The Joyful Company of Singers have been around since the 80s, still performing today under their founding director Peter Broadbent.
The vocal group have participated in a number of high profile recordings, often with professional British symphony orchestras. I find many of those recordings of the highest standards of singing.
I was less enthusiastic over this survey of choral music from US composers Barber and Schuman. But this was an early outing for the ensemble, so perhaps it just took time for them to find their bearings. In any case, I prefer others in this music, and would guide any curious listeners to the Gregg Smith Singers first.
A review from 2020
This recording of choral music by American composers Samuel Barber and William Schuman was most appreciated for the relative rarity of its music both in concert and on record, especially in 1996 when this album appeared. Featuring The Joyful Company of Singers (JCS from here on out) under the direction of Peter Broadbent, everything is well performed, but nearly 25 years after its release, it is not quite as competitive as it once was.
As far as Americana is concerned, you can’t get much closer than William Schuman’s choral works and it is a treasure to have 20 minutes of it on ASV. Perceptions consists of eight a cappella, one-minute movements of musings from Walt Whitman verse. Mail-Order Madrigals more amusingly takes its words directly from an 1897 Sears & Roebuck catalog. Despite the pithy words of Whitman and the cheeky humour of the Madrigals, Schuman’s music sounds a bit crusty and austere; far less appealing than Barber’s romanticisms.
This could also be due to the lack of satirical presentation from the JCS, a performance where I could imagine more rhythmic incisiveness and eye winking. The reference performances of William Schuman’s choral music continues to be found with the Gregg Smith Singers; their close-up recording affords this music a bit more impact, although that recording on Vox Box continues to be hard to find.
Barber’s music is more melodically satisfying and his harmonies are more lushly Romantic with modal flecks, although his music still meanders in a mid-century American manner. I was particularly taken with the lovely To Be Sung on the Water and the longer God’s Grandeur for double chorus. It is also interesting to hear Barber’s art songs, Monk and Shining Night, put into the choral world, even if it doesn’t quite work alongside the a cappella offerings from the rest of the program, but they are a nice change of pace. The piano in these two, which can be clattery on recordings, is intelligently put behind the vocal sound.
The Joyful Company of Singers is a 30-person chamber choir based out of England and, I believe, still led by its founder Peter Broadbent. I was pleased with their work singing Holst on Chandos, and they do well here too with more intimate choral literature. Their sound is perfectly pleasant, displaying a freer sound than many English chamber choirs, if not lacking in a little variety or character. In this studio recording, JCS’s intonation is decent but not perfect in some tough music. Their ensemble balance is good with the occasional soprano or tenor making their presence known. And if ASV captures them the tiniest bit distantly, their sound is satisfyingly full alongside studio reverb.
Where JCS is not as competitive is in their traversals of Barber’s steel-lunged Agnus Dei, a choral version of Adagio for Strings, and the charming set of three Reincarnations. JCS’s control of dynamics, intonation, and balance isn’t quite there in these heavy hitters; listen to the sopranos struggling in Mary Hynes, the edgy Anthony, and the lack of depth in Agnus Dei. Altogether though, Reincarnations is touching and Agnus Dei fares pretty well.
My go-to Agnus Dei has been The Dale Warland Singers from the US Midwest on ACC, recorded a couple of years before this one, and The Sixteen on Coro is good as well, if not too transparent. The Reincarnations have no lack of recordings now, and can be found done well on complete sets of Barber’s choral works with Conspirare on Harmonia Mundi, The Esoterics on Terpsichore, and on Guild with English singers all presented in various acoustics. Individual sets of Reincarnations can be found most satisfyingly with the Dale Warland Singers on Gothic, Seraphic Fire, Kansas City Chorale, Polyphony, and The Sixteen, but the pairings with other American composers will not be to all tastes.
I am not overly enthusiastic with this ASV recording, but it is far from a poor presentation. William Schuman’s music is not immediately appealing, but the music’s short measure makes it most welcome, as is its wit. Samuel Barber’s music is most satisfying, but some aspects have been done better elsewhere, particularly Agnus Dei and Reincarnations. JCS sings well, and if it is not the most lush or facile, their choral sound is consistently good. My lightest of recommendations.
Performers
Anthony Saunders, piano
Joyful Company of Singers
Peter Broadbent, conductor
Label: ASV
Year: 1996
Total Timing: 66.23
Not my favorite recording from The Joyful Company of Singers, but the Schuman selections are so rare, I can't justifiably throw this recording to The Kraken.
Still, try to see if there are other recordings available before investing in this one.
Find more Barber recordings HERE!
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