Early English Vocal Music

Started by Mandryka, April 07, 2016, 10:25:58 PM

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Selig

Quote from: DaveF on January 21, 2025, 09:38:19 AMone of my Desert Island pieces (Browne's Stabat mater). 

I'd be curious to know what you think of the Huelgas/Van Nevel version, if you know it.

(For what it's worth, I think The Liberation of the Gothic is one of Graindelavoix's more palatable recordings...)

LKB

Quote from: Mandryka on January 21, 2025, 01:51:30 PMLovely music, that mass, and as you say Pro Cantione Antiqua sound delightful (if very old fashioned! )


I also listened today to Fayrfax's Salve Regina - marvellous!

Good stuff, l remember those releases and similar from Telefunken. It wasn't easy selling such to the Tower customers who came in for Mahler, Mozart and Verdi, but l did manage to unload a few.  8)
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

Que

Quote from: Selig on January 22, 2025, 08:55:06 PMI'd be curious to know what you think of the Huelgas/Van Nevel version, if you know it.

(For what it's worth, I think The Liberation of the Gothic is one of Graindelavoix's more palatable recordings...)

I had given up on Schmelzer, but I'll give it a try!  :)

Mandryka

Quote from: LKB on January 22, 2025, 09:34:40 PMGood stuff, l remember those releases and similar from Telefunken. It wasn't easy selling such to the Tower customers who came in for Mahler, Mozart and Verdi, but l did manage to unload a few.  8)


Yeah well they sing the Sheppard mass as if it's by Mahler, Mozart or Verdi.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

LKB

Quote from: Mandryka on January 22, 2025, 11:45:11 PMYeah well they sing the Sheppard mass as if it's by Mahler, Mozart or Verdi.

I can't tell whether that's a compliment, but I won't disagree with you.  ;)
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

DaveF

Quote from: Selig on January 22, 2025, 08:55:06 PMI'd be curious to know what you think of the Huelgas/Van Nevel version, if you know it.
Indeed - this is an essential disc for Etonians, since the first 3 works are otherwise unrecorded (Sutton Salve regina, Horwood Magnificat and Sturton Gaude virgo), and the approach sounds to my ears about as Romantic as you can get.  The Browne is quick! - 13½ minutes shaves nearly 2 minutes off the Christ Church version, and the tempo is increased still further at the Crucifige section at about 7:30 - very exciting.  The 4-part male voice section immediately following is done as well as I've ever heard it.  But (and there had to be a But), I've got 3 complaints, one of which is serious:

Detail sometimes tends to get a bit lost, especially decoration of cadences;
I can't hear much distinction between solo and full sections;
and the big one -
It seems (to someone who has produced an edition of this piece) editorially a mess.  The Eton Choirbook is a unique source for most of its contents, and it is perfectly clear, its placing of accidentals is careful and consistent, yet editors don't seem able to stop themselves from messing about.  I'm sure I've shouted about this in the past in relation to the Tonus Peregrinus recording on Naxos (which went straight to Oxfam) - at least on that, Anthony Pitts took the consistent approach of deciding that the piece was in G minor, whereas van Nevel has come up with some sort of fudge between G minor and G dorian.  At the very first full choir entry at 1:40, he has his trebles sing a top E flat - No! No! No! as Mrs Thatcher said, it's an E f*****g natural (as she didn't say) - which should blind you like a searchlight, whereas the E flat is a commonplace.  Elsewhere, in exactly the same harmonic context, they sing E naturals.  (There are plenty of E flats throughout the piece in all parts, all carefully indicated by the scribe.)  Throughout, van Nevel's placing of editorial accidentals is inconsistent, sometimes even when parts are in close imitation - listen to the altos at about 0:15 singing B naturals and, a bar later, the trebles imitating them an octave higher but with B flats!

So, slightly regretfully, I'll stick with The Sixteen as my top recommendation even though, in a number of respects, this one is as good if not better.
"All the world is birthday cake" - George Harrison