****
A more than valid alternative 3rd April 2008
In this country we are, I feel, very bad at looking beyond our own shores when it comes to choral music. This, of course, can be attributed to the remarkable strength of professional singing, from college chapel choirs up to the many outstanding ensembles that make all sorts of wonderful music. However, this strength is also in some ways a weakness. The system which produces all these excellent singers is, by and large, that of the university choral scholarship, followed by cutting one's teeth in the shark-pond of London professional singing (this, of course, does a disservice to the many excellent singers from outside the capitol, but it is true for the majority). Because of this, a certain approach, and a certain style are fostered: one of perfect sight-singing, purity of tone and unobtrusive "blend". I would not for a second criticise the results this achieves, but I would argue that it is definitely worth, once in a while, listening to something completely different!
Cantus Cölln are a very small ensemble from (as you might expect) Germany. They have been making records for about 20 years now, cracking out an impressive 30 discs in that time, largely specialising in German Baroque repertoire, and garnering a large clutch of awards for their pains. This disc (which was first recorded in 1997), is fairly typical of their output, combining a choir of soloists (if that's not an oxymoron) with small instrumental forces, and the results are very convincing indeed. The singing is excellent, and the vocal colour is entirely unlike the "English" approach: these singers prefer expression over machine-gun accuracy, which leads at times to slight infelicities in tuning and blend, but lends the performance a satisfyingly distinctive character.
It should be noted that this approach to singing Bach (which is also favoured by Paul McCreesh's Gabrieli Consort) has its merits and drawbacks. On the positive side, the individual vocal lines are beautifully expressed, and the listener is impressed by the clarity with which they can hear every single note on the page. On the downside, individual voices cannot hope to match the weight and dramatic range of a larger force, meaning dynamic contrast can be sacrificed. Moreover, the human ear is so well attuned to picking out different voices that listening can become ever so slightly wearing for long periods. (This point is, however, only a very, very minor one).
So, this disc is a matter of taste: if you want a very musical, very satisfyingly different way of "doing" Bach, you will find a great deal here to enjoy.
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Friday, 28 March 2008
Death of a Naturalist
*****
Strong 28 Mar 2008
Returning to this book some ten years after I first encountered Seamus Heaney (under the inescapably unfortunate constellation of GCSE English coursework) I was a little unsure what I would encounter. Those first readings of "Mid-term Break" left me slightly puzzled: these were clearly moving, often quite funny stories, but I didn't "get" the poetry. I couldn't tell what it was that Heaney was doing with language. In short, it all seemed a little, well, pointless.
But now, rather older, and maybe a little wiser (though that's hardly a great improvement: I was a particularly useless example of a 15 year old boy), I find in Heaney a stunning ability to weave language into something that is far more than the sum of its parts. There is a denseness to his poetry, not in the sense of obscurantism or difficulty, but in the sound it makes when you read it, in the weight of the syllables in your mouth, that sets him apart from any other poet I know. And this is not to claim some sort of affective fallacy, whereby the weight of his verse evokes the weight of the Irish soil, but to mark his writing out as something more firm, more resilient, than texts that could be so easily dismissed by a rather glib, arrogant young man.
And now I turn again and again to Heaney, seeing in his writing great thought, close observation and honesty, and I am grateful for the time that has passed.
Strong 28 Mar 2008
Returning to this book some ten years after I first encountered Seamus Heaney (under the inescapably unfortunate constellation of GCSE English coursework) I was a little unsure what I would encounter. Those first readings of "Mid-term Break" left me slightly puzzled: these were clearly moving, often quite funny stories, but I didn't "get" the poetry. I couldn't tell what it was that Heaney was doing with language. In short, it all seemed a little, well, pointless.
