Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar

Music Faculty Research School of Music

5-2003

Review of , Sacred and Profane, AMDG, Five Flower , Old French Carol, Choral Dances From , Polyphony, Stephen Layton, conductor. Hyperion, 2000

Vicki Stroeher Marshall University, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://mds.marshall.edu/music_faculty

Part of the Musicology Commons

Recommended Citation Stroeher, Vickie. Review of Benjamin Britten, Sacred and Profane, AMDG, Five Flower Songs, Old French Carol, Choral Dances From Gloriana, Polyphony, Stephen Layton, conductor. Hyperion, 2001. Choral Journal 43 (May 2003): 59-63, 65.

This Review of a Music Recording is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Music at Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Music Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. MAY 2003 CHORAL JOURNAL

Benjamin Britten maturity. SacredAnd Profane • A.MD. G. Britten's choral works were composed most often to fulfill commissions, either RECORDING COMPANIES Five Flower Songs • OldFrench Carol THIS ISSUE ChoralDances From Gloriana from church or individuals, or in the commemoration of specific occasions. Arts Music GmbH Polyphony, Stephen Layton, conductor Allegro, agent Recorded in Te mple Church, London, The Five Flower Songs (1950), the first 14134 NE Airport Way on October 6, 1999 and April 26 and 27, selections on the current disc, are a case Portland, OR 97230 in point. Britten composed these pieces 2000 Hyperion: CDA67140, ODD, Deutsche Grammophon 61'26 co honor Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirsc, Universal Classics Group, agent contributors to Britten's English Worldwide Plaza Group, on the occasion of their silver 825 Eighth Avenue Editor's Note: Dr. Vicki Stroeher ex­ New York, NY 10019 pands upon the typical review format wedding anniversary. The texts were cho­ in this discussion of Sacred And Pro­ sen to celebrate the Elmhirsts's fondness Newport Classics, Ltd. for botany. 3 A student directed by 11 Willow Sr., #4 fane, drawing upon her extensive dis­ Newport, RI 02840 sertation research for "Form and Imogen Holst, daughter of Meaning in Benjamin Britten's Sonnet and a tireless employee of Britten, pre­ Philips Classics miered the work outdoors on July 23, Universal Classics Group, agent Cycles," along with materials assembled Worldwide Plaza for publications and through her resi­ 1950. Britten almost certainly knew of 825 Eighth Avenue dency at the Britten-Pears Library in the outdoor arrangements and the inher­ New York, NY 10019 Aldeburgh, England. By linking rel­ ent difficulties they would present, and evant background information with the potential limitations of the student performance considerations of selected vocalists. Accustomed to writing under a sensibility. works, she provides insights meaning­ variety of constraints, however, Britten The cycle gathers from seem­ ful to listeners and conductors prepar­ produced some of his most important ingly random although wholly English 4 ing these works for performance. works in just chis way. Five Flower Songs pens, from Robert Herrick to George captures at once the essence of English Crabbe to John Clare, to an anonymous The choral works of English composer part , the flexibility of young voices, writer of a near bawdy song. For their Benjamin Britten (1913-76), like his ef­ and the joy of singing beautiful, poignant settings, Britten employs a variety of styles fortsin other forms, have been overshad­ melodies and rollicking ballads. Each set­ and techniques, including two-part coun­ owed by his . 1 , ting is wholly fitting to its subject and terpoint, fagato, word painting, and wist- essentially operatic in character, along with , and , have risen to the top of the choral repertoire and receive the majority of the D'ROOKT.YN attention paid today as concert and re­ cording fare. These, however, obscure a Conservatory of Music, BrooklynCollege I number of other excellent works in " Britten's choral output. Sacred and Pro­ Degree Programs in fane, a release by Stephen Layton and • Music Performance Polyphony, provides a useful glimpse at • Music Education some of Britten's lesser known works for • Performance Practice mixed chorus, including previously un­ • Composition published (and even discarded) juvenilia.2 The recording spans Britten's career with (718) 951-5846 2900 Bedford Avenue works from his school days, his prime, Nancy Hager, Conservatory Director Brooklyn, NY 11210 and his final choral offering, and takes Jonathan Babcock, Director of Choirs [email protected] listeners on a chronological journey through the composer's development and

