Gustav Holst The Cloud Messenger; The Choir of King's College, London, the Strand Ensemble, Joseph Fort; DELPHIAN
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 20 April 2020 Star rating: (★★★★)
Holst's rarely performed choral ode, undeservedly neglected and now revived in a new chamber version
For all the popularity of works such as The Planets, there is much of Gustav Holst's mature output that remains relatively unexplored. The recent recording by Joseph Fort and The Choir of King's College, London on Delphian introduces us to one of Holst's major works, the choral ode The Cloud Messenger which remains undeservedly unknown, and the choir also performs Holst's Five Partsongs Op.12.
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 20 April 2020 Star rating: (★★★★)
Holst's rarely performed choral ode, undeservedly neglected and now revived in a new chamber version
For all the popularity of works such as The Planets, there is much of Gustav Holst's mature output that remains relatively unexplored. The recent recording by Joseph Fort and The Choir of King's College, London on Delphian introduces us to one of Holst's major works, the choral ode The Cloud Messenger which remains undeservedly unknown, and the choir also performs Holst's Five Partsongs Op.12.
There is a mystical side to Holst's nature which, if you consider only The Planets, is perhaps insufficiently understood. But in his earlier composing career he had been inspired not by astrology but by ancient Indian literature and religion; he even taught himself sufficient Sanskrit so that, with the aid of cribs, he could make his own English translations of ancient Indian literature. This would lead to his choral settings from the Rig Veda (works which are still not widely appreciated) and his opera Savitri, but also to his choral ode The Cloud Messenger.
Begun in 1903 and completed in 1910, it was inspired by one of the most admired love-poems of Indian literature, Meghadūta (Sanskrit for Cloud Messenger) by the fifth century poet Kālidāsa, considered the greatest of the Sanskrit poets. And Holst's choral ode sets his own text which is part translation, part paraphrase of the lyric poem. The work's premiere in 1913 was somewhat disastrous, as parts of it were under-prepared, and though there were subsequent performances in the composer's lifetime, it never really took off.
Joseph Fort & The Strand Ensemble recording Holst's The Cloud Messenger (Photo Delphian Records) |
In terms of Holst's output it is important to understand that he conceived The Cloud Messenger originally in 1903, and the resulting work's large-scale, romantic style owes a great deal to this period of Holst's musical output. The gestation period of the work was one where Holst was only gradually coming to create his own musical personality, and a number of commentators have been somewhat dismissive of The Cloud Messenger.
But taken on its own terms, it is a striking piece and Fort's reduction not only gives us a leaner orchestration but enables the choral textures to be more transparent as sung by fewer singer. What is striking about the performance is quite how much power the 37 performers can bring to the work when necessary, and the extraordinary richness of the orchestration, Fort's 'leanness' does not mean we forego the remarkable range of colour in Holst's instrumental writing.
The choir and instrumental ensemble make a fine big, focussed sound in moments like the opening choral section 'O thou, who com'st from Heaven's king', and throughout both groups interact rather well, often creating what are lovely, transparent textures. For all the work's original large-scale forces, there is much music of delicacy here and Fort and his musicians clearly relish the music and there is a great deal to enjoy. The young voices of the choir bring a clarity to the textures, and the instrumentalists clearly enjoy their solo moments.
As for the work, whilst there is much to enjoy I have to confess that I found the text rather prosy and wordy, and did wish that Holst had perhaps worked with librettist. This is a narrative work, ultimately, and sometimes it comes over as a series of short, fascinating and often lovely incidents rather than a coherent and over-arching work, something the later Holst would do well in other works.
The Five Partsongs were written in 1902/1903 and are far more conventional in style. Well written for choir, they provide plenty of interest though there are only occasional flecks of the later Holst.
Joseph Fort, The Choir of King's College, London & The Strand Ensemble recording Holst's The Cloud Messenger (Photo Delphian Records) |
Gustav Holst (1874-1934), arr. Joseph Fort - The Cloud Messenger, Op.30 [43.24]
Gustav Holst - Five Partsongs, Op. 12 [14.40]
The Choir of King's College, London
The Strand Ensemble
Caitlin Goreing (alto)
Joseph Fort (conductor)
Recorded 9-11 June 2019, All Hallows' Church, Gospel Oak, London
DELPHIAN DCD34241 1CD [58.06]
Elsewhere on this blog
- Baroque Violin Sonatas: 17th century virtuoso violin playing on a new disc from Berlin - CD review
- Powerful remembrances: Ian Venables's song cycles Remember This and Through these pale cold days on Signum Classics - CD review
- Le Banquet Céleste's new recording of Alessandro Stradella's late 17th century oratorio San Giovanni Battista reveals a form in transition, looking back to Cavalli & forward to High Baroque - CD review
- I need a subject that is grandiose, impassioned & original: the influence of Meyerbeer & French Grand Opera on the operas of Verdi - my feature article
- Completely magical: music by Arvo Pärt, Peteris Vasks, James MacMillan on this new disc from Graham Ross and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge - CD review
- Handel: works for viola da gamba - Ibrahim Azizi & Masumi Yamamoto give us a flavour of the sort of programme that an 18th century viola da gamba player might have assembled - CD review
- I can think of no finer way to enjoy the music than to listen to this lovely disc: Purcell's The Fairy Queen from Paul McCreesh & the Gabrieli Consort & Players - CD review
- A profound sense of imagination: music for unusual combinations of instruments by Howard Skempton on The man hurdy-gurdy and me - CD review
- The merest smell is sufficient to turn my stomach: the complex relationship between Richard Wagner and Giacomo Meyerbeer - feature article
- Everything comes from the words: composer Ian Venables talks about his approach to song writing - interview
- The 17th century opera by an Italian composer, premiered in Vienna with a Spanish libretto: Antonio Draghi's El Prometeo - CD review
- Home
No comments:
Post a Comment