But now, rather older, and maybe a little wiser (though that's hardly a great improvement: I was a particularly useless example of a 15 year old boy), I find in Heaney a stunning ability to weave language into something that is far more than the sum of its parts. There is a denseness to his poetry, not in the sense of obscurantism or difficulty, but in the sound it makes when you read it, in the weight of the syllables in your mouth, that sets him apart from any other poet I know. And this is not to claim some sort of affective fallacy, whereby the weight of his verse evokes the weight of the Irish soil, but to mark his writing out as something more firm, more resilient, than texts that could be so easily dismissed by a rather glib, arrogant young man.
And now I turn again and again to Heaney, seeing in his writing great thought, close observation and honesty, and I am grateful for the time that has passed.
Purcell: Choral and Organ Music
****
A very good overview 28 Mar 2008
Purcell is well served on disc these days, with excellent recordings (particularly those by the Kings Consort) easily available. This budget offering from Naxos is entering a crowded marketplace, and, on the surface at least, has little to distinguish it from the competition. The choir is the usual bunch of professionals, polished in word and deed, and the accompaniment comes only from a chamber organ (you don't even get a nice gut of baroque strings to fiddle away in the background (I'm not sure what the collective noun for baroque strings are: a gut seems suitable, but at times I would find "murder" or "mob" more appropriate. Clearly "gaggle" is the only apposite word for a group of oboes.))
So why do I give this disc 4 stars? Well, there is the repertoire: Purcell's full anthems (unlike his verse anthems, which are extended compositions with long solo passages and, as I infer above, orchestral accompaniment) are relatively short, quite condensed compositions, but that is where their quality lies. Often the writing seems closer to the early masters of English Protestant music (think Gibbons and Weelkes) than Vivaldi or Handel, but this is more often than not a strength, as it is Purcell's remarkable gift as a composer to create music which simultaneously allows for clear expression of the text, allied to beautiful and moving music. One need only listen to "O God, Thou art my God" to hear this demonstrated to the fullest extent.
The Oxford Camerata's discography largely consists of Renaissance and Medieval music, but I believe that it is in this, slightly later, repertoire, that Summerly really comes into his own. The balance, blend and quality of the singing is outstanding, and I have enjoyed this CD for many years now (I must have owned it for nearly 10 years). If you want a budget, one-disc introduction to a great composer, buy this.
A very good overview 28 Mar 2008
Purcell is well served on disc these days, with excellent recordings (particularly those by the Kings Consort) easily available. This budget offering from Naxos is entering a crowded marketplace, and, on the surface at least, has little to distinguish it from the competition. The choir is the usual bunch of professionals, polished in word and deed, and the accompaniment comes only from a chamber organ (you don't even get a nice gut of baroque strings to fiddle away in the background (I'm not sure what the collective noun for baroque strings are: a gut seems suitable, but at times I would find "murder" or "mob" more appropriate. Clearly "gaggle" is the only apposite word for a group of oboes.))
So why do I give this disc 4 stars? Well, there is the repertoire: Purcell's full anthems (unlike his verse anthems, which are extended compositions with long solo passages and, as I infer above, orchestral accompaniment) are relatively short, quite condensed compositions, but that is where their quality lies. Often the writing seems closer to the early masters of English Protestant music (think Gibbons and Weelkes) than Vivaldi or Handel, but this is more often than not a strength, as it is Purcell's remarkable gift as a composer to create music which simultaneously allows for clear expression of the text, allied to beautiful and moving music. One need only listen to "O God, Thou art my God" to hear this demonstrated to the fullest extent.
The Oxford Camerata's discography largely consists of Renaissance and Medieval music, but I believe that it is in this, slightly later, repertoire, that Summerly really comes into his own. The balance, blend and quality of the singing is outstanding, and I have enjoyed this CD for many years now (I must have owned it for nearly 10 years). If you want a budget, one-disc introduction to a great composer, buy this.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
A.A. Gill - Previous Convictions
***
As diverting as it is insubstantial 26 Mar 2008
This is a collection of articles and essays by A.A. Gill from a period of about 20 years, covering everything from the Glastonbury festival, to beetles, to modern Haiti. They are, by and large, fairly short piecees, and many are very funny, so they make for entertaining little bursts of reading.
