimalist style of construction; oh, the music isn't minimal at all, but like the classic works of someone like Philip Glass, Brumel sets up a decorative pattern, lets it run and then changes suddenly and it is these changes of gear that give the work its impetus. Gombert's Agnus Dei was also richly textured and had a similar feel, bringing […]
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- timeline: Composers (Europe). Performers (Europe).
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