CORO The Sixteen Edition CORO The Sixteen Edition Other Sixteen Edition recordings available on Coro Fen and Meadow Blest Cecilia A Ceremony of Carols Britten Choral Works III Britten Choral Works I cor16006 Britten Choral Works II cor16034 Hymn to the Virgin A Ceremony of Carols Hymn to St Cecilia A Boy was Born Rejoice in the Lamb A Shepherd's Carol Te Deum in C The Sycamore Tree Jubilate Deo Sweet was the Song Festival Te Deum Missa Brevis in D C HORAL D ANCES FROM 'G LORIANA ' Ikon of Light Barber Agnus Dei F IVE F LOWER S ONGS John Tavener cor16015 An American Collection cor16031 S ACRED AND P ROFANE The Lamb Samuel Barber Two Hymns to the Leonard Bernstein Mother of God Aaron Copland Today the Virgin Irving Fine Ian Partridge The Tyger Steve Reich The Sixteen Page 1 Eonia Del Tredici THE VOICES OF HARRY CHRISTOPHERS To find out more about The Sixteen, concerts, tours, and to buy CDs, visit www.thesixteen.com cor16038 In December 1977, as a member of the choir of Fen and Meadow Lady Barnard was composed in 1943 for a Westminster Abbey, I sang at Britten’s memorial friend, Richard Wood, who was in a prison Benjamin Britten camp in Germany, for him and his fellow service; at that time, I was also a member of English prisoners to perform there. The score was Music Theatre, successor to English Opera Group ritten's opera Gloriana celebrated sent out page by page by microfilm letter. and the brainchild of conductor Steuart Bedford Queen Elizabeth II's coronation The Wedding Anthem, Amo Ergo Sum, and producer Colin Graham but with the blessing Bby depicting scenes from the life composed for the marriage of Marion Stein and support of Britten. Unfortunately, I never had of Elizabeth I. The affection she inspired to the Earl of Harewood in 1949 (in St among her subjects is captured in the simple Mark's, North Audley Street in London), is an the privilege of meeting Benjamin Britten but I felt radiance of the masque they present during exuberant setting of Ronald Duncan's high- I knew him through his music and working closely her royal progress to Norwich. The Spirit flown text (shades of Lucretia), and includes with not only Steuart and Colin but also Peter Pears. of the Masque, a solo tenor, introduces the arias for the soprano and tenor soloists, and It had taken England many centuries to produce dancers. First comes Time, his youthful a duet whose phrases answer each other in buoyancy chorally depicted by cross-rhythm mirror imitation and reach a climactic unison such a distinctive musical personality. Indeed there and canonic propulsion in Britten's brightly on the words 'Amo Ergo Sum'. would be many that would agree with me that he was the first of such stature since affirmative C major. Time's spouse, Concord, How the conventions of the English Henry Purcell. dances to entirely concordant (but beautifully partsong are accepted yet revalued in Britten's Having sung most of the works on this disc as a boy chorister and as a rather unpredictable) harmonies, and together they Five Flower Songs (1950) is typified in the first, dance From springs of bounty, a lilting canon where mellifluous harmonies avoid cliché, indifferent tenor, I found it most refreshing to look over these scores from a between women and men. Girls present often because of the persistence of the opening conductor’s viewpoint. I am always astounded how years of misguided interpretation flowers to an airy rustic dance duet and with a shape, 'Fair daffodils'. Herrick's 'four sweet lead to the composer’s intentions being flagrantly ignored and then termed more stolid animation the men bring the fruits months', one to each part, enter in quasi-fugal “tradition” but I didn’t really expect it in performances of more recent composers’ of land and sea. These tokens are offered to succession, later intensified by closer overlaps. George Crabbe, whose Peter Grimes inspired works. And so it was doubly refreshing to attempt to be faithful to Britten’s requests. the queen in the Final Dance of Homage; again unclouded C major and canonic unanimity Britten's opera, is set here without softening His music is never easy but it is always challenging for performers, be they singers are warmly expressive, while the flattening his dour realism, so 'the contracted Flora or instrumentalists. However, and take note all budding composers, he never sets inflexions at 'Norwich city you are leaving' add of our town' have angular lines. They are impossible tasks! a delicate tinge of regret. relieved by a few touches of warmer harmony, Advance Democracy, to an embarrassingly but no textures as simple as those which, aided earnest text by Randall Swingler, reflects by a gentle flexibility of metre, characterize Britten's commitment to left-wing causes in The Evening Primrose. Instrumental style the 1930s; it was composed at the time of the returns for the jaunty accompaniments against Munich crisis in Autumn 1938. which the Ballad of Green Broom is projected, The splendid Ballad of Little Musgrave and and for its sonorous climax. 