It is not, however, a book which I can enjoy reading for any length of time, and that can be put down to a number of reasons. It must be admitted, I accept, that Gill is an excellent prose stylist, but there is at times a slight glibness about the writing that suggests deep and meaningful insights, but they are never really developed or rewarded. The description is frequently masterful: Gill's evocation of the appalling squalor of Haiti is striking, but it often ends there. But these merits cannot carry the book as a whole.
For this book can never really be successful as a book, simply because of its origins. These are journalistic pieces, and must perforce lack the thoroughness and rigour of more literary writing, regardless of the panache of the prose. When Gill writes about his father's dementia (in what is a touching and thoughtful piece), the reader is offered no more than a brief vignette, with no more than a passing gesture towards the wider issues which the article raises.
So, a recommendation? For holiday reading, or to take on the train, this is a very good book. As a book itself, it is frustrating.
As diverting as it is insubstantial 26 Mar 2008
This is a collection of articles and essays by A.A. Gill from a period of about 20 years, covering everything from the Glastonbury festival, to beetles, to modern Haiti. They are, by and large, fairly short piecees, and many are very funny, so they make for entertaining little bursts of reading.
It is not, however, a book which I can enjoy reading for any length of time, and that can be put down to a number of reasons. It must be admitted, I accept, that Gill is an excellent prose stylist, but there is at times a slight glibness about the writing that suggests deep and meaningful insights, but they are never really developed or rewarded. The description is frequently masterful: Gill's evocation of the appalling squalor of Haiti is striking, but it often ends there. But these merits cannot carry the book as a whole.
For this book can never really be successful as a book, simply because of its origins. These are journalistic pieces, and must perforce lack the thoroughness and rigour of more literary writing, regardless of the panache of the prose. When Gill writes about his father's dementia (in what is a touching and thoughtful piece), the reader is offered no more than a brief vignette, with no more than a passing gesture towards the wider issues which the article raises.
So, a recommendation? For holiday reading, or to take on the train, this is a very good book. As a book itself, it is frustrating.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Schubert - Winterreise
*****
A very fine performance 20 Mar 2008
review in two parts. Part A is for those who don't yet know Schubert's masterpiece, and B is for those who do, and are in the business of choosing a particular recording.
A. "Winterreise" is a song-cycle written by the great Austrian composer Franz Schubert towards the end of his life. The name "song-cycle" can be a little confusing for some people, as it implies that the music begins and ends in the same place. What is the case is that these are narrative works, in which the singer is the main character, and who relates his experiences through a series of songs. In the case of "Winterreise", these songs describe the character's experience of being driven out of his lover's house, and wandering through a frozen landscape. His sanity gradually slips away from him, and he ends up begging from an old hurdy-gurdy player in a village.
The story is, as you can tell, harrowing, in particular because of the momentary glimmers of hope that appear, such as the sound of the post-horn, which the wanderer convinces himself is bringing a letter from his beloved. However, his isolation and abandonment are all too clear to him, and, despite anger and intense longing, he seems at the end to have accepted his fate as one who will forever be cut off from the world.
The music which Schubert uses to tell this story is remarkable both in its simplicity and complexity. He uses one singer, accompanied by a piano, and yet the range of moods and textures which he achieves is itself extraordinary. One can almost see the glitter of leaves at the start of "Der Lindenbaum", and "Der Stuermische Morgen" is as powerful as any orchestral score. What makes these songs so powerful is, though, the intensity of the emotions that run through them: there is no sentimentality here.
So, if you don't yet know "Winterreise", buy it immediately and set aside an evening to immerse yourself in this extraordinary piece of music.
