That Sweet City: Music by Kenneth Leighton and Ralph Vaughan Williams

The liner notes succinctly sum up the impact of this new disc: “Both [works] are evocations of the pastoral and bucolic, Leighton’s…celebrates young love in the spring…while Vaughan Williams’s is filled with nostalgia for an idyllic past…”  The two pieces are connected by their link to Queen’s College, Oxford, where they were premiered in the early 1950s.

Kenneth Leighton’s Veris Gratia, op.6 is a celebration of the coming of Spring. To be sure, he wrote two compositions with the same title. The present Cantata was completed in December 1950 and is a setting of classical and medieval verse whilst the second was a Suite for oboe, cello and strings written earlier that year.

The Cantata was inspired by the Latin poet, Catullus and poems chosen from Helen Wadell’s Medieval Latin Lyrics (1933). It was dedicated to his teacher, Bernard Rose, and the Eglesfield Musical Society. The premiere performance was given at Queen’s College, Oxford by the dedicatees on 8 June1951. The title Veris Gratia can be translated in many ways: the ‘Grace/Beauty of Spring’ or ‘For the sake of spring,’ or as Wadell translated it “O Spring most fair.”

The Cantata opens with a short instrumental Prelude, suggesting dawn and the break of day. The first chorus, Aubade is a panegyric of praise, to love, and to the arrival of summer. This is followed by a setting of Catullus’s Lament on the death of his mistress, Lesbia’s sparrow. The two thousand years after this poem was penned has not diminished the words’ pathos, as well as revealing an incipient eroticism. It is sympathetically sung by the tenor solo. A short instrumental Elegy leads to the Eclogue for choir. This is an adaptation of Leighton’s Coventry Carol. It is a meditation for chorus and solo soprano, considering the coming of the muse with a “sweet melody” and observing various birds in the countryside, which are parodied by the solo flute. An “earthy and energetic” Paean follows which is the most dramatic part of the cantata, with nods toward Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana whilst the Hymn to Cypris is a gentle, lilting Arcadian idyll for women’s voices. The next movement, Erotikon, is the saddest part of the cantata, where the tenor soloist laments unrequited love. Finzi’s vocal style is apparent here. An orchestral Nocturne is “brooding and impassioned.” Here some of Leighton’s future development may be glimpsed. The cantata has travelled the whole swing of the day, with the last chorus, an Epilogue, providing a long summation of the foregoing thoughts. It evokes “Diana’s crystal lamp [which] rises at dusk,” leading to the “Blessed…antidote of sleep.” Yet not before the peroration where the choir “applaud the novelty of things” and gives thanks that “Happy is he who is loved/And has achieved his welcome desire.” The music used here also appears in the glorious Veris Gratia Suite, op.9.

It is fair to say that it is the last of Leighton’s works to explicitly exhibit his debt to Vaughan Williams, Edmund Rubbra and Gerald Finzi.

It does not state on the CD cover that this is a premiere recording of Veris Gratia, op.6, however, I was unable to find any reference to an earlier edition. It is a major contribution to Leighton’s discography.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’s An Oxford Elegy is an appealing choral composition that brings together elements of narration, choir, and a small orchestra. This was written between 1947 and 1949, taking its text inspiration from two poems by Matthew Arnold: The Scholar Gipsy (1853) and Thyrsis (1865).

It reflects both nostalgia and acceptance, evoking the spirit of Arnold’s time and place. The first poem examines the life of a young scholar who leaves his studies at Oxford University to seek wisdom and truth beyond conventional education. The titular character, the Scholar-Gipsy, encounters a group of Romani who possess their own unique way of learning and understanding life. Amongst other things, Arnold examines the fast-paced, fragmented nature of modern life in the Victorian period. He portrays the Scholar-Gipsy’s rejection of the “sick hurry” and “divided aims” then (as now) widespread in society. There is a sense of weariness about the verses. Thyrsis is an encomium for the poet Arthur Hugh Clough. Both poems vividly celebrate the beauties of the landscape.

An Oxford Elegy was given a private performance at RVW’s home, White Gates, Dorking on 20 November 1949, with its public premier at Queen’s College, Oxford, on 19 June 1952. The narrator was Steuart Wilson, and, like the Leighton, the Eglesfield Musical Society was conducted by Bernard Rose.

Listeners will associate Rowan Atkinson with a variety of persona. One thinks of the recent sadly truncated Maigret series, or with one of the incarnations of Blackadder. Children of all ages will love Mr Bean. Johnny English, a parody on the spy genre, was deservedly popular. And then there was the satirical Not the Nine O’clock News which ran from 1979-1982. Atkinson’s alma mater was Queen’s College, Oxford, so the connection is clear. It was with great interest that I listened to his performance of An Oxford Elegy. His diction and timing are perfect. Atkinson’s style is tentative and intimate, rather than declamatory. He is suffused with wonderment with the Scholar’s story and the Oxfordshire landscape. It is beautiful, often bringing a tear to the eye. The singing by the Choir of the Queen’s College is not intrusive but acts as a perfect foil to the narration. Where necessary, they can be expansive, but typically they create an impressionist ‘take’ on “all the live murmur of a summer’s day.”

The liner notes by Owen Rees provide a major essay with detailed analysis of each piece’s progress. All texts and translations are included. There are the usual resumes of the performers.

The recording is splendid and well balanced, especially between the narrator and the choir in The Scholar Gypsy.

Listeners of a certain vintage will recall the John Westbrook narration of An Oxford Elegy, ably accompanied by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, the Jacques Orchestra, under the watchful eye of David Willcocks. This was released in 1970 on HMV ASD 2487. Since that time there have been several recordings made of this work, with narrators including Jack May, Simon Callow, Gerard Killebrew, and Jeremy Irons. I guess that lovers of this composition will have their favourite.

For me, Westbrook’s was the first recording I heard of An Oxford Elegy, and it will always be my go-to version. That said, I can highly recommend this present recording, with its sense of tenderness and reflection. And the fact that it is coupled with Kenneth Leighton’s outstanding Veris Gratia makes it a must buy for enthusiasts of British Music.

Track Listing:
Kenneth Leighton (1929-88)
Veris Gratia, op.6 A Cantata based on Medieval Latin Lyrics (1950)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
An Oxford Elegy (1947-49)
Rowan Atkinson (narrator), Nick Pritchard (tenor), David Cuthbert (flute), Alaw Grug Evans (soprano)
Choir of the Queen’s College Oxford, Britten Sinfonia/Owen Rees
rec. 22-24 September 2023, SJE Arts, St John the Evangelist Church, Oxford
Texts included.
Signum Classics SIGCD917

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.