Document

  1995
    February 1995
        Choral and Song
                Purcell Choral and Organ Music.

Purcell Choral and Organ Music. Oxford Camerata / Jeremy Summerly with ^a Laurence Cummimgs (org).

Naxos (Super budget price) (CD) 8 553129 (72 minutes: DDD).

Funeral Sentences for Queen Mary II—Man that is born of woman, Z27; In the midst of life, Z17 (first version); Thou knows't Lord, Z58 (second and third versions). The Queen's Epicedium, "Incassum, Lesbia, rogas", Z383 (with Carys-Anne Lane, sop). March and Canzona in C minor, Z860. Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei, Z135 (Andrew Carwood, ten; Michael MCarthy, bass). Remember not, Lord, our offences, Z50. I will sing unto the Lord, Z22. O God, thou art my God, Z35. O God, the King of Glory, Z34. Lord, how long wilt thou be angry?, Z25. Hear my prayer, O Lord, Z15. Blow up the trumpet in Sion, Z10. O God, thou hast cast us out, Z36. Organ Music^a —Three Voluntaries: C, Z717, D minor, Z718; G, Z720.

I am sure I can dimly remember that when Archiv issued a rare boxed set of Purcell church music from Simon Preston and the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, back in 1981, one radio reviewer expressed the view that the music was not as dull as you might think. Well it certainly wasn't and it's a pleasure to see that in recent years more and more people are obviously coming to the same opinion. This release enters a growing field with a mouthwatering selection of the best of the anthems with just organ accompaniment. As in Philippe Herreweghe's similar Purcell selection for Harmonia Mundi (2/94). though, some of them are gathered together into a little sequence misleadingly titled "Funeral Music for Queen Mary". for which extra flavour is provided by the March and Canzona (Z860) and. in this case, one of the solo elegies, Incassum, Lesbia. It's great stuff, but not much of it was actually composed for Queen Mary, so don't be fooled; if you really want to hear what was performed on that occasion you should turn to the recent reconstruction conducted by Harry Christophers on Collins Classics (1/95).

Put the Queen from your mind, however, and there are few obstacles to enjoyment. The Oxford Camerata is a young-sounding group, sharply defined and clear if not always as expertly balanced as some of today's chamber choirs. Jeremy Summerly extracts loving and, in the main, convincing performances from them, though I would disagree with a few of his tempo decisions (Blow up the trumpet in Sion, for one, is surely too fast). There are plenty of good things, though, including an impressive general crescendo in Hear my prayer, and indeed it is in longer-range effects such as this that the main successes are scored, smaller details, by contrast—the first dissonance in Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei for instance, or the odd moment where a little more time is needed—tend to disappoint. I would say the same for Carys-Anne Lane's rendering of Incassum, Lesbia, though I find her voice slightly more suitable for this music than Libby Crabtree's on the Collins disc. But these are small worries; generally I would say that any disc which offered such a 24-carat Purcell selection in performances even half as good as these would be hard to resist.

LK



		I am sure I can dimly remember that when Archiv issued a rare boxed set of Purcell church music from Simon Preston and the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, back in 1981, one radio reviewer expressed the view that the music was not as dull as you might think. Well it certainly wasn't and it's a pleasure to see that in recent years more and more people are obviously coming to the same opinion. This release enters a growing field with a mouthwatering selection of the best of the anthems with just organ accompaniment. As in Philippe Herreweghe's similar Purcell selection for Harmonia Mundi (2/94). though, some of them are gathered together into a little sequence misleadingly titled "Funeral Music for Queen Mary". for which extra flavour is provided by the March and Canzona (Z860) and. in this case, one of the solo elegies, Incassum, Lesbia. It's great stuff, but not much of it was actually composed for Queen Mary, so don't be fooled; if you really want to hear what was performed on that occasion you should turn to the recent reconstruction conducted by Harry Christophers on Collins Classics (1/95).



		Put the Queen from your mind, however, and there are few obstacles to enjoyment. The Oxford Camerata is a young-sounding group, sharply defined and clear if not always as expertly balanced as some of today's chamber choirs. Jeremy Summerly extracts loving and, in the main, convincing performances from them, though I would disagree with a few of his tempo decisions (Blow up the trumpet in Sion, for one, is surely too fast). There are plenty of good things, though, including an impressive general crescendo in Hear my prayer, and indeed it is in longer-range effects such as this that the main successes are scored, smaller details, by contrast—the first dissonance in Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei for instance, or the odd moment where a little more time is needed—tend to disappoint. I would say the same for Carys-Anne Lane's rendering of Incassum, Lesbia, though I find her voice slightly more suitable for this music than Libby Crabtree's on the Collins disc. But these are small worries; generally I would say that any disc which offered such a 24-carat Purcell selection in performances even half as good as these would be hard to resist.