B. Any recording of "Winterreise" is up against some stiff competition from a wide range of different singers, and there is, of course, the gargantuan figure of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau against whom all will be measured. I do not wish to give a blow-by-blow account of where this version differs from its fellows, or which is better for each individual song, but to argue that this live recording has a great deal to offer, and, while not definitive by any means (and wouldn't a definitive version be dull!), is well worth listening to. Goerne is a pupil of Dieskau, and one can detect the old master's influence on his approach, but he is, unlike the older man, a baritone through and through, and his singing reflects this. He is acutely sensitive to the text, he can create a very satisfying range of vocal and emotional colours. Moreover, in this version he is accompanied by the wonderful Alfred Brendel. While Brendel may not be as renowned an accompanist as Graham Johnson (whose complete recording of Schubert's songs has established a new precedent in thoroughness and dedication to the cause), he is one of the finest pianists of his era, and his interaction with Goerne demonstrates his phenomenal musicianship to the full.
As above, I can heartily recommend this version. I have enjoyed it for several years, and I am sure you will do too.
A very fine performance 20 Mar 2008
review in two parts. Part A is for those who don't yet know Schubert's masterpiece, and B is for those who do, and are in the business of choosing a particular recording.
A. "Winterreise" is a song-cycle written by the great Austrian composer Franz Schubert towards the end of his life. The name "song-cycle" can be a little confusing for some people, as it implies that the music begins and ends in the same place. What is the case is that these are narrative works, in which the singer is the main character, and who relates his experiences through a series of songs. In the case of "Winterreise", these songs describe the character's experience of being driven out of his lover's house, and wandering through a frozen landscape. His sanity gradually slips away from him, and he ends up begging from an old hurdy-gurdy player in a village.
The story is, as you can tell, harrowing, in particular because of the momentary glimmers of hope that appear, such as the sound of the post-horn, which the wanderer convinces himself is bringing a letter from his beloved. However, his isolation and abandonment are all too clear to him, and, despite anger and intense longing, he seems at the end to have accepted his fate as one who will forever be cut off from the world.
The music which Schubert uses to tell this story is remarkable both in its simplicity and complexity. He uses one singer, accompanied by a piano, and yet the range of moods and textures which he achieves is itself extraordinary. One can almost see the glitter of leaves at the start of "Der Lindenbaum", and "Der Stuermische Morgen" is as powerful as any orchestral score. What makes these songs so powerful is, though, the intensity of the emotions that run through them: there is no sentimentality here.
So, if you don't yet know "Winterreise", buy it immediately and set aside an evening to immerse yourself in this extraordinary piece of music.
B. Any recording of "Winterreise" is up against some stiff competition from a wide range of different singers, and there is, of course, the gargantuan figure of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau against whom all will be measured. I do not wish to give a blow-by-blow account of where this version differs from its fellows, or which is better for each individual song, but to argue that this live recording has a great deal to offer, and, while not definitive by any means (and wouldn't a definitive version be dull!), is well worth listening to. Goerne is a pupil of Dieskau, and one can detect the old master's influence on his approach, but he is, unlike the older man, a baritone through and through, and his singing reflects this. He is acutely sensitive to the text, he can create a very satisfying range of vocal and emotional colours. Moreover, in this version he is accompanied by the wonderful Alfred Brendel. While Brendel may not be as renowned an accompanist as Graham Johnson (whose complete recording of Schubert's songs has established a new precedent in thoroughness and dedication to the cause), he is one of the finest pianists of his era, and his interaction with Goerne demonstrates his phenomenal musicianship to the full.
As above, I can heartily recommend this version. I have enjoyed it for several years, and I am sure you will do too.
Giles Wemmbley-Hogg: Goes Off, Series 2
*****
Pure Comedy Gold 20 Mar 2008
Marcus Brigestocke is a many of a great many talents, but they all seem to be united in two greater gifts: the first is to make people laugh (a great deal), and the second is to identify and expose the (frequently wilful) short-sightedness which characterises so much of human behaviour. Many will know him from The Now Show on Radio 4, where his angry young man rants against policies and practices that destroy the environment have made him a personal favourite of mine.
