We start with Stanford’s Te Deum, his first essay of a large-scale live performance setting of the textual content (his earlier settings had been liturgical). Written for the Leeds Pageant and carried out in 1898, the work was each a celebration of Queen Victoria’s 60 years on the throne and of the 350-strong Leeds Pageant Refrain. The work is large-scale and opulent, however it’s the refrain that shines forth. Stanford had already premiered his Requiem in Birmingham the earlier 12 months, he had performed Berlioz’s large-scale live performance Te Deum while Dvorak’s essay within the style, written for America in 1892, had been carried out in London in 1896. Nevertheless, Stanford manages to keep away from the bombast of Sullivan’s Pageant Te Deum, written for huge forces for the Crystal Palace in 1872 and that includes an additional brass band.

Although Stanford’s work makes use of 4 soloists, it’s the vigorous and opulent choral writing that strikes you. And although there may be an Italianate really feel to Stanford’s writing, I used to be reminded additionally of the open textures and vigour of Dvorak’s setting. This very a lot true of the fantastic first motion, the place we’re clearly praising God with vim and vigour. The second motion is extra intimate because of Stanford’s concentrate on the solo quartet, and for all of the energy of the vocal writing, the lyrical nature of Stanford’s present actually comes over. In his booklet be aware, Jeremy Dibble describes the third motion, ‘Judex crederis’ because the scherzo, it’s vivid and filled with color and motion, using soloists and refrain being quite operatic. The opening of the fourth motion, ‘Per singulos dies’ gave me hints of Verdi (talk about!). We’re again to the soloists right here, and the sense of an opera in disguise. Issues grow to be extra apparently darkish within the fifth motion, ‘Miserere nostri’, while the ultimate motion returns us to choral vigour.

Written for the Norfolk and Norwich Pageant, Stanford’s Elegiac Ode was his first mature foray into writing for a serious British choral pageant, although by this date 32-year-old Stanford had written two symphonies, three operas, and main chamber works. The phrases come from Whitman’s elegy, When lilacs within the dooryard bloom’d, written within the aftermath of President Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 and the contemporaneity of Whitman’s prose quite bewildered critics. Stanford’s pupil, Holst, would use the identical textual content for his Ode to Demise, while one other pupil, RVW’s Whitman set Sea Symphony makes use of a pair of soloists, soprano and baritone, simply as Stanford does within the Elegiac Ode. Stanford divides the work into 4 actions, creating successfully a symphonic construction, which is meant to be performed and not using a break, the 2 center actions shorter than the outer.

While there isn’t a doubt of the Britishness of the music, from the opening notes the sense of Brahms’ main choral settings hovering over the music is palpable, generally only a trace, generally extra clearly. And the way in which Stanford makes use of the orchestra, it is a clearly a symphonic work with refrain. The second motion ‘Darkish Mom’ is a lyrical and flowing baritone solo that extra firmly establishes the Britishness, while the third motion, ‘From me to thee glad serenades’ makes use of soprano solo and feminine refrain in a quite partaking means that could be a world away from twentieth century Whitman settings. The ultimate motion, ‘The evening is silence’ returns us to the refrain, and to the advanced internet of Stanford’s inspirations. The hushed sense of suspension he achieves on the opening appears to stay up for the music of his pupils.

The performances on the disc have a sophistication and vigour that does full justice to the music. Adrian Partington marshals his large-scale forces admirably, and all involved make an actual case for this music. The disc fills in a useful hole within the Stanford discography, however extra importantly factors to a composer whose choral inspirations have been a world away from the British tendency to equate large-scale choral works with faith and Biblical texts.

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) – Te Deum, Op. 66 (1898) [45:24]
Charles Villiers Stanford – Elegiac Ode, Op. 21 (1884) [27.12]
Rhian Lois (soprano)
Samantha Value (mezzo-soprano)
Alessandro Fisher (tenor)
Morgan Pearse (baritone)
BBC Nationwide Orchestra & Refrain of Wales
Adrian Partington (conductor)
Recorded 4-5 Could 2023 at BBC Hoddinott Corridor, Cardiff
LYRITA SRCD 435 3 1CD