VOLUME FORTY-THREE 59 NUMBER TEN CHORAL JOURNAL MAY 2003 ful,angular melodies. sound that is the "Succession of the Four delight in Britten's text setting, the "strum­ To make this group cohere, requires Sweet Months" and turn "Marsh Flow­ ming" of the guitar and the tolling of an understanding of the sheer individual­ ers" into a poignant sonic event, with wedding bells on "green broom," this ity of each offering.Stephen Layton and precise diction and a jarring rhythmic en­ reading fallsflat. The beginning is so slow Polyphony succeed admirably on this ergy that heightens Britten's dissonances. that it never gains the momentum neces­ count, bringing to the work a maturity The "Ballad of Green Broom," unfortu­ sary for its bacchanalian finish. Indeed, that belies the student performance ori­ nately, suffers under the weight of this the score dictates an accelerando---which gins. The singers capture the richness of same maturity. Rather than conveying some have interpreted to mean execute as fast as possible-but this performance barely increases in speed.5 Too studied and controlled, it lacks rhythmic drive and displays a curious lack of clarity when acceleration does occur. The second work on this recording, A. M D. G., would have never been heard in public, were it not for the efforts of Colin Matthews, Donald Mitchell and Faber Music. In August 1939, while liv­ ing in the United States, Britten wrote the piece for Peter Pears's "Round Table Singers." The intended performance did not take place and Britten never made a www.music-contact.com/Prague fair copy of his sketch for publication Music Contact International 1-800-624-0166 purposes. He later abandoned the work altogether, and in 1976 assigned its in­ tended opus number (17) to a revision of his American opera . Whether due to intense self-criticism, as Mervyn Cooke suggests in the recording Multicultural notes, the cancellation of its performance, Adaptations or simply because Britten got caught up Spirituals Classical in other works, notably , the Jazz/Pop work was buried. Enter Colin Matthews, Tributes who has prepared many of Britten's aban­ Concert doned works for performance and publi­ Operas cation. Through his efforts, the work Secular Gospel received its premiere on August 22, 1984, during the Aldeburgh Festival at The Maltings, Snape by the London SinfoniettaChorus, and was subsequently YVONNE FARROW edited by Colin Matthews and published by Faber (1989). It has received a few Choralographer performances and recordings since and Dramatic Coaching seems, at least for a while, to enjoy its AvaiJabJe for Movement Design renaissance. Although the poems for Choral Riser Performance A. M. D. G. Floor Pattern Movement all stem fromthe hand of Gerard Manley Production Numbers Hopkins they, like Flower Songs, could not be more diverse. From the meditative contact "Rosa Mystica" to the emotive love song www.twinbiz.com "O Deus, ego amo te," to "The Soldier," (click on Choreographer) Britten's eclectic tendencies in text choice or shine through, as does his ability to give Twinbiz each poem individuality within a coher­ PO Box 351881 ent whole. Particularly striking in this re­ Los Angeles, CA 90035 cording are the performances of "Prayer I" with its dissonant clashes, "Rosa

VOLUME FORTY-THREE NUMBER TEN 60 MAY 2003 CHORAL JOURNAL

Mystica" with its rosary-like chant below Lowestoft Music Society (Britten's home- Britten achieves great effect with minimal the meditator's wandering, but relevant, town) on January 5, 1931, and the com- melodic material. A reviewer of the first thoughts and "The Soldier," which Britten poser revised it at the ripe old age of 21. performance commented, "The music of set aptly as a march. Polyphony is persua- Though there is some naivety and sim- the composition was tuneful and pleas sive in conveying these defining elements, plicity in the melodic writing, the work ing, with a refined delicacy which de The use of straight tone in the in still displays Britten's incredible sense of mands careful treatment."7 There are no "Prayer I" allows the Brittenesque disso- text and style. Britten's writing sometimes special technical difficulties in the work, nances to cut through effectively. Like- seems inevitable in that, once one has but it does demand exactness, particu wise, their precision in "The Soldier" heard his setting of a text phrase, no other larly in the balance of the two choruses, underscores the jaunty rhythms of seems possible. Even in this early work, Britten used antiphonal SATB chorus and Britten's march. The group's rendition of "Rosa Mystica" stands out for its clarity of diction and rhythm, and for its inter pretative insights. The "chanters" provide a distance that suggests meditation and leaves the glossing above it floating as though spontaneous. Two of Britten's The Institute of smaller Sacred Music settings are The Hymn to theat Yale University Virgin (1930) and the Chorale after an Old French Carol (1944). Britten wrote The Hymn to the Virgin in a matter of hours at the age of 16, while still in preparatory school, just prior to his entering the Royal College of Music.6 The work received its premiere by the

AA Cappella Cappella? Marguerite L. Brooks Associate Professor of Choral Conducting Call the EXPERTS! Choral Ensembles Yale Camerata cs Yale Glee Club es Yale Pro Música Divinity School Choir ca University Choir Repertory Chorus czs Recital Chorus c/s Freshman Chorus A CAPPELLA Repertoire for 2001-2002 Bach Magnificat Naumann U.S. premiere of Te Deum and Gloria 1.800.827.2936 Stravinsky Les Noces c/s Beethoven Symphony 9 Repertoire for 2002-2003 FREE Catalog! Walton Belshazzar's Feast cs Howells Requiem ■ The LARGEST selection of Mozart Mass in c minor c./i Woods St. Mark Passion a cappella in the world

