Joby Talbot (b.1971)
www.jobytalbot.com was born in Wimbledon,
England in 1971 and studied composition privately with Brian Elias and at Royal
Holloway and Bedford New College before completing a Master of Music
(Composition) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Simon
Bainbridge.
Talbot’s compositions include a trumpet concerto Desolation Wilderness for Alison Balsom
in 2006, arrangements of songs by Detroit rock duo The White Stripes alongside
existing works for Wayne McGregor’s Chroma
produced by The Royal Ballet in 2006, and the music for Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a
co-production between The Royal Ballet and National Ballet of Canada in 2011. A
second collaboration with Wheeldon and the same two companies culminated in the
2014 premiere of The Winter's Tale.
Talbot has also written a madrigal The Wishing Tree (The King’s Singers, 2002), an orchestral work Sneaker Wave (BBC National Orchestra of
Wales, 2004) and an arrangement of Purcell’s Chacony in G minor for the BBC Proms (BBC Symphony Orchestra,
2011). Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity
was commissioned in 2012 for the Philharmonia Orchestra’s interactive digital
installation, Universe of Sound, as an addition to Holst’s The Planets. Tide Harmonic (2009), a work for large
ensemble, began life as the score for Eau
by choreographer Carolyn Carlson and CCN Roubaix. Other significant works
written or adapted for dance include Fool’s
Paradise (Christopher Wheeldon and Morphoses, 2007), an arrangement of
Talbot’s 2002 silent film score The Dying
Swan; Genus (Paris Opera Ballet, 2007); Entity
(Wayne McGregor and Random Dance, 2008); and Chamber Symphony for Chamber by choreographer Medhi Walerski
(Residentie Orkest/Nederlands Dans Theater and Norwegian Opera and Ballet,
2012).
His a cappella choral journey along the Camino de Santiago
for Nigel Short’s Tenebrae, Path of
Miracles was written in 2005 and is now recorded for Harmonia Mundi www.harmoniamundi.com by the Texas based choir Conspirare http://conspirare.org under their director
Craig Hella Johnson www.craighellajohnson.com
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| SACD HMU 807603 |
Path of Miracles is
an hour-long a cappella exploration of the phenomenon of the Camino de Santiago,
the ancient Catholic pilgrimage route across northern Spain to the cathedral of
Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The text comprises of excerpts from
historical and sacred documents in several different languages, alongside
original material by poet Robert Dickinson.
In four sections it opens with Roncesvalles, a favourite resting place for pilgrims along the Way
of St. James. The voices of Conspirare
rise slowly out of the depths, creating the most amazing sound, rich textured
and with shifting harmonies. They rise slowly in volume, pathos and intensity
until the words ‘O Santiago’ are heard. Crotales gently sound as the voices
ease back, moving through moments that are quite mesmerising. Hushed chant is pointed
up by the tinkling of the crotales before a faster tempo arrives with the terrific
basses of this choir underpinning the other voices, soprano sounding out above.
There is some outstandingly sung part writing as the music develops generating
the feeling of multitudes of pilgrims making the journey over the centuries. Crotales
sound to bring a falling away of the voices. A deep solo bass appears in a
particularly fine section before the choir lead forward in a repeated theme.
This section concludes on a rising motif with the same words as the opening.
Burgos is the
historic capital of Castile and is an important point along the Camino de
Santiago. Plaintive voices open this section reminding us of the mediaeval
pilgrim’s vicissitudes with the words ‘Innkeepers cheat us.’ Soon the choir
brings a prayer ‘St Julian of Cuenca, pray for us’ exquisitely written and sung.
The music moves through some quite mesmerising passages as prayers are mingled
with an account of the hardships suffered by previous pilgrims. Talbot’s use of
repetitive voices underlying higher, more animated voices is masterly. The
music increases in tempo and drama when the words ’The devil waits in a turn in
the wind’ but falls to a gentle, quieter passage with ‘We beat our hands
against the walls of heaven.’ A prayer to St Julian leads us to the coda,
basses join for a final prayer to St James.
Leon refers to the
historical city in north-west again on the Camino de Santiago. Sopranos come in high up with the words ‘Li soleus
qui en moi luist est mes deduis’ (The sun that shines within me is my joy) before
the male voices join in this ecstatically lovely section. The sopranos keep the
same theme and words over which male voices continue the text. Richer textures are
built as the sopranos continue as though a constant companion. It is the female
voices that take ‘Le chemin bruise de rumeurs de grâces’ (Rumours of grace on
the road), quite exquisitely sung. Soon the choir increase in intensity as the
music slowly rises before suddenly dropping on the words ‘Quam dilecta
tabernacula tua’ (How admirable are thy tabernacles) a truly fine moment. The
music moves through some lovely passages, not least when a soprano solo sings ‘Beate,
qui habitant in domo tua, Domine’ (Blessed are they that dwell in thy house) before
a beautifully conceived coda.
Santiago is the
capital of Galicia in north-western Spain, having its origin in the shrine of
Saint James the Great, now the city’s cathedral, as destination of the Way of
St. James. In this final section a soprano opens with the text ‘The road climbs
through changing land’ over a broader choral support. There is a lovely
restraint as female voices chant the words with male voices moving over them.
The whole choir bring ‘Then, from the stream at Lavacolla’ with some exquisite textures
in this quite beautiful passage. The tempo rises as thanks are given to St.
James, as though propelling the pilgrims forward to their destination. Conspirare
bring some terrific accuracy and flexibility as the music pushes forward,
rising to a peak at ‘Herr Santiago.’ The voices fall quieter as basses bring
‘At the Western edge of the world we pray for our sins to fall from us’ with
the rest of the choir providing a lovely swaying motif. There is a lightening
of atmosphere as the choir gently chant, ‘We have walked out of our lives’
another lovely moment, beautifully sung. The music rises a little with crotales
sounding before the final hymn brings a rich coda that slowly fades away as the
pilgrims walk on.
This is a very fine choral disc indeed. The choir are
beautifully recorded at St Martins Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas, USA and
there are informative booklet notes as well as full texts and English and
French translations. Highly recommended.
See also:
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