Contemporary Choral Works
Choir of York Minster/Robert Sharpe
Benjamin Morris (organ)
rec. 2023, York Minster, UK
Texts included
Regent REGCD576 [80]
Decades ago, I had the good fortune to study at York University and during that time I was able to visit the Minster many times. It’s a glorious building; in my humble opinion it’s simply the finest example of medieval church architecture in the UK and, indeed, one of the finest in Europe as a whole. The Minster also has an excellent musical tradition. Perhaps in part that is explained by the extraordinary continuity of holders of the post of Director of Music; Robert Sharpe, the current incumbent, has been in place since 2008 and is only the fifth holder of the post since 1897. For the record, Sharpe’s predecessors over that span of time were Thomas Tertius Noble (1898-1913), Sir Edward Bairstow (1913-1946), the late Francis Jackson (1946-1982) and Philip Moore (1983-2008). So, Sharpe is presiding over a proud musical tradition; this new album gives us some insights into the ways in which he is developing that tradition.
One way in which the Minster’s tradition has evolved is through the very welcome addition of girl choristers, who share the ‘top line’ duties with the boys. On this disc 15 boys and 16 girls are involved, although according to the booklet the full complement is twenty of each. As I say, the two teams of choristers share the duties of choral service with the adult Vicars Choral and Choral Scholars; so, it’s appropriate that the boys and girls don’t combine on any of the items here recorded – and a few of the pieces are scored just for ATB, for reasons I’ll come to in a moment.
Many of the pieces included on Robert Sharpe’s programme were either written for or first performed by the York Minster choir. (Many may also be receiving their first recordings but I couldn’t spot that information in the booklet.) What I might call the headline item among them is John Rutter’s Missa Brevis. This honours the late Richard Shephard (1949-2021). Shephard, a composer in his own right, had a long association with the Minster, serving as Headmaster of the Minster School (1985-2004) and then as Director of Development at the Minster, in which role he led a major and successful fund-raising drive. Rutter’s Missa Brevis was composed at the suggestion of – and, I infer, was commissioned by – Shephard. Interestingly, Shephard also proposed the composition of a complementary piece for solo organ which could be performed as an exit voluntary; that piece became Celebration (Ite, missa est) which Benjamin Morris performs at the end of this programme. The first performances of both works, given by the present performers, took place at a Festival Eucharist in in the Minster in Shephard’s memory in July 2021. The Missa Brevis is, as you might expect from this composer, a tuneful and accessible work. I admired the Gloria, the most substantial movement, which, in a varied setting of the text, combines some exciting, rhythmically propulsive episodes with more reflective passages. I also like the air of mystery in the Sanctus and also the gentle intensity of the Agnus Dei, at the end of which the word ‘pacem’ circulates most imaginatively among the vocal parts. Celebration (Ite, missa est) starts off joyfully but there’s quite an extended reflective section in the middle before a short reprise of the opening material brings the piece to an exuberant end. I’m sure all this music is here receiving its first recording. Robert Sharpe and his colleagues do it proud. Incidentally, individual pieces by Richard Shephard have been included on a number of CDs over the years, including his 2003 setting of the ‘Nunc dimittis’ on an earlier York Minster disc (review). I’ve liked the music by Shephard that I’ve heard; whilst acknowledging that this is a very full CD, I wish his memory had been further honoured by the inclusion of one of his pieces.
Robert Sharpe has included pieces byCecilia McDowall (including the very exciting O sing unto the Lord), Sir James MacMillan and Judith Weir. All these pieces are very good – and they’re well performed. However, these senior composers and the quality of their respective bodies of work are well known and I hope I’ll be excused if I don’t comment further and instead highlight some of the composers whose music may be less familiar.
Lucy Walker was Composer in Residence at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London for 2023-24; it was in that capacity that I first encountered her music when a piece by her was included on a recent disc of contemporary Christmas music (review). I liked Walker’s contribution to that disc and I equally admired Today, which features here. It’s a short but most appealing setting for unaccompanied choir of some lines by the contemporary writer, Ozioma Ogbaji. The Canadian, Sarah MacDonald is perhaps best known in the UK for her work as Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge and Director of the Girl Choristers at Ely Cathedral. After this, we will return is a piece she was commissioned to write for the adult voices of York Minster choir when Covid lockdown restrictions were first eased to the extent that a limited amount of singing was at last allowed again at church services. MacDonald assembled her own text from Scripture including, tellingly, the line ‘How can I keep from singing?’ which appears toward the end. The piece begins in a somewhat tentative, subdued vein but soon blossoms out into more confident mood, amply fulfilling the composer’s intention to “write a good tune or two”. Though composed in the shadow of Covid, I hope this fine piece will be heard long after our memories of those dark days of restriction have faded.
O sing unto the Lord by Becky McGlade is another of the post-Covid commissions for unaccompanied ATB voices. Like Cecilia McDowall in her similarly-titled piece, McGlade turned to Psalm 98 but she limited herself to the first two verses. The result is a very good piece which isn’t as exuberant as the words might suggest but still adopts a positive, determined tone. The third of the post-Covid pieces is Lord Jesus Christ by Robert Sharpe’s immediate predecessor at York Minster, Philip Moore. This sets words by Robert Bridges for ATB voices unaccompanied. The mood of the piece is subdued and prayerful and I think it’s memorably atmospheric. So, too, is the present performance where the recording conveys very well the haunting sound of a small group of singers in the Minster’s acoustic.
