The Birmingham Conservatoire is the distinguished centre of
professional training of musicians in the English Midlands. It benefits greatly
from being part of the Birmingham City University and from the huge resources
which such an organization can offer. Paul
Spicer is the Principal Conductor of the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir, a highly auditioned group
of twenty-five student singers that form an expert and flexible group.
Paul Spicer began his musical training as a chorister at New
College, Oxford before studying with Herbert Howells and Richard Popplewell at
the Royal College of Music in London. He is best known as a choral conductor,
directing the Finzi Singers and Bach Choirs in Chester and Leicester before
moving to conduct the Bach Choir in Birmingham in 1992. He also conducts the
Whitehall Choir in London and is Conductor of the Petersfield Musical Festival.
He has taught at the Royal College of Music and now teaches
choral conducting at the Birmingham Conservatoire and at Oxford and Durham
Universities. He was Senior Producer for BBC Radio 3 in the Midlands until 1990
and today is in considerable demand as a composer. He has also been a much
sought-after recording producer. Paul Spicer's highly acclaimed biography of
his composition teacher, Herbert Howells, was published in August 1998 and his
full-scale biography of the composer Sir George Dyson was published by Boydell
Press in 2014. He visits the USA most years as a visiting lecturer and
conductor at the University of South Carolina and Trinity Cathedral, Columbia.
Paul Spicer is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an
Honorary Research Fellow of Birmingham University, an Honorary Fellow of
University College, Durham, an Honorary Fellow of Birmingham Conservatoire,
Honorary Fellow of Victoria College of Music and Drama (London), Lay Member of
Lichfield Cathedral Chapter, Trustee of the Gerald Finzi Trust, Chairman of the
Sir George Dyson Trust, Vice-President of the Herbert Howells Society, and
Visiting Fellow to the Loughborough Endowed Schools.
The latest release
from Somm Recordings www.somm-recordings.com
with Paul Spicer www.paulspicer.com/01_biography.php
directing
the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir www.paulspicer.com/06d_choirs_birmingham_conservatoire.php
entitled
English Visionaries, features works
by Vaughan Williams, Holst and Herbert Howells.
 |
| SOMMCD 0159 |
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) http://rvwsociety.com took as his text for A Vision of Aeroplanes (1956) verses from Ezekial, Chapter 1, opening
with ‘I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud…’
stretching somewhat the descriptions contained therein to arrive at the title
of his work. Here organist, Nicholas Morris delivers a dramatic opening to
which the choir bring a dramatic, very strong sound, weaving Vaughan Williams’
choral lines very finely. They rise through some very fine passages with a
particularly lovely solo from Victoria Adams. Occasionally they reveal hints of
the composer’s Pilgrims Progress of just a few years earlier.
Vaughan Williams’ Prayer to the Father of Heaven (1947) reveals the forward looking ideas that the
composer was pursuing with adventurous harmonies in this distinctive setting of
John Skelton’s verse.
The inspiration of Tudor music that
lay behind Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G
minor (1922) didn’t prevent the
composer from reaching forward stylistically. It was written for R. R. Terry,
the director of music at Westminster Cathedral, who was reviving English Tudor
composers. The choir weaves some lovely lines in the Kyrie with notable solos from Elizabeth Adams, Nicola Starkie,
David Emerson and William Gee. They bring a certain gentle quality that is
rather affecting. In the Gloria they bring
a greater strength and forward moving passion, with some finely done rhythmic
moments. The Credo brings some well
controlled, varying dynamics and tempi as well as some quite exquisite hushed
moments. The female voices bring a lovely opening to the Sanctus, rising through some vibrant passages with a particularly fine
soprano solo from Elizabeth Adams, opening to the Benedictus to which gentle female voices join. They bring a lovely
weaving of individual voices before a particularly fine Agnus Dei, again with a beautifully gentle touch, rising in
strength at times before a beautifully shaped, gentle conclusion.
Gustav Holst’s (1874-1934) www.gustavholst.info The Evening Watch comes from his Two Motets, Op. 43 (1924/25) and sets verses by
Henry Vaughan (1621-1695). It was found too modern for the audience at its
first performance. Now we can listen to its remarkable harmonies and
transcendental quality with different ears as, after the fine opening from tenor,
Richard James the choir enters bringing very fine textures and harmonies. Alto,
Eloise Waterhouse adds a fine solo that preceded a wonderfully controlled hushed
choral passage before rising through some terrific harmonies to a peak.
The choir bring a fine directness
to Holst’s Sing me the Men (1925) with
a text by Digby Mackworth-Dolben (1848-1867), yet still manage to reveal
Holst’s adventurous harmonies. Later there is some unusual part writing that is
so distinctively Holst, recalling moments in the Planets, and some fine moments
for the basses before a quiet gentle end.
Paul Spicer has recorded Herbert Howells’ (1894-1983) www.herberthowellssociety.com The House of the Mind (1954)
once before with the Finzi Singers. How good it is to have it here, again so
wonderfully sung. It was written around the time of Howells’ great Missa Sabrinensis and sets verses by
Joseph Beaumont (1616-1699). Organist, Nicholas Morris opens the work and, when
the choir enters, the music could be by no one else with typically Howellsian
phrases and intervals. The fine control of this choir lets this quite wonderful
work unfold beautifully, through some exhilaratingly uplifting passages with
the organist adding some exquisitely shaped passages. This is a quite wonderful
performance of a very lovely work – truly visionary.
The choir return to Vaughan Williams to end their disc with
his Lord, Thou hast been our refuge (1922)
a setting of a paraphrase by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) of Psalm 90. The choir
finds a very fine, gentle flow with wonderful phrasing, allowing this wonderful
setting to develop through its rises and falls. Vaughan Williams uses
occasional plainchant to add to the flavour of this piece. There is always a
sense of underlying restraint. Later the organ appears, rising up with the
choir, sounding out before the solo trumpet of Jonathan Sheppard appears and
the choir find a brilliance and strength. This is some of Vaughan Williams’
finest choral writing.
Paul Spicer directs some very fine
performances, achieving often quite wonderfully affecting results. For those
seeking just Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G minor
there is some stiff competition but overall there is some wonderful music
making here.
The recording from St. Alban the
Martyr, Highgate, Birmingham, UK is excellent and there are useful notes together
with full English and Latin texts and translation.
No comments:
Post a Comment