Choral Contemplations - Sacred Introits & Duets: Peter Blumson, John-Paul Bowman, Rosemary Broadbent, David Fletcher, David Goymour, Adrian Green, Bruce Ramell, Derek Saunders, Noel Skinner; Phoenix Consort, Adam Whitmore; Convivium Records
Reviewed 14 September 2026
Music that arises from Christian contemplation on a disc bringing together music written by musicians who would never have considered themselves professional or 'trained' composers to create a disc that by turns encourages contemplation and exploration
Choral Contemplations: Sacred Introits & Duets from the Phoenix Consort, conductor Adam Whitmore, on Convivium Records. The nineteen pieces on the disc, written by nine contemporary composers, have a distinct musical aim. Adrian Green, managing director of Convivium Records and one of the composers featured on the disc, explains, first quoting the Benedictine monk, Cyprian Smith:
"'Everything which lies between' poses a philosophical question and is the subject of being present in life and being ourselves. In some ways it is the most natural thing in the world to be present, but to do this as a creative artist means letting go of all the thoughts and ideas and feelings which take up our mental mindscape, so that there can be space for music to arise from within us which isn’t about our ego."
Most of this music has been written by musicians who would never have considered themselves professional or 'trained' composers. They have all in some way been influenced by the teaching of Leon MacLaren who was a self-taught polymath. MacLaren established a Music Group, under the aegis of the philosophy school he founded, The School of Philosophy and Economic Science as it is known today. Leon MacLaren’s interest in music and sound extended to an exploration of systems of tuning and modes and their different effects. His approach to, and understanding of just intonation, he termed the "Natural Octave". It was a tuning system which all composers involved in this project have been introduced to and studied. Three in particular, Bruce Ramell, David Goymour, and David Fletcher, have continued to develop Leon MacLaren’s ideas here, and this can be heard in the way they have avoided problematic tuning issues of just intonation - music which they have termed 'modist'.
Derek Saunders is a music teacher at the London Oratory School and is also director of music at St Mary with St Alban Church in Teddington. Ask, Seek, Knock, his setting of a text from St Matthew's Gospel begins with strong choral lines and spare textures, with Saunders having an interesting use of contrast between open harmonies and rich textures. Adrian Green is the managing director of Convivium Records and Convivium Singers, and a tenor lay clerk at Portsmouth Cathedral. O most merciful, his setting of a text by Reginald Heber (1783-1826), was originally written for men's voices of Portsmouth Cathedral Choir. It is a quiet, intimate piece with lush harmonies.
David Fletcher (1931-2024) trained first as a picture restorer and studied at Chelsea Art College, before returning to his first love at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. His setting of Set me as a Seal from the Song of Solomon begins in a rather touching manner. There are moments of strength and moments of delicacy, with fine word setting throughout. The setting of Laurence Binyon's well-known text, For the Fallen was originally written in the mid-1980s for two voices and organ by Noel Skinner (1947-2019), who studied with Leslie England at the Royal Academy of Music. It is here presented in a choral arrangement by Matthew Coleridge that moves from just two sopranos to full romantic harmony. I rather wanted more focus on the text, but the ending was touching.
David Goymour worked as a journalist and studied philosophy, with his music benefiting from the application of the latter. O Oriens sets one of the O Anthems with Goymour creating a striking yet useful piece, moving from a single line to robust choral textures. John-Paul Bowman studied at the Guildhall School before moving into teaching alongside his composition. His setting of the text from St John's Gospel, A new commandment, was written for his own wedding in 2019. It mixes strong lines and vigorous counterpoint with spare textures. In Rama a voice is heard, David Fletcher's setting of texts from the Gospel of St Matthew and Jeremiah is for upper voices, creating a striking austere effect with a lovely use of spare harmonies.
Rosemary Broadbent read Music at Oxford University and has spent her career in music education, most recently as a tutor at the Junior RNCM. Commissioned in 2002, And he arose sets text from St Luke to rather strong effect. My beloved spake, David Fletcher's setting of text from The Song of Solomon comes from a larger cantata The Song of Songs based on the Biblical text which premiered in 1997. There is a nice flexible flow to the word setting with interesting use of question and answer leading to a stirring conclusion.
Peter Blumsom (1942—2026), known professionally as Pete Dello, was an English singer-songwriter who was popular during the 1960s and 1970s, most notably as lead singer of the band Honeybus. What is man? his setting of a text adapted from Psalm 8 was commissioned for a large Christian Trade Union conference held at Westminster Abbey. The original version included guitar accompaniment so in later years, Noel Skinner penned a piano accompaniment which allowed for performances by children at St James Schools in the 1990s. Blumson displays a real melodic gift in the song which with its flowing piano comes over as a sophisticated worship song.
Bruce Ramell turned to teaching in his 30s, combining music and mathematics, up as headmaster of a London prep school. To Cecilia, his setting of an anonymous 17th-century text, was composed in 2022 as part of the Modists’ Songbook (a project to produce a number of pieces of music to extol the unique characteristics of specific modes). It proves to be rather a touching part-song. Adrian Green's The Absorbeat, setting a prayer traditionally attributed to St Francis, was commissioned in 2020, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St Francis of Assisi founding the Third Order in 1221. It begins with a striking use of high voices leading to the full choir alternating rich harmony with spare lines, gradually becoming rather interestingly multilayered.
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| Adam Whitmore |
Derek Saunders' Be still, and know that I am God, a setting of Psalm 46, was written in 2020, during the Covid crisis and makes a strking use of single voices in chant-like melody over humming. Noel Skinner's The earth is the Lord’s sets text from Psalm 24. This piece was discovered after he died and is unlikely to have been performed prior to this recording. Written for upper voices it creates a striking, upfront impression. Adrian Green knew the words from James 1:17-20 from school and his setting, Every good gift, was written in 2025 after the death of the headteacher from his time at school. It begins with a solo voice in a flexible, chant-like melody before the choir joins, with Green creating interesting textures from the mix of choir and solo chant.
Ramell's setting of the O Anthem, O Adonai comes from the Modists' Songbook project. It begins in touching, hymn-like fashion before developing real strength. John-Paul Bowman's Dum Medium Silentium was written in 2011 while Bowman was at university. Studying the works of Vytautas Miškinis, whose setting of the same Latin text is quite lively, he was inspired to write a piece that used silence. It does indeed start almost from nothing, combining sustained lines alongside short rhythmic motifs and developing into a substantial piece with intense, expressive harmonies, yet always quiet.
Setting text from Psalm 81, David Fletcher's Sing we merrily dates from 2021 and there is an appealingly vigorous neo-Medieval feel to the music. The disc ends with Lighten our darkness, David Goymour's setting of the Third Collect, for Aid against all Perils from Evensong. It begins with a striking use of upper voices, creating something rather touching, before the full choir comes in restrained manner.
In one way, this disc makes a lovely contemplative listen, the music is not demanding yet really repays close attention. But the disc is also useful in the sense that the music here would provide plenty of suitable repertoire for amateur choirs.
Choral Contemplations - Sacred Introits & Duets
Phoenix Consort
Adam Whitmore (conductor)
Recorded St John’s, Upper Norwood, London, 20-21 February 2026
CONVIVIUM RECORDS CR130 1CD [50:30]
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