Herbert Howells’ music provides little comfort for listeners looking for a pretty melody, polite harmony, or airy texture. And the fact that most of it is choral and created for practical use in church, be it anthems, requiem, or service music, doesn’t mean that it is either easy to sing or allows congregants to rest comfortably in their Sunday seats. But there is a sustained power and nerve-touching beauty that runs through nearly all of his work–the opening A Sequence for St. Michael is a perfect example of Howells’ style–and its impact is always impressive and often profound. And even after the thorniest or most argumentative harmonic passage, he has a way of miraculously winding things up with a surprising yet absolutely satisfying cadence.
This fine recording includes some rarely heard pieces and a couple of what are claimed to be world-premieres–the chant based on Psalm 142 and the curiously-named A Grace for 10 Downing Street–neither of which is a “premier” representative of Howells’ work but nevertheless will appeal to completists. The highlights are undoubtedly the aforementioned Sequence, described in the notes as an “extended motet”, and the equally substantial (10 minutes) By the Waters of Babylon, for baritone solo, violin, cello, and organ, set to the familiar text from Psalm 137. (See if several sections of the latter piece don’t remind you explicitly of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending.)
Two of Howells’ most popular works are here as well–the Christmas anthem A Spotless Rose and the sensuous Like as the Hart–and it’s hard to imagine hearing either of these too many times. Unfortunately, conductor Andrew Nethsingha adopts a too-heavy pulse and so plods through what should be the flowing lines of the former, but Like as the Hart is superbly, sensitively sung. In fact the singing is all we expect from this illustrious choir, its full-bodied overall tone (complemented by its “round” boy-treble sound) and excellently balanced ensemble a pleasure to hear, from the most powerful exultation to the finely sculpted final cadences. (I wonder why the organist is not credited on the works with organ accompaniment.) Soloists are all very good, and the recorded sound properly dynamic and detailed. Recommended. [10/11/2010]
