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English carol perfection

David A. Beamer | Clawson, MI United States | 12/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is a rare treat -- a Christmas CD that deserves a place near the top of your large stack of choral Christmas recordings. Under Stephen Layton's able leadership, the a cappella choir Polyphony has made a recording of marvelous gems. It contains what could be the definitive performances of several of the best English carols of the 20th century.



First, a note on the contents of the recording. Of the 29 tracks, 7 are "plainchants" -- a single chant-like line sung by one soloist (or multiple voices in unison). The plainchant tracks (all in Latin) are sprinkled throughout the recording. The carols (all in English or Old English, except for Warlock's "Benedicamus Domino") are grouped by threes and fours in between the plainchants, giving the CD an overall "rhythm".



Among the 22 carol tracks are some of the carols that are becoming "new standards" of the repertoire. Among these are "A Spotless Rose", "What Cheer?", "Bethlehem Down", "I Saw a Fair Maiden", "Lullaby my Jesus", and "Here is the Little Door". The composers represented here are a Who's Who of English choral masters of the 20th century: Herbert Howells, Peter Warlock, Kenneth Leighton, and Richard Rodney Bennett. William Walton makes an appearance with his "What Cheer?".



The singing here is as close to absolutely perfect as you are likely to find anywhere. This group has a more refined sound than Rutter's extremely able Cambridge Singers, and even gives Chanticleer a run for their money. Polyphony is composed of 16 voices, including only 5 women. Although their individual names are not given (this info is gleaned only from a photo of the group), the sound of the choir strongly suggests the women are all singing soprano, with men taking the alto (countertenor) part. This keeps the group with one foot in the centuries-old tradition of English cathedral choirs where boys sing the soprano (treble) part, and men sing countertenor. There is very little perceptible vibrato anywhere (except in a few solo passages), which adds to the clarity and purity of sound.



The choir especially excels in the soft passages of the music. This is especially true in "Bethlehem Down", and nowhere more than the the last few bars of "A Spotless Rose". In the latter, Howells finishes the carol with a series of chords that move from one delicious dissonance to the next. The singers are so well trained and conducted, that the last couple of bars seem to go on and on and on -- and you don't want it to end. It seems as though none of the singers has to take a breath in this final passage ("in a cold, cold winter's night"), which is delicately drawn out for a rapturously long 35 seconds. The final three chords contain a breathtakingly slow and luxurious ritard and decrescendo, with the choir singing like angels...real humans simply cannot sing with that kind of indescribable and ineffable perfection.



If you don't have this CD, put it near the top of your Christmas wish list -- or just buy it for yourself. You definitely will not be disappointed."