But it was in the guise of the delightfully idiotic Giles Wemmbley-Hogg (two m's, two g's, from Budley Salterton) that I first encountered his art, and it remains one of my favourite comedy series for radio. For those who don't know, Wemmbley-Hogg is a rather dim young man, only recently out of Charterhouse, off on his travels around the world. For anyone who has ever "travelled" abroad (and I use the word advisedly: this is not tourism, but rather the backpacking, earnest and frankly impossibly annoying habit of young people on gap years (before, after or during university) who wish to experience a country on an "authentic" level, away from the corrupting influence of modern tourism and western culture. Except that these people largely deserve nothing but contempt: their world view consists largely of vacuous platitudes about how profoundly they have been changed by the poverty/landscape/injustices/local culture that surround them in any given location, and their entire source of knowledge is the Lonely Planet to whichever country is unfortunate enough to have merited their arrival, much like a plague of locusts, this year. These are people who will scoff at anyone who deigns to pay a premium to a rickshaw driver who lives in his vehicle and for whom foreign tourists offer at least a brief respite from the appalling conditions of his existence. These people strut around, deriving almost pornographic pleasure from the poverty of the poor individuals who surround them, and yet whose understanding of local economic or political conditions could be written on the back of a fag packet.) Having written that, I find myself rather liking Giles. He is, frankly, too stupid to hold any of the views which so irritate me, and his bumbling innocence throws light on the more self-serving habits of the "gap-year generation" which he inhabits.
I'm not sure if this is a review, really, but to gesture in that direction, I will say that this is a very, very funny audiobook, and if you enjoyed the first series, you'll love this.
Pure Comedy Gold 20 Mar 2008
Marcus Brigestocke is a many of a great many talents, but they all seem to be united in two greater gifts: the first is to make people laugh (a great deal), and the second is to identify and expose the (frequently wilful) short-sightedness which characterises so much of human behaviour. Many will know him from The Now Show on Radio 4, where his angry young man rants against policies and practices that destroy the environment have made him a personal favourite of mine.
But it was in the guise of the delightfully idiotic Giles Wemmbley-Hogg (two m's, two g's, from Budley Salterton) that I first encountered his art, and it remains one of my favourite comedy series for radio. For those who don't know, Wemmbley-Hogg is a rather dim young man, only recently out of Charterhouse, off on his travels around the world. For anyone who has ever "travelled" abroad (and I use the word advisedly: this is not tourism, but rather the backpacking, earnest and frankly impossibly annoying habit of young people on gap years (before, after or during university) who wish to experience a country on an "authentic" level, away from the corrupting influence of modern tourism and western culture. Except that these people largely deserve nothing but contempt: their world view consists largely of vacuous platitudes about how profoundly they have been changed by the poverty/landscape/injustices/local culture that surround them in any given location, and their entire source of knowledge is the Lonely Planet to whichever country is unfortunate enough to have merited their arrival, much like a plague of locusts, this year. These are people who will scoff at anyone who deigns to pay a premium to a rickshaw driver who lives in his vehicle and for whom foreign tourists offer at least a brief respite from the appalling conditions of his existence. These people strut around, deriving almost pornographic pleasure from the poverty of the poor individuals who surround them, and yet whose understanding of local economic or political conditions could be written on the back of a fag packet.) Having written that, I find myself rather liking Giles. He is, frankly, too stupid to hold any of the views which so irritate me, and his bumbling innocence throws light on the more self-serving habits of the "gap-year generation" which he inhabits.
I'm not sure if this is a review, really, but to gesture in that direction, I will say that this is a very, very funny audiobook, and if you enjoyed the first series, you'll love this.
