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This programme of Elizabethan verse anthems and viol consort pieces was recorded in 1989, but still sounds just as fresh and spirited as it did then. The title is a bit misleading, because most of the music is only vaguely related to Christmas if at all, but don't be put off because the choice of pieces is splendid and the performances, by the Red Byrd vocal ensemble and the Rose Consort of Viols, are exquisite.
The verse anthems are from Byrd, Tomkins, Amner, Bull and Gibbons; the instrumental works are by Byrd, Holborne and Gibbons. One oddity is that the singers of Red Byrd adopt a distinctive pronunciation of the kind we would nowadays call West Country, very noticeable indeed as soon as tenor John Potter opens his mouth to sing the first item, Orlando Gibbons' beautiful 'This is the Record of John'. It is argued in the booklet notes that this would have been normal practice at the time when such anthems were performed in a domestic setting, but I'm not entirely convinced. After all, don't most singers adopt a standard 'middle-class' pronunciation in classical and in much other vocal music? There's no trace of Susan Boyle's broad West Lothian accent when she opens up with 'I dreamed a dream', for example, and you wouldn't find many people to suggest that there should be. Still, Red Byrd's approach here makes a refreshing change from the standard-issue posh pronunciation generally applied to music of the Elizabethan era, and there's no denying that the results here are powerful and expressive.
Other fine things here include John Amner's 'O Ye Little Flock' and John Bull's 'The Starre Anthem', neither of which I have heard elsewhere. The anthems are interspersed with viol consort pieces, of which Byrd's Fantasy 2 in 1 is a beautiful reminder of the exquisite subtlety and intricacy of the composer's consort writing. So is the 5-part 'Browning' Fantasy, with its gorgeously interwoven 'The Leaves be Greene' theme. The graceful, deeply touching melodies of Anthony Holborne are exemplified in his Pavan and Galliard, again beautifully played here by the Rose Consort of Viols.
The youthful 1989 group photo and list of performers reveal some names which have since distinguished themselves in the field of early music, including Charles Daniels, Caroline Trevor and Emily Van Evera. Booklet notes are excellent, but there are no texts provided. Enthusiasts of Elizabethan music may well want to snap this up while there are still copies available but, if so, watch out for how much you pay. Some copies are being offered for excessive prices at the time of writing, whereas there are still normally-priced examples to be found, both new and used, under other UK listings as well as on French, German and U.S. Amazon sites.
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Very vivid performances and recording.
I have several CDs featuring Red Byrd and The Rose Consort of Viols and absolutely love their vitality and excellence and the refreshing interpretations. On this CD the performances are suitably matched by a superbly vivid recording. A CD that is not just for Christmas (to coin a phrase).
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2014
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2014
I have several CDs featuring Red Byrd and The Rose Consort of Viols and absolutely love their vitality and excellence and the refreshing interpretations. On this CD the performances are suitably matched by a superbly vivid recording. A CD that is not just for Christmas (to coin a phrase).
Very vivid performances and recording.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2014
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