Reviews
GMCD 7271 Portsmouth Remembers
SOURCE NOT
KNOWN
Portsmouth Remembers. 18
tracks of hymns, anthems, and canticles. Portsmouth Cathedral Choir/Anthony
Froggatt The Regent Brass Ensemble. David Thorne. Rosemary Field, and
Christopher Eastwood, Organ. Guild GMCD 7271. TT: 78:50. (Albany).
The lighthouse at
Portsmouth has served as a beacon for mariners for years and also is a symbol of
those who have served their country, The Portsmouth Cathedral Choir is a good
one, and this CD has tracks recorded in 1984 and 2003. In the rosters printed
only one tenor was there in both years. The organ was rebuilt in the years
between sessions also, and the specs for each Organ are given. The gap
between 1984 and 2003 also explains why three organists appear an the CD.
The Regent Brass
Ensemble is a quartet which joins in an the hymns. There are some pieces new to
me worth hearing. Among them are Mark Blatchly's setting of Binyan's “For the
Fallen". We usually hear the Elgar version. Then there is a major anthem by
Alan Gray,
What are these that glow
from afar for
a Saint's Day.
The words are by
Christina Rossetti. Really nice. Tavener's Funeral
Ikos is
especially beautiful. Karl Jenkins was commissioned by the Royal Armouries to
Write a Millennium piece. The Mass’The
Armed Man'
resulted, and an the CD there
is just the
gorgeous Benedictus. The mass is tkdicated to the victims of Kosovo.
I'd like to hear the entire piece some day.
Parry, Bullock, Ireland, Walford
Davies, and Joubert are represented with familiar pieces also. Collectors of
church music, cathedral Organs, etc., will wart to add this one to their already
bulging shelves.
Suffolk &
Norfolk Life October 2005
There
are times when trying to make sense of a selection really takes some working
out, but stick with me and maybe all will become clear. This month's selection
of recent and new CDs is-all associated with Suffolk and Norfolk
(well Cambridgeshire is thrown in for good measure). Last year I was conducting
a concert an the night of the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, but
it was for a previous Festival in 1980 that former Ipswich student, Mark
Blatchly wrote an anthem, For the Fallen. This evocative setting of
Laurence Binyon's poem incorporates the Last Post, and it was featured again in
last year's commemoration of the D-Day Landings.
Portsmouth Remembers is
as
appropriate in this year of VE and V) Days as it was last year. Portsmouth
Cathedral Choir and the Regent Brass Ensemble perform 18 works including Parry's
Jerusalem and the hymn Eternal father, Strong to save, which was
to find it's way in Benjamin Britten's musical setting of the Story of
Saint Nicolas.
Michael Tippett's setting of the spiritual
Steal
away
also
is performed in this moving selection
Chris Green
MusicWeb 22.06.04
The boy
sopranos soar effortlessly above the tenor and bass lines, and this made the
experience rather special. ... Raymond Walker - MusicWeb
Portsmouth
Remembers: A collection of hymns, part songs and organ pieces
Henry SMART (1813-1879) Hymn: Light's
abode, Celestial Salem (Regent Square)
John JOUBERT (b. 1927) O Lorde, the maker
of al thing
Herbert SUMSION (1899-1995) They that go
down to the sea in ships
Mark BLATCHLY (b. 1960) For the fallen
('They shall grow not old')
William P. ROWLANDS (1860-1937) Hymn: Love
Divine, all loves excelling (Blaenwern)
Sir Charles H. PARRY (1848-1918) Organ:
Chorale Prelude on Croft's 136th
John B. DYKES (1823-1876) Hymn: Eternal
Father, strong to save (Melita)
Alan GRAY (1855-1931) What are these that
glow from afar
Sir Ernest BULLOCK (1890-1979) Give us the
wings of faith
Andrea GABRIELI (1510-1586) Ricercare IX
del 12o tono
Percy DEARMER (1867-1936) Hymn: He who
would valiant be (Monk's Gate)
John IRELAND (1879-1962) Te Deum laudamus
in F
Sir Charles H. PARRY (1848-1918) Hymn:
Jerusalem
Sir Michael TIPPETT (1905-1998) Steal Away
Sir John TAVENER (b. 1944) Funeral Ikos
Gabriel FAURÉ (1845-1924) Agnus Dei (from
'Requiem')
Karl JENKINS (b. 1944) Benedictus (from
the Mass 'The Armed Man')
Sir Henry WALFORD DAVIES (1869-1941) Psalm
121
 Organists:
David Thorne, Rosemary Field and Christopher Eastwood
Portsmouth Cathedral Choir and the Regent Brass Ensemble
Organists: David Thorne, Rosemary Field, Christopher Eastwood
Directed by Anthony Froggatt and David Price
Recorded at Portsmouth Cathedral, England, July 1984; November 2003
GUILD
GMCD 7271 [78:52]
This
collection of sacred part songs and hymns provides an interesting programme:
Ireland's Te Deum, Tippett's Ikos funeral music, Fauré's Agnus
Dei (Requiem) and the refreshingly modern Benedictus from Jenkins’
The Armed Man are all welcome items. The hymns are of the 'Songs of Praise'
variety, but these are punctuated by a couple of organ pieces to make a
colourful change. The hymns here are well known and this is just as well since
diction is poor from the rececessed congregation in a wide acoustic. The
repetitive nature of hymns is always helped by the inclusion of a descant verse
from the well-trained choir and this is particularly uplifting for two of the
hymns, Light's abode and Eternal Father. The hymn, Light’s
abode (Henry Smart) is rather pedestrian in speed for its jolly tune.
