Andrew Nethsingha and The Choir of St John’s, Cambridge present a tribute album to two former directors, Christopher Robinson and David Hill, who celebrate their 85th and 65th birthdays respectively. Taking the idea of new growth as a starting point, the album develops from the seed of a single treble line, gradually adding organ, then lower voices, a second choir (Yale Schola Cantorum), 150 additional singers, and eventually combining nearly 500 voices together (former members and friends of the college choir). The programme spans Hildegard of Bingen to a new commission by James Long (b.1987) and also includes works by three ex-St Johnians: Herbert Howells, Johnathan Harvey and Christopher Robinson. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and recordings. Founded in the 1670s, the Choir is known for its distinctive rich, warm sound, its expressive interpretations and its breadth of repertoire.

The Norwegian vocal ensemble Edvard Grieg Kor is the resident a cappella ensemble at Troldhaugen, the home of Edvard Grieg. Displaying versatility across all musical genres, they perform regularly with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and also form the core of the Chorus for Bergen National Opera. They have had numerous works and arrangements written specially for them by leading composers including Jonathan Rathbone, and David Lang, both of whom are represented here on this the choir’s debut recording. Greig’s Fire Salmer, (Four Psalms) after Norwegian folk tunes (his final opus) and his shorter Ave Maris Stella (performed here in an a cappella arrangement made by the composer) are two rare examples of religion in Greig’s output. Works by fellow Norwegian composers Ole Bull and Agathe Backer Grøndahl, and a sensational and virtuosic arrangement of Greig’s Holberg Suite complete the programme.

A CD release of three works of chamber music celebrating American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio's more than thirty years together began with their debut at President Jimmy Carter's inauguration. They remain one of America's finest, internationally renowned ensembles. A quartet for more than twenty years, the Miami String Quartet's programatic diversity, performance poise and musical clarity have kept them at the forefront of today's quartet ensembles.

REVIEWS:

Realizing that the technical proficiency of double bass players is nowadays considerably enhanced from what it was in Schubert’s time, Zwilich makes use of the player as an equal partner in the proceedings. That fact alone gives the work a sonorous characteristic that exceeds that of not only Schubert’s chamber work, but of other contemporary chamber pieces that lack the double bass. The opening movement is very vigorous and rhythmic, with the instruments given energetic licks that are tossed around among them. The second movement is much more subdued, and has a good bit of a bluesy atmosphere to it. At around the 2:35 mark, the movement momentarily sounds as if it is about to break into a Piazzolla tango of some sort. That feeling persists longer in the energetic third movement, which has tango-like harmonies and gestures throughout a good portion of its duration. These are displayed over a walking line in the pizzicato bass. In short, this quintet is the jazziest work that I can recall hearing from the pen of this composer.

At the antipodes of the chronology of the works on this CD is the 1987 Piano Trio. The vigorous opening of the work sounds very much like the ending of the previous work minus any of the jazz sonorities. Four-note scalar ostinatos are also very prominent in this movement. Some of these are quite dissonant, but Zwilich has always had the gift of making dissonance acceptable to listeners who might otherwise be bothered by it. The second movement opens with a whisper in the violin, playing without vibrato. Soon, the cello joins in for a short duet between the two instruments which is underpinned by repeated and static chords in the piano. The free rhapsodic nature of the movement continues throughout its duration, with many contrasts in mood and register of the instruments employed. The trio ends with a short presto movement that opens with a cascade of notes in the piano, and gives all three of the instruments a good workout, even though the pace of the piece occasionally lets up.

As at the beginning of the trio, the septet almost sounds like a continuation of the previous piece, since it begins with a very similar sonority to that of the ending of the trio. It quickly becomes apparent that this 2008 composition is scored for a larger ensemble, as there are more simultaneous lines and effects going on. The scoring combines the traditional piano trio with the string quartet. The powerful opening movement is very extroverted in its demeanor, quite a contrast to its second movement, “Quasi una Passacaglia,” that opens with a single mysterious line, quite reminiscent of certain passages in Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, or his sonata for two pianos and percussion. This is especially true in the way it “fills in” the chromatic notes that span a particular interval in a non-scalar way, one of the trademarks of the Hungarian master’s style. Pizzicato strings both close the second movement and open the third movement, “Games.” The latter is a spiky exercise, full of good humor, and jazz sonorities and syncopations. The work (and CD) concludes with “Au revoir,” a movement that is by turns nostalgic and full of energy, but the former mood being the prevailing one. The key of A Minor is prominent throughout, and the piece ends with a pianissimo sustained unison on that note.

All three of these works are presented in splendid fashion by the combined forces of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Miami Quartet, with violist Michael Tree and bassist Harold Robinson assisting in the quintet...[the performers] capture every mood and nuance in these masterful works by one of America’s leading compositional lights. Recommended, then, on every level as an essential acquisition for your collection of contemporary chamber music.

-- FANFARE (David DeBoor Canfield)

To celebrate the centenary of the birth of Sir Michael Tippett, Chandos is releasing Richard Hickox's acclaimed recordings of his symphonies and the Suite from the opera New Year, packaged in a handsome box - and at a special price: 3 discs for the price of 2.