An excellent reissue by Hyperion on their Helios label, this disc
opens with that astonishing work Rejoice in the Lamb. The
piece was commissioned by St Matthew’s, Northampton, to celebrate
the church’s fiftieth anniversary. Britten chose words by Smart,
an eccentric eighteenth century mystical poet, who wrote his Jubilate
Agno - which includes the famous “For I shall consider my
Cat Jeoffrey” - in a mental asylum. Most of the words are heavily
concerned with animals and nature and music or instruments. The
resulting combination of rather odd but intriguing text and stunning
music is completely unique. There is nothing else like this amazing
work!
All
the soloists here are of the highest standard. Soprano Mary
Seers has a very pure voice, quite boy-like and crystalline,
with almost no vibrato. This is an excellent choice as her voice
works perfectly for this sort of music, and is very beautiful.
All other soloists – Michael Chance, Philip Salmon and Quentin
Hayes - are similarly well-suited to their roles, and perform
with great clarity and beauty of voice. Even the sopranos in
the Corydon Singers are wonderfully pure-toned, resulting in
a performance that is incredibly clear and fine. Yet although
the singing is quite delicate at times, the performers are able
to invest it with spirit and fire when necessary: listen to
the incredibly dramatic, chilling and effective rendition of
For I am under the same accusation with my Saviour.
On
the whole, this is a very fine performance. It is fairly measured
– possibly even a little on the slow side, but we consequently
get the full benefit of the beautiful singing and good enunciation.
The resonant acoustic of St Albans Church in Holborn conveys
an ethereal quality, yet does not detract from the clarity of
the sound.
The
Wedding Cantata was composed to celebrate the wedding
of the Earl of Harewood to Marion Stein, both of whom were friends
of Britten. The words were written for the occasion by Ronald
Duncan. Again, the soprano, Janet Coxwell this time, has a very
pure and clear voice that suits the music, and the piece is
given a wonderfully joyful performance. The Festival Te Deum
follows, with some radiant singing. The disc then concludes
with A Boy was Born – yet again, a remarkable piece given
that Britten was only 19 when he composed it. This despite the
fact that we know from even earlier works - such as the Quatre
Chansons Françaises - that he had found and developed his
own voice even early in his teens.
All
in all, a splendid disc – superb performances of excellent works,
and well worth getting hold of.
Em Marshall
Mary Seers; Janet Coxwell (sopranos), 