Lalande: Music for The Sun King
*****
A rarity, and one to be snapped up! 19 Mar 2008
A relatively obscure recording of French baroque church music would seem at first sight to be an unlikely subject of a case at the High Court, but this disc achieved that remarkable notoriety, and was immediately thereafter taken out of print. I do not wish to go into the rights and wrongs of the matter, but the case concerned the extent to which editors of musical scores can claim rights as composers, and, to put it bluntly, the record company lost. Which is a great, great shame, as this really is an excellent disc, presenting music by a composer who has been rather overshadowed by the greater luminaries of his age such as Rameau, Couperin and Lully.
The CD includes two "grand-motettes" (the Te Deum and Venite) which were performed at the court of Louis XIV. Given that King's predilection for all things gold and shiny, it is only natural that the music for the chapel royal should be equally grand. So, to accompany the royal religiosity, we have a large choir, a small choir of soloists and an orchestra replete with brass, wind and percussion. And what a great noise they make! In typical French style the counterpoint is restrained, but the rhythms are elegant, even swinging at times, and contrast is achieved through variety of orchestration and vocal scoring.
The works themselves consist of many short sections, varying in tempo, and many last less than a minute. There are some entirely solo sections, but the majority are either for small groups of soloists or the larger choir, lending a very satisfying variety to the whole.
A real highlight of the disc is the inclusion of the single movement "Panis Angelicus", taken from another motet, and sung quite exquisitely by Caroline Sampson, who possesses an excellent voice for this repertoire. And the same can be said for the other soloists: James Mustard and Jonathan Gunthorpe are outstanding bass soloists, and James Gilchrist and Paul Agnew provide excellent tenor work. The other soprano part is taken by Natalie Clinton-Griffith, whose light tone contrasts pleasingly with Sampson's richer sound. The choir is as good as we have come to expect from Ex Cathedra (that is, very good indeed), and the orchestral playing is full of flair, but always technically spot-on.
So, not only will this disc be an interesting addition to the other banned CDs in your collection, but also provide hours of real listening pleasure.
A rarity, and one to be snapped up! 19 Mar 2008
A relatively obscure recording of French baroque church music would seem at first sight to be an unlikely subject of a case at the High Court, but this disc achieved that remarkable notoriety, and was immediately thereafter taken out of print. I do not wish to go into the rights and wrongs of the matter, but the case concerned the extent to which editors of musical scores can claim rights as composers, and, to put it bluntly, the record company lost. Which is a great, great shame, as this really is an excellent disc, presenting music by a composer who has been rather overshadowed by the greater luminaries of his age such as Rameau, Couperin and Lully.
The CD includes two "grand-motettes" (the Te Deum and Venite) which were performed at the court of Louis XIV. Given that King's predilection for all things gold and shiny, it is only natural that the music for the chapel royal should be equally grand. So, to accompany the royal religiosity, we have a large choir, a small choir of soloists and an orchestra replete with brass, wind and percussion. And what a great noise they make! In typical French style the counterpoint is restrained, but the rhythms are elegant, even swinging at times, and contrast is achieved through variety of orchestration and vocal scoring.
The works themselves consist of many short sections, varying in tempo, and many last less than a minute. There are some entirely solo sections, but the majority are either for small groups of soloists or the larger choir, lending a very satisfying variety to the whole.
A real highlight of the disc is the inclusion of the single movement "Panis Angelicus", taken from another motet, and sung quite exquisitely by Caroline Sampson, who possesses an excellent voice for this repertoire. And the same can be said for the other soloists: James Mustard and Jonathan Gunthorpe are outstanding bass soloists, and James Gilchrist and Paul Agnew provide excellent tenor work. The other soprano part is taken by Natalie Clinton-Griffith, whose light tone contrasts pleasingly with Sampson's richer sound. The choir is as good as we have come to expect from Ex Cathedra (that is, very good indeed), and the orchestral playing is full of flair, but always technically spot-on.
So, not only will this disc be an interesting addition to the other banned CDs in your collection, but also provide hours of real listening pleasure.
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