Choral & Song Reviews An attractive and well-crafted Bruckner • Stravinsky work, it is easy to understand why Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E minor; Gardner regarded it as his most Stravinsky: Mass successful cantata, especially in a Berlin Radio Choir; Members of the performance as committed as this. Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Ashley Riches is a commanding Gijs Leenaars soloist, his diction never losing Pentatone PTC 5186 774 53:10 mins clarity in the various places where It’s a splendid he moves the story on, such as at coupling: these the heart of the longest movement, are the two most ‘The Harp of Alfred’. The City of original mass- London Choir and Paulina Voices settings since sing with rousing gusto in the more Beethoven’s rambunctious passages, such as Missa solemnis, both making ‘The Battle of Ethandune’, yet with strikingly un-Romantic use of a control and hush in the numerous wind ensemble. The Berlin Radio mysterious or poetic moments, such Choir are thoroughbreds, and to as the barely accompanied opening hear them tackling Bruckner’s high of ‘The baptism of Guthrun’. Both soprano writing and sustained here and in the purely instrumental fortissimo declamations, to say and charmingly quirky An English nothing of Stravinsky’s ear-testing Ballad (1969), the BBC Concert harmonic twists, is to marvel that Orchestra is typically assured it can be all brought off with so Clear command: baritone Ashley Riches leads the way with John Gardner and nuanced, while Hilary Davan little apparent effort. Not only Wetton paces the performances so, but director Gijs Leenaars, his ‘Any fool can vocalist Annika Socolofsky sings adroitly. Christopher Dingle singers and his musicians, all have make something with raw beauty, albeit occasionally PERFORMANCE HHHH a remarkably strong sense of line. complicated. It struggling with the more operatic RECORDING HHHH You’re never in any doubt about takes a genius to corners of the work. Skilfully scored where the music is going. The superb make it simple,’ and performed with exuberance, Gray • Parry • opening crescendo of Bruckner’s said the American this excellent release offers a Stanford • Wood Sanctus, the sinuous polyphony of folk musician Woody Guthrie. A fitting celebration of the inimitable Gray: Magnificat & Nunc dimittis Stravinsky’s Gloria, both seem to classical take on the life of this iconic Woody Guthrie’s life and work. in F minor*; Stanford: Three Latin emerge in one beautifully controlled musician is a risky undertaking, not Kate Wakeling Motets; Magnificat in B flat; phrase. When it comes to structural least because the deceptively simple PERFORMANCE HHH Parry: Songs of Farewell; and technical command this beats output of the ‘Dust Bowl troubadour’ RECORDING HHHH Wood: Nunc dimittis in B flat just about all the rivals I can think of. is so complete in itself. Yet composer *George Purves (treble); Westminster I like the contained expression Michael Daugherty has succeeded in J Gardner Abbey Choir/James O’Donnell too – most of the time. Yes, grand creating something wholly engaging The Ballad of the White Horse; Hyperion CDA68301 64:03 mins operatic emoting would ruin and original without tampering An English Ballad The masterpiece both these pieces, but there have with Guthrie’s own musical legacy. Ashley Riches (baritone); Paulina here is Parry’s been performances of Bruckner’s This Land Sings: Inspired by the Voices; City of London Choir; Songs of Farewell, Agnus Dei that convey more awe Life and Times of Woody Guthrie BBC Concert Orchestra/ the set of six and pathos, and renditions of (2016) is an arresting tribute to Hilary Davan Wetton motets he began Stravinsky’s Credo with more Guthrie that evokes the themes EM Records EMRCD057 64:30 mins in 1906 and delicate rhythmic bounce. Nor does of his work and landscapes of his EM Records’ completed during World War I. it feel quite right that Bruckner’s travels with wit and imagination. second disc This opens with ‘My Soul, there is exquisite twofold genuflection to the Scored for soprano, baritone and devoted to John a country’, whose dance-like four- Blessed Virgin in his Credo should chamber ensemble, the piece is Gardner is part polyphony seems to take flight flow by so smoothly. The recordings divided into 17 short ‘numbers’, dominated by before arriving with a perfect sense are very good in terms of atmosphere some vocal, some instrumental, in The Ballad of the of timing at its assured punchline. and clarity, but the perspective homage to radio shows of the 1940s White Horse, a 50-minute cantata Although deceptively easy to sing, on the wind instruments feels and ’50s that Guthrie so often played in eight movements first heard it needs every singer to be able slightly more intimate than that on. Daugherty’s agile score fizzes in 1959. Drawing on Chesterton’s to listen and balance with their on the singers which, once you’ve with colour to explore the character epic poem of the same name for its colleagues. Alas, it is at this point noticed it, is a tiny bit distracting. If and preoccupations of Guthrie text, it putatively tells the story of that Westminster Abbey Choir anything, shouldn’t it be the other with both courage and sensitivity. King Alfred and the Danes. The crashes the jump. way around? Stephen Johnson Amid the recast folk tunes and title refers to the Uffington horse, Under James O’Donnell the PERFORMANCE HHHH rich evocations of landscape are which Chesterton and Gardner use Abbey Choir made a very fine RECORDING HHH flashes of activism, including ‘This as a barometer of England’s ethical album of Elgar motets and anthems Trombone Kills Fascists’, a dynamic purity, both then and in modern some 13 years ago, albeit with a choir Michael Daugherty duet for trombone and percussion times. Unlike Gardner’s earlier of 19 choristers balanced by 19 Lay This Land Sings that is a witty play on the slogan works, The Ballad of the White Horse Vicars. The present recording fields Annika Socolofsky (soprano), John Woody painted on his guitar: ‘This is self-consciously conservative 21 choristers, scarcely balanced by Daugherty (baritone); Dogs of Desire/ Machine Kills Fascists’. in style, reminiscent of the less 12 Lay Vicars. Against such odds and David Alan Miller The Tulsa Camerata bring a abrasive aspects of Britten, Vaughan faced with rather over-enthusiastic Naxos 8.559889 66:44 mins luminous clarity to the score while Williams or Walton. trebles at forte, the poor gentlemen BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE 77.