Search - Edgar Leslie Bainton, Helen Tunstall, Edward Higgenbottom :: Bluebird: Voices from Heaven

Like Adding Sugar and Honey to Syrup

niedzwiedz | Cincinnati, OH | 10/10/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This disc largely consists of sticky-sweet, bastardized choral arrangements done in a saccharine style. The pieces whose texts are set to familiar "Top 40" classical works are really quite tasteless- Lugebat David and Crux Fidelis being the worst of them.The recording has been made with a manufactured sound in an unusually resonant space, which has allowed the producer to gloss over a startling number of sloppy entrances, a poor blend, occasional pitch problems, and a shrill soprano section.Borrow the disc from your library and listen to the transcriptions for the novelty of it- but for more legitimate recordings of the Rutter, the Messaien, Part and Rachmaninov, you'd best look elsewhere."

Glorious Hymns Well Sung!

James Yelvington | USA | 02/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
I was surprised to read the wide variation of reactions to this CD, which I read whilst re-hearing it. Talk about one man's meat being another man's poison!



Let me say at the outset, I am one who found the disk to be delicious meat, not poison. While I, too, was a bit fearful when I saw the number of re-arranged familiar works, I approached them with an open mind, prepared to enjoy them or not as the listening experience unfolded, with no odious comparisons nor particular expectations nor religious purposes in mind. I will speak then of my musical experience listening to the disk.



I enjoyed the music immensely, and was grateful for the provision of texts and translations (in lieu of any other notes about the pieces). I found the variety of cultures, styles, periods, and level of familiarity a very refreshing reminder of the countless ways in which composers of various times and places have approached Christian ideas (for no other religion is represented here).



Let me say a word or two about the individual pieces, then offer a very brief summary.



First, the Rutter hymn "What Sweeter Music" was familiar to me, but I delighted in its sheer loveliness, almost as if it were the first time! I had to play it several times before proceeding. We all owe John Rutter a great deal for his musical contribution to our times.



I was impressed with the beauty and imagination of Stanford's setting of Mary Coleridge's "Blue Bird." Not really a hymn, I suppose, it speaks of joy in nature, reminiscent in basic idea to "All Things Bright and Beautiful," though not musically similar.



The rendering of the Catalan folksong (brought to us originally by Pablo Casals) as a hymn with 7th century Ambrosian text was a welcome chance to re-hear that lovely music, and not as the Christmas carol "El Cant dels Ocells" ("The Song of the Birds"). Higginbottom's arrangement, with harp accompaniment, is very atmospheric and gorgeous.



The setting of Händel's "Ombra Mai Fu" (from his opera Xerxes) was a bit difficult to separate from its original context simply because of its immense popularity; still I managed to suppress those connotations, and found the new topic really not so different, after all. The "Crux Fidelis" text speaks of the holy cross as a "noble tree," while in Xerxes the aria renders thanks to a tree for its shade. The choral arrangement, sung in unison, with string accompaniment is tasteful and musical.



The Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria" is another extremely familiar hymn, but this one is not so much different from its Gounod setting. Higginbottom has simply added a choral accompaniment to the original vocal solo and used the harp to provide instrumental support. The tenor, Ben Hulett, sings very beautifully, as does the chorus behind him, and the balance is fine overall, though some might prefer the soloist to be more prominent in one or two spots.



I was glad to be reminded of Grieg's "Ave Maris Stella," which I had forgotten about, and of his expertise in writing for voice. His most popular works are undoubtedly the instrumental "Peer Gynt Suite" and the piano concerto. Here we get back to original versions again. I enjoyed this, though the intensity of the choral singing may be too much for some.



The "Amen" by Finzi shows a delightful interweaving of voices and some delicious harmonies within its short span (hardly more than 60 seconds).



Grechaninov's "Veruyu," or "Credo" from the important Russian Orthodox Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom brings to us the lovely, mystical chant of the all-male church choirs with their ultra-high tenors and ultra-low basses offering a huge richness of (unaccompanied) vocal sound. This is lovely and devout-sounding music, dramatically presented!



The utterly simple and ravishingly beautiful "God Be In My Head," by HW Davies, is probably alone worth the price of the CD! The choral singing here is absolutely first-rate.



The arrangement of Fauré's "Pavane" is one of the more problematic pieces, being again so very familiar to us all in the original flute and strings version. I was rather pleased with the choral arrangement, perhaps perversely, for I have grown a bit tired of hearing the original. The 15th century Latin words seem to me appropriate to the emotional character of Fauré's music, being very mournful indeed. (Fauré's title is simply the name of a very old Italian dance from Padua, so I don't know if he meant it to be sad.)



The 2 selections from Rachmaninov's setting of an "All Night Vigil" (tracks 11 and 14) present music from the Russian Orthodox church, as did Grechaninov's, and the musical style is quite similar. For a piano virtuoso, Rachmaninov astounds us with his fine choral writing. Listen for the extremely low bass notes at the end of track 11, but don't try them at home: they're really subterranean! Track 14 "Blessed Is the Man" is a remarkably fine hymn with lovely Alleluias at the end of each verse.



Stanford's "Beata Quorum Via" is another expert piece of choral writing, and it is quite beautiful as presented here, a capella, with lovely interweaving voices in varied textures.



The "Song for Athene," by contemporary English composer Sir John Tavener, is a lament for the death of a woman, with words from Shakespeare and the Russian Orthodox funeral service and music very reminiscent of the Russian music presented earlier, except that 20th century touches appear here and there in the form of dissonances which occur suddenly and then resolve quickly back into the predominant, often austere, harmony.



"Mater Christi" is by John Taverner (not Tavener!), a 16th century English composer of church music, much of which is fairly well known today. This is a fine, longish Marian hymn sung a capella in Latin.



Monteverdi provides another Marian hymn whose Latin text is very familiar and much used, being the "Ave Maris Stella." The chorus is supported by organ and chamber orchestra, and all perform well. Very fine music!



Rossini, of operatic fame, puts on his ecclesiastical mantle here to offer a hymn to words of St. Thomas Aquinas, "O Salutaris Hostia," which is appropriately devout in character and as dramatic as you might expect. It's also a lovely a capella hymn.



Messiaen's "O Sacrum Convivium" is, like Rossini's, a hymn which centers upon the Paschal victim as recalled in the holy communion, but this time in the exquisite and piquant harmonies characteristic of the 20th century French mystical composer.



Arvo Pärt is a contemporary Estonian composer (born 1935) of a mystical character akin to Messiaen's and Tavener's. "O Weisheit," a hymn to Divine Wisdom, is sung in German and has a chant-like quality.



"And I Saw a New Heaven," a liturgical anthem, is the best-known work of the 20th century English composer Edgar Bainton, who is less well known than most of the others here (two of whom--Davies and Stanford-- were his teachers). The English text, from the Book of Revelations, is highly mystical and prophetic, and the music, for chorus and organ, is absolutely glorious!



Though some have complained about the singing and the recording quality here, I don't agree with them overall. There are points where the intensity of the voices in the perhaps overly resonant environment may seem a bit harsh, but such points are relatively few, and I find the many moments of exquisite delight outweigh them by far. Thus I recommend this CD highly for the large amount of musical satisfaction it brings.

"