Becky McGlade has two more pieces on the programme. Both were composed in 2019 but since The Lamb was written for that year’s service of Nine Lessons and Carols at York Minster, it may be that Come, my way, my truth, my life is a very slightly earlier piece. The latter is a setting of lines by George Herbert, which will be familiar from Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs. McGlade describes the piece as a “straightforward, homophonic, almost hymn-like setting” in which she tried to reflect the directness of the poem. I think she’s succeeded but I wonder if her description inadvertently undersells her music. Each of the three stanzas of the poem are set to essentially the same music but each verse is elaborated in a different way, thereby achieving growth; I liked it. But I liked even more The Lamb. There’s a danger, I think, for composers who approach William Blake’s poem that they will fall under the shadow of John Tavener’s memorable and almost ubiquitous setting. Becky McGlade succeeds in avoiding that shadow. The first of Blake’s two stanzas poses questions; these are set to simple, hushed and rather innocent music. The answers come in the second stanza and here McGlade uses more intense harmonies while at the same time maintaining the essential simplicity of the music. I hope her piece will become widely known; it deserves to be.
Annabel Rooney’s Round me falls the night is a night prayer to words by William Romanis (1824-1899). It’s a lovely little piece in which Rooney responds to the words very well indeed. My eyes for beauty pine is rather unusual in that it’s the work of a sister and brother, Elizabeth and Thomas Coxhead, who, it appears, compose jointly. It doesn’t seem that the piece has a direct York connection. The piece is essentially strophic; it’s peaceful and attractive though, to be honest, I didn’t think it was particularly memorable. Kerry Andrew’s O lux beata Trinitas, on the other hand,has a strong York connection. Not only did Andrew study at York University but this piece is the last one in a larger composition, the Compline Mass, Dusk Songs, which was commissioned by the Ebor Singers and first performed in the Minster’s Chapter House. In the notes we learn that Dusk Songs “is a candlelit, atmospheric service”. O lux beata Trinitas is a most interesting piece which makes a good effect here but I wonder if it is one of those compositions that makes an even stronger impression when heard in live performance – and, perhaps in the context of the full Dusk Songs. In fact, I experienced this piece for the first time just recently when I reviewed a disc of choral music performed by the ensemble Siglo de Oro. By sheer coincidence that disc also included Media vita by Kerensa Briggs; the piece was written for Siglo de Oro. This is a very fine piece, which impressed me on first acquaintance. It makes a similar impression here. I also like and admire Set me as a seal. This setting of familiar words from the Song of Solomon was commissioned by the Hereford Three Choirs Festival in 2018. Each year the BBC broadcasts a service of Choral Evensong from the Festival, which is sung by the combined choirs of the three cathedrals. Ms Briggs’ anthem was sung as the Introit to the broadcast Evensong that year. This was a prestigious commission, which is justified by the quality of the piece. The score includes challenging treble and tenor solos, which are well taken in this present performance.
As I hope I’ve indicated, the standard of music in this programme is very high. So, too, is the standard of performance. Robert Sharpe has clearly prepared his choir very thoroughly. And should anyone wonder, the quality of the singing is completely even, whether we have the boy or girl choristers on the top line. In the items which include an organ accompaniment Benjamin Morris plays very well indeed and, of course, he gets his own moment in the sun with the concluding Rutter voluntary. Gary Cole, the producer and engineer, has recorded the music expertly. The voices are clearly heard and the organ has plenty of presence. The spacious, resonant acoustic of York Minster makes its own contribution but is never allowed to compromise the clarity of the performances. I think that the booklet is exemplary. There’s a brief biographical note about each composer, after which the composers themselves introduce their piece(s); that’s an ideal way to document in particular music and/or composers whose names may be less well-known.
This is an enjoyable and stimulating album of recent church music.
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Contents
Sir John Rutter (b. 1945) – Missa Brevis (2021)
Cecilia McDowall (b. 1951) – O sing unto the Lord (2019)
Lucy Walker (b. 1998) – Today
Sarah MacDonald (b. 1968) – After this, we will return
Annabel Rooney (b. 1973) – Round me falls the night
Becky McGlade (b. 1974) – O sing unto the Lord (2020)
Sir James MacMillan (b. 1959) – The Short Service – Magnificat & Nunc dimittis (2019)
Judith Weir (b. 1954) – Love bade me welcome (1997)
Sarah MacDonald – Introit for Creationtide (2019)
Kerensa Briggs (b. 1991) – Media vita (2015)
Becky McGlade – The Lamb (2019)
Philip Moore (b. 1943) – Lord Jesus Christ
Kerry Andrew (b. 1978) – O lux beata Trinitas (2005)
Cecilia McDowall – The Loving Memory (2016)
Becky McGlade – Come, my way, my truth, my life (2019)
Elizabeth Coxhead (b. 1987) and Thomas Coxhead (b. 1993) – My eyes for beauty pine (2013)
Kerensa Briggs – Set me as a seal (2018)
Sir John Rutter – Celebration (Ite, missa est) (2021)
