This wonderful CD of choral music
by Frederick Delius and Arnold Bax opens with one of my ‘top three’ all-time
favourite British part-songs: Delius’ setting of Arthur Symons (1865-1945) ‘On
Craig Ddu’. For the record, the other two are John Ireland’s atmospheric ‘The
Hills’ and Charles Villiers Stanford’s gorgeous ‘The Blue Bird.’
Fred Delius wrote comparatively
little music for unaccompanied chorus. Robert Threlfall’s A Catalogue of the Compositions of Frederick Delius (1977) lists 11
examples: there are also a few arrangements made from the operas and incidental
music which are excluded from this tally. Virtually all the ‘original’
part-songs are recorded on this disc. But where is the ‘Wanderer’s Song’ for
men’s voices?
Unsurprisingly, Arthur Symons’
poem imagines a sensitive youth sitting high ‘On Craig Ddu’, which seems to be
an arch-typical mountain, possibly ‘located’ somewhere in Wales: I am sure that
the image is simply a metaphor for someone looking at the hustle and bustle of life
from afar. Delius has created a sound that is impressionistic: the music hangs
in the cool highland air. The part-writing is perfect.
‘On Craig Ddu’ has the honour of
being the very first Delius work that Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock) heard. It
was to be hugely influential on his development as a composer of vocal music.
Less-well-known,
even to Delius aficionados, are the ‘Six Part Songs’ for mixed voices. These settings
of German and Norwegian poems were composed between 1885 and 1887. They are not
presented in catalogue-order on this CD.
The
first, ‘Ave Maria’ with words by Emanuel von Geibel (1815-84), is a rarity for
a composer who was a confirmed atheist. Yet this is a thoughtful, numinous
reflection on Our Lady’ theological role. The following song, ‘Durch den Wald’
(Through the Woods) by Von Schreck[?] is a choral gambol through shady forest
paths. The liner notes suggest that this ‘Schumann-esque’ setting evokes a
young man waiting for his lover. There is a darker moment as he wonders if she
will turn up. Fortunately, she does arrive. The brief ‘An den Sonnenschein’, with a
poem by Robert Reinick (1805-52) is in similar vein, considering the ‘shining,
golden sun.’ The ‘Fruhlingsanbruch’ (The
Coming of Spring) by Carl Andersen (1828-83), is a happy little study on larks
and singing zephyrs. The song quietly concludes by noting that ‘the world is
awoken to most blessed joy.’ The final
song in this group is the lively ‘Sonnenscheinlied’ (Song of Sunshine) by Bjørnstjerne
Bjørnson (1832-1910), which presents a mood of summer, only to be spoilt by
midges.
The present CD tracks reflect the
Delius Collected Edition by including
Henrik Ibsen’s (1828-1906) ‘Her ute skal gildet staa’ (Here we shall feast)
(1891) in these Six Part Songs. It is
the least successful of the set.
The Carice Singers have not
included the setting of Heinrich Heine’s ‘Lorelei,’ as this was probably by
another hand.
Another
good example of choral writing is the two wordless Unaccompanied Part-songs:
‘To Be Sung of a Summer Night on the Water’ (1917). The first, ‘slow but not
dragging’ is a master-class of Delius’ chromatic harmonic language and
epitomises his choral style. It is pointless to ask where this stretch of water
is located: it may be Grez-sur-Loing, the Thames, in Yorkshire or Florida. The
music is universal. I do not think that
the second song ‘Gaily, but not quick’ is quite as successful as the first: it
is certainly not as perfect in design. The solo tenor ardently (a little strained
here) sings against a background of ‘La-La’ from the choir. There is something
here that suggests the orange groves of Solano rather than the Thames at
Maidenhead or the Aire at Bradford.
‘The
Splendour Falls on Castle Walls’ sets words from Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s
(1809-92) The Princess. The liner
notes point out that this is a musical vision ‘…as so often in Delius’s
work, one seemingly heard from afar, fading into an infinite horizon.’ This
well-written part-song creates all the magic of the ‘horns of Elfland faintly
blowing’. Many listeners will be familiar with Benjamin Britten’s setting of
the same words in his peerless Serenade
for Tenor, Horn and Strings.
The ‘Midsummer Song’ for eight voices, is
a tiny miniature composed in 1908 for musical festival competitions in the north
of England. It was first
performed by the Whitley Bay and District Choral Society, under its director
William Gillies Whittaker. Most of the poem is about
the joys of love and dance and play, but author R.S. Hoffmann (?) reminds us
that the ‘night is not far away.’ The music is jaunty, but occasionally a touch
wistful.
Arnold Bax wrote little music for
unaccompanied chorus. Graham Parlett’s Catalogue
(1999) lists only six works in this genre. One work included on this CD of otherwise
unaccompanied choral music is ‘Of a Rose I sing a song, which is a carol for
harp, cello, double bass and small choir’ It would have been good if the Carice
Singers could have included Bax’s contribution to ‘A Garland for the Queen’
(1953) – ‘What is it like to be young and fair?’, and possibly ‘The Boar’s
Head’ which was written for 4-part male voices.