In the
part songs, the reverberation that masks clarity in the hymns tends to promote a
very pleasing effect where the boy sopranos soar effortlessly above the tenor
and bass lines, and this made the experience rather special. Of the choral
pieces, I found Gray's What are these that glow bright and full of energy
and Parry's Chorale Prelude a nice diversion. Anyone who hasn't heard the
Benedictus yet from The Armed Man will undoubtedly be moved by it.
The warmth
of the recording with its wide frequency range complements the impressive
organ's rich bass registers. It is unfair to differentiate between the playing
of its three soloists as all contribute excellently to the programme. The
addition of the Regent Brass Band for some of the hymns adds welcome colour and
lifts the overall sound-picture.
Perhaps I
could have done without the uninspired (to my ears) Joubert piece when it must
have been a difficult choice to decide what to leave out of such a programme.
The
booklet, in English only, gives useful background snippets and a full
specification of the organ which I notice sports a number of 16' ranks and one
32' sub bass pedal.
Raymond J,
Walker
Source not
known
Portsmouth Remembers. 18 tracks of hymns, anthems, and
canticles. Portsmouth Cathedral Choir/Anthony Froggatt The Regent Brass
Ensemble. David Thorne. Rosemary Field, and Christopher Eastwood, Organ. Guild
GMCD 7271. TT: 78:50. (Albany).
The lighthouse at Portsmouth has served
as a beacon for mariners for years and also is a symbol of those who have served
their country, The Portsmouth Cathedral Choir is a good one, and this CD has
tracks recorded in 1984 and 2003. In the rosters printed only one tenor was
there in both years. The organ was rebuilt in the years between sessions
also, and the specs for each Organ are given. The gap between 1984 and 2003 also
explains why three organists appear an the CD.
The Regent Brass Ensemble is a quartet which joins in an the
hymns. There are some pieces new to me worth hearing. Among them are Mark
Blatchly's setting of Binyan's “For the Fallen". We usually hear the Elgar
version. Then there is a major anthem by
Alan Gray,
What are these that glow from afar
for a Saint's Day.
The words are by Christina Rossetti. Really nice. Tavener's
Funeral Ikos
is especially beautiful. Karl Jenkins was commissioned by the Royal Armouries to
Write a Millennium piece. The Mass’The Armed
Man' resulted, and an the CD there
is just the gorgeous Benedictus. The mass
is tkdicated to the victims of Kosovo. I'd like to hear the entire piece
some day.
Parry, Bullock, Ireland, Walford
Davies, and Joubert are represented with familiar pieces also. Collectors of
church music, cathedral Organs, etc., will wart to add this one to their already
bulging shelves.
Sptifire May 04
I CAN thoroughly recommend this new
compilation CD from the modern Portsmouth Cathedral with its historic military
connections. The inspiring quality of the contents is equalled by the
musicianship of artists all well established and respected in their own spheres
as composers, musical directors, organists, choristers and brass
instrumentalists.
A stimulating musical anthology of
traditional hymns, psalms, poems and anthems with an excerpt from a mass, an
oratorio etc. Composers range from the sixteenth century Gabrielli through to
the present day Sir John Taverner.
Tracks 1 to 12 are recoded from the
earlier organ in 1984, and also include the melodious Regent Brass Ensemble; the
remaining six tracks feature the magnificently extended organ of recent years.HAL
Classics Today Tuesday
May 11 04
Various works by Joubert, Sumsion, Parry, Dykes, Dearmer,
Ireland, Tippett, Fauré, others
David Thorne, Rosemary Field, & Christopher Eastwood (organ)
Portsmouth Cathedral Choir
The Regent Brass Ensemble
Anthony Froggatt
David Price
Guild- 7271(CD)
No Reference Recording
The disc's title refers
to Portsmouth, England's traditional community role as welcomer of seafarers and
rememberer of "those whose lives have been given in sacrifice to their country."
Here, the choir of its renowned cathedral sings works to honor and commemorate
these revered souls, performing many of the best-known cathedral anthems and
hymns along with several organ selections. Highlights include the familiar hymns
"Light's abode, Celestial Salem" (Regent Square), "Love Divine, all loves
excelling" (to the less-commonly heard Blaenwern), "He who would valiant be"
(Monk's Gate), and Parry's eminent and powerful "Jerusalem", along with anthems
such as Herbert Sumsion's They that go down to the sea in ships and Mark
Blatchly's For the fallen. Michael Tippett's setting of Steal Away (from his
oratorio A Child of our Time) and Karl Jenkins' Benedictus (from his Mass "The
Armed Man") are particularly notable for their originality (Tippett) and
tunefulness (Jenkins).
As expected, the choir
performs admirably and confidently in this bread-and-butter repertoire, and fans
of English cathedral music will certainly enjoy the program despite its lack of
unusual or rarely heard works. Depending on volume and forces engaged, the sound
can be a bit saturated and lacking in inner detail--but that is not uncommon in
this kind of music, especially when the choir is joined by organ and brass and
recorded in a big, resonant space. The majority of the tracks were recorded in
1984, the rest in 2003. While certainly not a must-have recording, this is a
sincerely conceived, solidly performed, and very generously programmed (nearly
79 minutes) effort. Those who want or need this know who they are.
--David Vernier
Page revised Thursday August 31 2006
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