■ CDs, Sheet Music, Instructional Degrees Offered through the School of Music Videos and more... Master of Music cs Master of Musical Arts Doctor of Musical Arts eo Artist Diploma More than 20,000 sound files! Joint Degrees in Music and Divinity www.a-cappella.com

VOLUME FORTY-THREE 61 NUMBERTEN CHORAL JOURNAL MAY 2003

semi-chorus to set the text couplets—one with emotionally tinged chords and pro- pieces, the performances are hauntingly line English, the subsequent line Latin, gressions that resemble those of Arvô Part, beautiful. This intentional imbalance of the two but that predate the Estonians work by The "Choral Dances" from Gloriaría, groups creates an echo effect, in spite of some forty years. The Chorale was written framed by the two shorter works men which the semi-chorus must match the jn 1944 for a Christmas eve BBC pro- tioned above, hold a secure place in the full chorus in blend and tone. Layton and duction, The Poet's Christmas,8 and treats choral repertoire. Britten conceived these Polyphony capture this Britten-ism per- w. ¡4. Auden's text with unusual subtlety, works as integral to Gloriaría, an opera he fectly. avoiding Britten's characteristic rhythms wrote in celebration of Queen Elizabeth Chorale after an Old French Carol, for anc| jarring dissonances. With the reso- Us coronation (1953). Act II, Scene 1 eight-part chorus, is one of the most har- nance the Temple Church affords and the has Elizabeth I watching a masque put on monically rich works Britten ever wrote, clarity that Polyphony brings to these in her honor by the people of Norwich. __ As Humphrey Carpenter has noted, the allegorical characters, Time and his wife Concord, represent what Elizabeth I ac TbvncTexas Mhnvn / complishedChoral in Act I—peace—and what makes her vulnerable in Act III—thepass DirectorsDirectors Association ing Association of time.9 The first performance of the . _ opera was received politely, but not overly 48th48th Annual Annual Convention Convention enthusiastically, and certainly with none of the acclaim accorded less andand New Music New Reading Clinic Music than Reading two years earlier. In addition Clinic to the work's being criticized as "inharmonious JulyJuly 29-August _ and 1,29-August wearisome,"2003 it seems 1,that 2003the aging SanSan Antonio Antonio Convention Convention Center Center Elizabeth I in Act III, among other •• Enjoy Enjoy festive festive San Antonio San - the Antonio historic downtown - the area, historic things, was downtown perceived as . . . area,profoundly .in- il a i i c \a/ i J J c- i t affronting the glorious memory or Queen thethe Riverwalk. Riverwalk, Alamo - plus Sea AlamoWorld and Fiesta - plusTexas , , TSea r i - TrWorld r and Fiesta Texas ' fflizabeth I, [andj hence unsuitable ror • •Over Over 300 new 300 music titlesnew read music public performance titles before read the Queen . •Middle Middle School Honor Chorus,School Lynn Cackle, Honor director Elizabeth Chorus, II."10 Britten Lynndropped the choCackle, director ral dances from future performances, but • •Clinics/Workshops Clinics/Workshops in vocal and conducting techniques, in published vocal them separately and in their conducting unac techniques, andand literature literature selections for allselections areas: companied forform and all later areas: made an ar ElementaryElementary rangement that included solo and MiddleMiddle School/Junior School/Junior High harP- High Polyphony's performance is lively, if HighHigh School School a b'r rushed, in the "Dance of Concord," Church - full/part time Church ' - full/part are time a bitbut shrill, is marked particularly bJ lo^ moments- in The CommunityCommunity «A n. , „ 7 Country Girls. • Trade• showTrade with more than 350 exhibit boothsshow with more than 350 exhibit booths With Britten's final choral work, Sa cred and Profane, comes the culmination . ... of his choral writing. He wrote the work ForFor registration registrationinformation: information: , „ , , T- l TCDATCDA • 7900 Centre Park• Drive,7900 Suite A • CentreAustin, TX 78754 • 512/474-2801 Park Drive, Suite A • Austin, TX 78754 • 512/474-2801 between December 1974 and February www.ensemble.org/tcdawww.ensemble.org/tcda 1975, amid numerous disabilities that ac companied his ongoing heart problems. Following an operation in May 1973, Britten's health deteriorated steadily until his death on December 4, 1976. Despite being somewhat disabled by a small stroke that affected his right hand and arm, Britten maintained a tight and persistent composing schedule. The work ends, in terestingly, with a description of the body's breakdown before death. Britten conceived Sacred and Profane for Peter Pears's group of five soloists, the Wilbye Consort, who gave the first per formance at The Makings in Snape, in September 1975. Britten was at his best

