I had the lucky opportunity to play in both the Gloria and the Magnificat under John Rutter at Carnegie Hall a decade or so ago, and it was immediately obvious that the music is very much like the man himself: kind, sincere, honest, and unpretentious. His tunes are well-made, always fall gratefully upon the ear, and arise naturally from the sense of the text; and if the orchestration is a touch formulaic, its gestures tried and true, there’s no denying that it works quite well. The spirit of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast hangs over the jazzy syncopations for brass, tambourine, and xylophone that pepper the outer sections of the Gloria, and the breezy Magnificat (as Rutter told us himself in rehearsal) evokes the sunny southern latitudes of Spain, at least in its outer movements. It’s no surprise that this music has remained popular, deservedly so, with both amateur and professional choral groups.
All of these pieces have been authoritatively recorded by Rutter himself with his superb Cambridge Singers on Collegium, performances substantially identical to these in matters of tempo but a touch sharper rhythmically. The difference, and it’s not a huge one, probably stems from the presence of boy sopranos on the top lines, which calls forth an aptly more gentle, which is not to say overly reverential, approach from conductor Stephen Cleobury. He’s also recorded somewhat more distantly, with ample reverberation, though at no loss of clarity. Certainly the presence of the City of Birmingham Symphony is a big plus. The various trebles handle their solos in the Magnificat (Et misericordia and Esurientes especially) and in the brief setting of Psalm 150 quite well, though I prefer the sound of women’s voices here. Still, choral music fans know that the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge ranks with the best of this particular breed, and if you enjoy its special tone qualities as well as Rutter’s appealing music, then this disc is self-recommending. [5/12/2005]
