The idea behind this programme is a good one. The music traces
the Church’s year, taking in all the important dates in
the liturgical calendar - one piece for each - including one
or two that are of particular significance to York itself. Thus
we move from Advent (Naylor), through Epiphany (Carter), Easter
(Francis Jackson), and Trinity (Stainer) to All Saints (Bullock)
and All Souls (Gabriel Jackson). Along the way Alcuin of York
is commemorated by Humphrey Clucas and St. William of York by
John Taverner.
I’ve heard and admired several recordings that Robert
Sharpe made while he was at Truro Cathedral but this is the
first disc that I’ve heard since his move to York in 2008,
though he’s made at least two previous recordings at York
that have not come my way. York Minster has had both girl and
boy choristers since 1997 and one or other section takes the
treble line on a regular basis along with the Songmen, as the
adult singers are styled. For this recording 18 boy trebles
and twenty girls are listed along with four tenors and five
each of basses and male altos. I am pretty sure that Robert
Sharpe inherited a choir in good shape from his predecessor,
Philip Moore. The York choir had a strong reputation during
Moore’s time in office (1983-2008). On the evidence of
this disc the choir continues to be in very good fettle under
the Sharpe regime.
Robert Sharpe has chosen a programme of music that is packed
with York connections - though there’s no narrow parochial
sentiment in the choice; each piece more than justifies its
place on merit. It would almost be quicker to list the pieces
that don’t have a York association. Pride of place,
as regards association, must go to the previous Organists of
the Minster, Edward Bairstow (1913-1946), Francis Jackson (1946-1982)
and Philip Moore. Between them they account for a staggering
ninety-four years of service to the Minster, a truly remarkable
stability. Andrew Carter was a Songman at the Minster but is,
perhaps, better known - apart from his compositions - as the
first conductor of the York Chapter House Choir, which he directed
for 17 years. George Haynes is a current Songman, an alto, and
sings on this CD. Richard Shephard was Headmaster of the York
Minster School, which the choristers attend, for many years
until 2004 and still works for the Minster. Edward Naylor almost
gets into the list of Minster alumni too because his father
was organist there between 1883 and 1897. Besides these links,
a couple of other pieces were written for the York Minster choir.
These are the pieces by Paul Comeau and Humphrey Clucas. As
I say, there’s no parochialism in the selection: the Minster
and its musicians have clearly inspired some fine music down
the years.
Among the items that particularly impressed me was The Magi
by Andrew Carter. This is a setting of words by Carter himself
and I found it interesting and resourceful. It offers a welcome
alternative to Cornelius’s too-ubiquitous The Three
Kings and I hope other choirs will take it up. Paul Comeau
lives and works in Cornwall and has written quite a lot of music
for Truro Cathedral. No doubt this prompted Robert Sharpe to
invite him to write for York. Audi coelum uses two echo
singers and exploits the vast resonance of the Minster’s
acoustic very imaginatively. I was very taken with Francis Jackson’s
Easter piece, Alleluia, laudate pueri dominum.
This double choir piece was written not for the Minster choir
but for Andrew Carter and the Chapter House Choir and is described
in the notes as being akin to “a fanfare greeting the
Resurrection”. Though the piece is short it’s vital
and blazing and the present performance has tremendous gusto.
The thoughtful Clucas piece that follows, written for the Minster
during the Philip Moore era, offers a good contrast with the
exuberance of the Jackson. Gabriel Jackson’s Justorum
animae closes the programme. This was new to me - it’s
one of several works receiving its first recording - but it’s
very typical of this composer in that it takes a wonderful,
resonant text and cloaks it in luminous music, expertly written
for voices. O sacrum convivium by George Haynes, a current
member of the Minster choir, also demands a mention. This is
an impressive piece, mainly devotional in tone but there’s
good strength in the writing at ‘mens impletur gratia’.
Among the more standard repertoire, Stanford’s lovely
Magnificat receives a splendid performance. I’ve always
thought this is an appropriately feminine setting but I can’t
readily recall hearing too many recordings in which the famous
treble solo is sung by a girl soprano. Here, the task is entrusted
to Isabel Suckling who is simply outstanding. Her voice is clear
and pure and listening to her solo singing was a delight. The
very first piece, Naylor’s dramatic, declamatory anthem,
is delivered strongly and with great conviction by the choir
though it seemed to me that once or twice the boy trebles were
rather taxed by Naylor’s demanding writing. There’s
a robust account of the Ascensiontide anthem by Philips while
Tallis’s exquisite If ye love me is persuasively
shaped.
The choir’s singing is very good and responsive throughout
the programme; evidently they’ve been thoroughly prepared
by Robert Sharpe. Most of the pieces are unaccompanied but where
accompaniment is prescribed the Minster’s Assistant Director
of Music, David Pipe, delivers the goods. York Minster is a
huge building with an acoustic to match. The resonance and the
sheer size of the acoustic is evident right from the start during
the rests and dramatic pauses in the Naylor piece. The acoustic
is a factor throughout the programme but I think the engineers
have coped very well with it and the sound gives a realistic
aural image of what this choir sounds like on their home turf.
The excellent booklet notes incorporate comments on their respective
pieces by several of the composers. One slight regret I have
is that where a translation of a text is provided this follows
the original rather than the two being placed side by side,
which would be easier to follow.
Some forty years ago I had the good fortune to spend three years
as an undergraduate in York. This CD made me nostalgic for one
of Britain’s greatest historic cities and for the glorious
Minster, which I still regard as the finest medieval church
building in the country. However, it’s not nostalgia that
makes me think this is a fine disc. The high standards of the
music and the performances see to that. This programming concept
is a very good one and I believe that further such recordings,
from other cathedrals, may be in prospect. If they’re
of a comparable standard they will be very welcome indeed.
John Quinn
Track listing
Edward Naylor (1867-1934)
Vox dicentes clama (1911)
[8:20]
Paul COMEAU (b. 1958)
Audi coelum (2009)[4:45]
John JOUBERT (b. 1927)
There is no rose [2:24]
Andrew CARTER (b. 1939)
The Magi (2010) [3:35]
Richard SHEPHARD (b. 1949)
Nunc Dimittis in A
(In memoriam Lionel Dakers) (2003) [1:57]
Philip MOORE (b. 1943)
Caedmon of Whitby’s
First Hymn (1999) [2:21]
John BLOW (1649-1708)
Salvator mundi [3:27]
Sir Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924)
Magnificat
in G [4:05]
Sir Edward BAIRSTOW (1874-1946)
The Lamentation
(as sung in York Minster) [7:53]
Francis JACKSON (b. 1917)
Alleluia, laudate pueri
dominum (1971) [3:52]
Humphrey CLUCAS (b. 1941)
A Prayer of Alcuin of
York [2:32]
Peter PHILIPS (1561-1628)
Ascendit Deus (1612)
[2:33]
Thomas TALLIS (c. 1505-1585)
If ye love me [2:08]
Sir John STAINER (1840-1901)
I saw the Lord (1858)
[7:28]
George HAYNES (b. 1989)
O sacrum convivium (2010)
[4:39]
John TAVERNER (c. 1490-1545)
O Wilhelme pastor
bone [3:17]
Howard SKEMPTON (b. 1947)
Ave Virgo sanctissima
(2007) [2:33]
Richard DERING (c 1580-1630)
Factum est silentium
[2:51]
Sir Ernest BULLOCK (1890-1979)
Give us the wings
of faith [2:50]
Gabriel JACKSON (b. 1962)
Justorum animae (2009)
[3:42]
The Choir of York Minster/Robert Sharpe 