VOLUME FORTY-THREE ¿2 NUMBER TEN MAY 2003 CHORAL JOURNAL when writing for voices he knew, as Those in familiar with Tony Kushner's Record-of-the-Year Awards. any of his solo settings for Peter Pears. Pulitzer He Prize winning Angels in America The work is varied in texture and color knew the capabilities of these singers will andnote interesting commonalities with and accommodates the diverse influences wrote accordingly, with complex harmothe kaleidoscopic perspective brought to Gf its texts with sensitivity and idiomatic nies and melodic lines that required the great topic of AIDS in James Adler's Me- understanding. "Yizkor" [Remembrance], flexibility and dexterity. It has been mento writ Mori: An AIDS Requiem. The work, which replaces the Latin Recordare, is sung ten that "Britten's meticulous craftsman scored for soloists, men's chorus, and or- ¡n Hebrew by Steve Huffines, ship is of the kind whose greatest art chestra, is to interweaves texts from a variety while the chorus intones the composer's conceal art."11 Although the demands of sources, of including portions of the li- adapted English text beneath. The light this work for listeners and performers turgical may Latin Requiem mass, traditional scoring of this movement, flute, piano, suggest a wealth of material, it is actually texts in English and Hebrew, and original and double-, demonstrates the pri an economy of material that Britten texts ma by Quentin Crisp, Philip Justin mary text found throughout Momento nipulates to great effect. This quality Smith, Denise Stokes, and Bill Weaver. Miori and frees the performers to treat brings his art full circle. From the Approximately 1930 seventy-five minutes in the soloistic strands of texture with con Hymn to the Virgin, to the 1973 Sacredlength, Memento Mori is an ambitious siderable nuance. Likewise, the musical and Profane, Britten created much and with passionate work dedicated to those underlay for the spoken narrative of the little. who have battled AIDS. fifth movement supports without disrupt The virtuosic demands of Sacred and This premiere recording features a dis- ing, and allows Huffines to communicate Profane are met admirably by Polyphony. tinguished group of soloists, the chorus powerfully in grief-stricken utterance, Although their performance of the Cho and orchestra ofAmorArtis, and Johannes Vocal solo performances are strong rale seems on first hearing to be the most Somary, conductor, who led the works throughout. Particularly noteworthy are outstanding, it is surpassed by Sacred and chamber version premiere in New York the contributions of Victoria Livengood, Profane. The group's greatest achievement City in April of 2000. Maestro Somary is whose opulent mezzo soprano voice brings is their demonstration that the work can well-known for his many recordings with warmth, musical sensitivity, and impec be performed well by a chorus, not just AmorArtis, including four Stereo Review cable diction to three of the work's nine by a group of soloists. Their transparent texture provides clarity essential to the performance. Particularly memorable are "Yif Ic of Love Can" and "Ye that Pasen by," both of which are marked by strident harmonies. Soprano soloist, Cecilia Osmond, deserves special mention for her ethereal solo in the former. This recording has much to offer: clar ity, enviable diction, and credible, often enlightening performances of works that should, and hopefully will, be heard more frequently. Vicki Stroeher Marshall University Wlgl mJ Huntington, WV

James Adler EmoryEmory University University Memento Mori: An AIDS Requiem Requiem aetemam; Dies irae; Yizkor in Atlanta (Rememberance); The Wounded Master of Music iriin ChoralChoral ConductingConducting (Ingemisco); Lacrymosa; Santus • Holy * Master of Sacred Music in Choral Conducting Kadosh; Pie Jesu; Lux aeternq; Survival Victoria Livengood, mezzo soprano; Jane Full Tuition Remission plus $12,550 Stipend Dutton, soprano; MJire O'Brien, so Eric Nelson, Director of Choral Activities prano; Steve Huffines, baritone; Neil National and International Touring Opportunities __ .. , ,. .E/JVivJivl LMCJKY Farrell, tenor For information contact: AmorArtis Chorale and Orchestra Director of Graduate Studies Department of Music, Emory University Johannes Somary, conductor Atlanta, Georgia 30322 CD Troy 463, 75'35" 404.727.6445 Albany Records, copyright 2001 kttp://www.emory.edu/Mbttp;llwwu>.emory.edulM USICUSIC 915 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207

VOLUME FORTY-THREE 53 NUMBERTEN