MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Buy through MusicWeb
for £12 postage paid World-wide.

Musicweb Purchase button

Richard BLACKFORD (b. 1954)
Mirror of Perfection (1996) [36:28]
A Westminster Te Deum (2010)* [9:52]
On Another’s Sorrow (2005)* [5:14]
I Know That My Redeemer Liveth (2006)* [3:22]
From The Song of Songs* [3:55]
A Lullaby of the Nativity* [3:57]
I Will Sing To The Lord (2009)* [3:53]
Ying Huang (soprano); Bo Skovhus (baritone)
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus; Ballard Lane Preparatory School Choir
Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Richard Blackford
Olivia Robinson (soprano); Iain Farrington (organ)
BBC Singers/David Hill*
rec. 16-18 June, 25-27 August 1997, Winter Gardens, Bournemouth; *22 February 2012, St, Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge. DDD
Original texts and English translations (Mirror); English texts (anthems) included.
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6205 [66:44]

Experience Classicsonline



 
On 11 September 2011 a choral work by Richard Blackford, entitled Not in Our Time, received its première in Cheltenham. The work was commissioned by the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus to mark their centenary and in it Blackford commemorated the 9/11 attacks on the USA. Though that performance took place only a few miles from my home I missed it. However, my colleague, Roger Jones, reviewed it for MusicWeb International Seen and Heard. I remembered that he was impressed so I was glad to have this opportunity to review this disc, which contains an earlier choral/orchestral work by Blackford as well as some of his smaller-scale choral pieces.
 
It will be noticed that the recording of Mirror of Perfection was set down as long ago as 1997. I may be wrong but I believe that this is a reissue of a recording that previously appeared on the Sony Classical label (SK60285) (then on Quartz, the same stable that also reissued Mirror of Perfection as well as an ambitious Blackford work entitled Voices of Exile. Ed.). The performances of the six choral anthems are new, however.
 
Besides writing a good deal of concert music Richard Blackford has enjoyed a very successful career composing music for the theatre and for films and TV. If I say that, from listening to the music on this disc, I’m not surprised at his success in that field I don’t mean that in any way disrespectfully. On the evidence of this CD Blackford’s music is technically accomplished, tuneful, very accessible and makes an immediate impression on the listener: all these are qualities which surely any composer needs if they’re to write effectively for the stage or the screen.
 
Mirror of Perfection is the title of a biography of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), written by one of his companions, Brother Leo of Assisi, shortly after the saint’s death. It is a fitting title for Blackford’s piece because the texts selected by the composer are seven poems by St. Francis. These are sung in the original Italian with the exception of the fifth poem, ‘Canticle of the Birds’, for which a nineteenth-century French translation is used. The work is for soprano and baritone soloists, children’s choir, SATB chorus and an orchestra which I believe consists of three horns, strings, percussion and harp. The music is mainly lyrical, though the third movement, ‘Canticle of the Furnace’ is much more vigorous both in tempo and tone. The work is unfailingly attractive and it seems to me that Blackford’s music fits the words very well.
 
The two soloists on this recording are excellent. Bo Skovhus needs no introduction. He sings very well indeed; his warm, well focused baritone consistently falls pleasingly on the ear and I particularly enjoyed his work in the impressive, lyrical opening movement, ‘Canticle of the Creatures’ and in the disarmingly delicate ‘Canticle of the Birds.’ I can’t recall hearing the Chinese soprano, Ying Huang previously. She makes a strong impression. Much of Blackford’s writing for the soprano soloist suits a Puccinian-style singer and Ying Huang’s voice is well suited to the task. She offers some vivid, passionate singing in the fourth movement, ‘Canticle of Love II’.
 
I sense from their good and committed singing that the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus enjoyed this assignment; I wonder if it prompted them subsequently to offer the commission which became Not in Our Time. It seems to me that Blackford writes well for voices and the chorus parts sound rewarding. The children are involved in the fifth and seventh movements and they do well, singing with fresh, clear tone and in a most appealing way. The orchestral writing is skilful, colouring the score very nicely even though Blackford has been quite restrained in terms of the forces employed. In short, this is a very pleasing work which I can imagine would appeal to other choirs.
 
I wish I could give some information about the choral anthems but though most of the texts are provided there’s not a word about these pieces in the booklet, not even the dates of composition. That’s a serious omission in my book. I’ve been able to glean just a few details, mainly some dates of composition, from the website of Chester Novello, who publish Blackford’s music (and the composer’s own website). However, I think Nimbus could and should have provided better documentation, especially since these anthems are likely to be new to many people.
 
I wonder if the Westminster Te Deum was composed for a particular occasion: it has (optional?) parts for three trumpets and three trombones as well as organ, though the brass instruments are absent from this performance. The Latin setting, for which no text or translation is supplied, is mainly forthright and festive in spirit, although there’s an extended central section which is slower and more lyrical. I’ve heard On Another’s Sorrow before. It was among a collection of pieces commissioned by the Vasari Singers to mark their 25th anniversary, which were included in their album Anthems for the 21st Century (review). This, it seems to me, is the most harmonically adventurous of the anthems and its melodic lines are quite angular. From The Song of Songs is for solo soprano and organ. The soloist’s music is eager and sensuous and Olivia Robinson makes a very good job of it. It’s a brave decision to use the same text that Handel set so memorably in Messiah. Richard Blackford sets I Know That My Redeemer Liveth for a cappella choir and puts the celebrated words in a fresh light. I can imagine A Lullaby of the Nativity becoming very popular because this mainly gentle piece for choir and organ is very pleasing.

The performances of these anthems by the BBC Singers are as expert as you would expect from this ensemble and Iain Farrington’s organ accompaniments are excellent.
 
As I indicated earlier the music on this disc is accomplished, accessible and makes an immediate impression on the listener. I enjoyed it and the performances are certainly convincing.
 
John Quinn
 
Click here to read Roger Jones interviewing Richard Blackford for MusicWeb International Seen and Heard.
 

 

 

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Error processing SSI file