Customer Reviews

Gibbons: Consort and Keyboard Music; Songs and Anthems

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

to misquote slightly the first vocal number on this disc. This is a really superlative production in every respect except that the words are not provided for the vocal items (the words of the anonymous The Silver Swan are worth knowing!). Even the liner note, by John Bryan, is excellent, which proves what I had never doubted, namely that the thing can be done on a budget label.

There are nearly 70 minutes of music here, and the plan seems to have been to give as broad a representation as possible of the output of this notable composer. There are 23 items in total, featuring music for accompanied solo voice and 5-part ensemble, keyboard compositions played on three different types of instrument, and items for viol ensembles of 2,3,4,and 6 instruments. Thought and care has obviously gone into the sequencing of the pieces, and the recital ends powerfully with a 5-part anthem `Glorious and Powerful God' led off by a gent with a truly terrific bass voice. One notable inclusion is an In Nomine for 4 viols. An In Nomine is actually a musical form, and a specifically English one, consisting of a free fantasia on a canto fermo deriving originally from plainsong via a mass by John Taverner. Solo status is accorded to Timothy Roberts who performs the three keyboard numbers, and to Tessa Bonner the soprano soloist in the seven pieces of that nature. I had the opportunity to compare her in The Silver Swan with Rachel Elliott on another outstanding Gibbons disc, by a group calling themselves Concordia (director Mark Levy), and you may actually prefer, as I do, the way Concordia do it. The piece benefits from Concordia's slower tempo, and my personal preference is for Elliott's voice, although she does use a modicum of vibrato, so this preference will not be shared by everyone. Their disc goes under the title Go From My Window, which is not a song but a set of 10 variations on a `ditty' by that title. In this piece I have to give my vote to Concordia again, as they give it with colossal panache and virtuosity - I'm not surprised they elected to call the disc after it. In fact the two recitals have another 4 pieces in common, and in these I can find nothing to choose between the two groups, so fine do both seem to me.

Enthusiasts for music of this period, and anyone even curious about it, are also recommended a keyboard recital , by John Kitchen, of works by the Scottish composer Kinloch, music that surprised even me (Scottish myself) by its outstanding quality. Long may enterprises like these continue.

This is a handsomely played and beautifully recorded disc. The Rose Consort of Viols aptly catches the inherent melancholy of Gibbons style while Tessa Bonner sings ethereally as usual. With singing of Bonner's purity, as in "Silver Swanne", who needs texts? This is more than a bargain; it is a wonderful introduction to the deeply touching music of Orlando Gibbons.

The music of Orlando Gibbons represents the English response to radical changes that stemmed largely from Italy in the age of the birth of opera and a move away from the contrapunctal complexities of previous centuries. Whereas the Italian tended to write gradiose and radical works such of those by Monteverdi, the English tended to write music that was stylistically old-fashioned by the standards of the times, unostentatious with its preference for the sounds of the viol consort that helped make it so intimately poetic and evocative. The madrigal The Silver Swan is one of the most famous examples of English music of its time.

We really should rejoice over the fact that Naxos has this superb recording in its catalog. The music making here is first rate in every possible way. Of course Tesser Bonner is a regular with none other than the Tallis Scholars, testifying to the fact that Naxos is above all a quality label. In particular I really do love the way Bonner uses period pronounciation of the texts whereas Emma Kirky sadly modernises the pronounciation in music of this period. Thus the word 'bird' is pronounced more like 'beard'. I feel this helps to evoke the sense of the recreation of a lost world. The instrumental pieces too are unfailingly fine with excellent ensemble work by Red Byrd.

A superb recording recommendable in every possible way.

As the title says mainly viol consort and keyboard music, but the highlights are the two english anthems for 5 voices, and three solo pieces with Tessa Bonner - including the famous "The Silver Swan". So why no texts? Playing time 68'24".

Continuing their successful approach to William Byrd's music, Naxos repeat the package with the Rose Consort of Viols, the choral group Red Byrd, plus vocalist Tessa Bonner and harpsichordist Timothy Roberts. These forces tackle a similar spectrum of performances, from instrumental viol pieces: fantasias, galliards and pavans, to harpsichord solos, solo vocal pieces from Bonner, and vocal ensembles from Red Byrd. Throughout, performances are full of personality, and a rich, period flavour, very well recorded, with the immediacy of live performance. The titles also give something of the character: 'I feign not friendship where I hate' (no grey areas there), 'I tremble not at noise of war', and perhaps the more modern 'Go from my window'. This is a beautifully balanced and varied collection,and an excellent and inexpensive introduction to Gibbons breadth of talent. Penguin Guide *** If you enjoy this you're likely to find much of the Naxos 'Early Music' range to your taste, including two other cds with the same performers: Byrd Byrd: Music for Viols, Voices and Keyboard and Tomkins Tomkins: Consort Music for Viols and Voices/Keyboard Music