John Turner writes: I have always
liked Christmas Carols…and I have been composing them…since my early teens.’ He
adds that their family Christmas card used to be designed by Manchester
composer Thomas Pitfield (who was also an accomplished graphic artist), however
as Pitfield became infirm this practice ceased. Turner, in his turn, decided to
send ‘a specially composed carol each Christmas to [his] friends.’ And this is
literally the music printed on the card, with seasonal greetings!
Those listeners who have been privileged
to receive one of John Turner’s ‘Christmas Card Carols’ will find this new CD a
delightful surprise. When my card arrives, it is played through on the piano,
sung (when no one is in the music room!) and then placed on the piano for the
duration of the season. After the 12th Night, they are carefully
placed into the music filing system. I guess that I am not alone in treasuring
these delightful productions.
It is not necessary to describe
each carol, as the list above gives a good idea of the ground covered. Three
general remarks may be of interest. John Turner has not been afraid to take
well-known texts and write a new work. ‘Away in a Manger’, ‘Adam lay Ybounden’,
and ‘I sing of a Maiden’ are a tribute to his imagination being inspired by the
words and not being beholden to earlier efforts by other hands. Secondly,
Turner’s musical style has captured the magic of the Season. There is an
inherent simplicity in these settings that seems to counterpoint the immense
importance of the theological revelation that Christmas gives to the world. On
the other hand, Turner has not succumbed to sentimentality. Often making use of
modal scales and never afraid to use a well-judged dissonance his style is
quite varied. And finally, some of the carols call for instrumental accompaniment.
For example, the oboe, played by Richard Simpson provides a haunting introduction
to ‘Christmas Lullaby’. The harp, played by Anna Christensen, is used to good
effect in ‘I sing of a maiden’, 2nd version and in ‘Adam lay
Ybounden’. An Arabic drum finds a place in ‘The Garden of Jesus.’ Finally, as
Turner suggests, his inspiration failed him, and one year the Carol was in fact
a ‘Canzonetta’ for tenor recorder and harp – with no voices. It is one of the loveliest
things on this disc.
However, my favourite number is
the heart-achingly beautiful ‘Christmas Music’ (2016) which is a setting of a
text by the composer’s friend and collaborator Andrew Mayes. It is a little
masterpiece that well-deserves to become a Christmas Favourite.
The redoubtable John Turner is
best-known for his remarkable recorder playing, being one of the finest
instrumentalists in the world. However, he has also done much to promote music
from Manchester and the North Country. The liner notes well-describe his
current activities: ‘his time is spent in playing, writing, reviewing,
composing and generally energising.’ Add to this list, the considerable number
of CDs that feature John’s playing. He is a legend in his own lifetime…
The liner notes include brief
paragraphs on all 23 carols. There are detailed notes on the performers and the
composer, including several illustrations. Texts of the carols are not
included.
Finally, the recording was
dedicated by John Turner to ‘The Memory of my late friends David Munrow and
Christopher Hogwood.’
These imaginative carols are
beautifully sung (and played). The purity of the vocal line is both astounding
and moving. The nature of these carols as necessarily short pieces, printed on Christmas
Cards, is that simplicity of style and economy of musical resources is
emphasised over complexity. This lends to the enchantment of this CD. All these
carols are lovely and sum up (for me) the joy and the theological wonder of the
Christmas-Tide.
Track Listing:
John TURNER (b. 1943)
A Nativity Carol (1967)
A Song on the Birth of Christ (1995/6)
A Flemish Carol (1996/98)
Adam Lay Ybounden (2000)
I sing of a Maiden (version 1) (2003)
Christmas Lullaby (2010)
Candle Vesper (2003)
Invocation to Sleep (2011)
Susanni (1997)
Lullay, my Liking (version 1) (2013)
The Virgin’s Cradle Hymn (2004)
Away in a Manger (2007)
Gloria Carol (2001)
Rocking Hymn (?)
I sing of a Maiden (version 2) (2008)
The Rose (1999)
Lullay, my Liking (version 2) (2002)
Rocking Carol (2002)
Canzonetta (?)
Watts’ Cradle Song (2005)
The Garden of Jesus (2015)
Christmas Music (2016)
Make we Merry (2012)
Intimate Voices: Philippa Hyde (soprano), Eleanor Gregory
(soprano), Joyce Tindsley (contralto), Matthew Minter (tenor), James Berry
(bass), Christopher Stokes (director), Richard Simpson (oboe), Anna Christensen
(harp), John Turner (recorder), Sasha Johnson Manning (soprano)
Divine Art dda
25161
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.
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