3 Sacred and Profane, composed in CHORAL DANCES FROM 'GLORIANA' the winter of 1974-5, was Britten's solo tenor: Ian Partridge THE SIXTEEN last work for unaccompanied 1 The Masque begins 0.53 SOPRANO Fiona Clarke, Libby Crabtree†, Sophie Daneman*, Ruth Dean, Sally Dunkley, voices. It was written for the Wilbye 2 First Dance: Time 1.43 Micaela Haslam†, Nicola Jenkin*, Nicola-Jane Kemp*, Carys Lane, Rebecca Outram† Consort, a madrigal group which 3 Second Dance: Concord 2.39 Peter Pears had founded, and 4 Third Dance: Time and Concord 1.48 ALTO Deborah Miles-Johnson†, Philip Newton, Christopher Royall, the settings are characteristically 5 Fourth Dance: Country Girls 1.14 Nigel Short†, Helen Templeton*, Caroline Trevor* madrigalian in their five-part 6 Fifth Dance: Rustics and Fishermen 1.19 TENOR Peter Burrows*, Philip Daggett, Duncan MacKenzie*, writing. The texts are medieval 7 Sixth Dance: Final Dance of Homage 2.16 † † English lyrics and a typical Neil MacKenzie , Nicolas Robertson, Matthew Vine mixture of the devotional and the 8 Advance Democracy 3.15 BASS Simon Birchall, Michael Bundy*, Roger Cleverdon*, Robert Evans†, † † rumbustiously secular. The sacred 9 Timothy Jones, Francis Steele , Jeremy White lyrics all have a simple dignity, and The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard 8.28 * Choral Dances and Five Flower Songs only the two passion settings a tragic † not in Choral Dances or Five Flower Songs intensity worthy of Bach. The bl A Wedding Anthem 8.59 second one, Ye that pasen by, takes solos: Ruth Dean, Neil MacKenzie PIANO Stephen Westrop ORGAN Margaret Phillips up the refrain of the preceding Carol FIVE FLOWER SONGS HARP Helen Tunstall − an apparently innocent piece bm which however is marked 'with To Daffodils 1.50 bn parody!' like Mahler at his most The Succession of the Four Sweet Months 2.06 bo The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard ironic. The secular lyrics range from Marsh Flowers 1.56 a joyful invocation of spring (Lenten bp The Evening Primrose 2.44 TENOR Simon Berridge, Andrew Carwood, Nicolas Robertson, Matthew Vine bq is come) to a chilling little song about Ballad of Green Broom 1.53 BARITONE Matthew Brook, Michael Bundy, Robert Evans, Timothy Jones madness (I mon waxe wod) and the SACRED AND PROFANE final grim catalogue of the ills of old BASS Simon Birchall, Charles Gibbs, Francis Steele, Jeremy White br St Godric's Hymn 1.34 age, A Death, to which Britten, who bs was facing his own fast-approaching I mon waxe wod 0.38 bt Lenten is come 2.43 Sacred and Profane death, first reacts with horror, then bu with gallows humour. The long night 1.19 SOPRANO Fiona Clarke, Libby Crabtree, Ruth Dean, Sally Dunkley, Rosemary Hattrell, cl Yif ic of luve can 2.38 Lucinda Houghton cm Adapted from notes by Carol 1.36 ALTO Sarah Connolly, Philip Newton, Christopher Royall, Nigel Short Peter Evans and David Matthews. cn Ye that pasen by 2.18 co A death 3.03 TENOR Simon Berridge, Andrew Carwood, Nicolas Robertson, Matthew Vine Total playing time 60.10 BASS Simon Birchall, Robert Evans, Timothy Jones, Jeremy White 4 5 Queenly woman In earthen dishes Choral Dances from 'Gloriana' Knew such favour Their deep-sea fishes; From Heav'n above Yearly fleeces, 1 3 The Masque begins Second Dance: Concord As she whose presence Woven blankets; The masque begins. Concord, Concord is here Is our pleasance New cream and junkets, Our days to bless Gloriana And rustic trinkets Melt earth to sea, sea flow to air; And this our land to endue Hath all our love! On wicker flaskets, And air fly into fire! With plenty, peace and happiness. Their country largess, The elements, at Gloriana's chair, Concord, Concord and Time, The best they know. 5 Mingle in tuneful choir. Each needeth each; Fourth Dance: The ripest fruit hangs where Led by Time and Concord, And now we summon from this leafy bower Country Girls let all unite in homage to Gloriana, The demi-god that must appear! Not one, but only two can reach. Sweet flag and cuckoo flower, our hope of peace, our flower of grace. 'Tis Time! 'tis Time! 'tis Time! Now Time with Concord dances Cowslip and columbine, This island doth rejoice: Kingcups and sops in wine, 7 Sixth Dance: 2 First Dance: Time And woods and waves and waters Flower deluce and calaminth, Make echo to our voice.