All the works by Arnold Bax have
been previously recorded, with The Finzi Singers conducted by Paul Spicer
(CHANDOS 9139) providing the nearest competition.
The Bax website currently lists 11
recordings (June 2017) of the motet ‘This Worldes Joie.’ This was composed during 1922, which also saw
the completion of the Symphony No. 1 and the Oboe Quintet. The words are
derived from a late 13th century text, printed in The Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1900,
(1901). There is a bleakness and desolation about this music that reflects the opening
lines, ‘Winter wakeneth all my care/Now these
leaves waxeth bare.’ There are very occasional flashes of warmth but this is
largely nullified by the music reiterating ‘All we shall die’ which builds up
to huge climax: this is matched by
equally bleak music.
The
Five Greek Folksongs for
unaccompanied chorus was a wartime work, completed in 1942. Parlett quotes a
letter from the composer that sums up these settings: ‘I have been arranging
some Greek folk-music…at the request of dear old Calvocoressi – such queer
Balkan tunes that I have got quite a lot of amusement out of treating them…’ Michel-Dimitri
Calvocoressi (1877-1944) was a French music critic and author. He had made
several translations of Balkan folk-songs.
Five Greek Folksongs begin with the the ‘modally inflected’ ‘Miracle
of Saint Basil’. This is followed by the poignant ‘The Bridesmaid’s Song’ which
includes two soprano solos. ‘In far-off Malta’,
captures the wit of the tale of the deacon who stained his surplice with ink,
whilst writing his ‘tale of my great love.’ My favourite of the series is ‘The Happy
Tramp’ which is thoughtful, and ends when the wanderer is safely home with
‘warm dry clothes’, ‘plump partridges a-roasting’ and ‘loving arms.’ ‘A
Pilgrim's Chant’ brings this cycle to a close by once again referring to St
Basil, and the tolling of the church bells. All five folk-songs are beautiful,
and have been ‘realised’ by Arnold Bax with skill and understanding, despite
him being ‘rather bored’ by the whole project. They are convincingly sung on
this recording.
‘Of a Rose I sing a song’, which
was written for (but not dedicated to) Charles Kennedy Scott and the Oriana
Madrigal Society. It is an attractive number that presents some of the ‘otherworld’
magic featured in much of Bax’s music. It is an esoteric meditation on the
Nativity of Christ.
‘I Sing of a Maiden that is
Matchless’ was composed for five unaccompanied voices, although it is usually
sing by a five-part chorus. The anonymous 15th century text was again
taken from The Oxford Book of English
Verse 1250-1900, (1901). The words present a tender description of the
Virgin Mary: ‘Well may such a lady/Godes mother be’. It is a well-wrought,
chromatic, little piece that matches Our Lady’s perfection.
Bax’s magnum opus on this CD is
the long, complex ‘Mater Ora Filium’ (1921), written for unaccompanied
double chorus with a short solo for tenor. It is a song of devotion to Mary and
her Son. The liner notes describe the work as a ‘virtuosic essay,’ It is complex and presents the choir with
considerable technical challenges. Bax was inspired to compose this magnificent
motet after hearing a performance of William Byrd’s Five Part Mass during a
concert held in Wyndham Place, organised by Harriet Cohen. Clearly, this work is filled with the spirit
of the Elizabethan era, though there is no way that Bax has created a parody,
pastiche or archaism.
‘Mater
Ora Filium’ was first performed at the Queen’s Hall on 13th November
1922 by the Oriana Madrigal Society conducted by Charles Kennedy Scott.
Daniel M. Grimley has produced
essential, readable liner notes for all these songs. All the texts are printed
along with translations where appropriate
I found the singing by the Carice
Singers virtually faultless. Intonation
and diction are perfect. Along with their director, George Parris, they provide
definitive performances of all these choral works. The ensemble was founded by
Parris in 2011 and owe their name to the daughter of Edward Elgar. Carice
[Irene Elgar] was a contraction of Caroline and Alice. She was born in 1890 and
died as late as 1971. It is hardly surprising that the
singers’ first three discs are dedicated to English music (Warlock, Moeran,
Ireland, Bax and Delius).
Track Listing:
Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934)
On Craig Ddu (1907), Ave Maria
(1885-87), Durch den Wald (1885-87), An den Sonnenschein (1885-87), Frühlingsanbruch
(1885-87), Her ute skal gildet staa (1891), Sonnenscheinlied (1885-87), Two
Unaccompanied Part-songs: To Be Sung of a Summer Night on the Water (1917), The
Splendour falls on Castle Walls (1923), Midsummer Song (1908)
Arnold BAX (1883-1953)
This Worldes Joie (1922), Five
Greek Folksongs (1942), Of a Rose I Sing a Song (1920), I Sing of a Maiden that
is Makeless (1923), Mater Ora Filium (1921)
The Carice Singers/George Parris
NAXOS 8.573695
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.
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