Which Isles?

 

The British Isles, I assume.

There are two main offerings on this program of choral music from Sir Granville Bantock.

First, the composer's arrangements of folk songs are of Scottish or Irish heritage. But these aren't mere partsongs, set in a straight-laced, homophonic manner.

Take Bantock's arrangement of Londonderry Air, a chestnut of a song if ever there was one, here called Emer's Lament for Cuchulain. Instead of focusing on the tune and merely giving us lovely harmonies to support it, the composer sets the choral parts moving independently, often with two or more texts going on at the same time. It is a daring arrangement, and indicative of Bantock not merely resting content with a magical tune alongside simple harmonic and textural settings.

The other choral songs on offer are original works set to such respected poets as Ossian, Yeats, Burns, etc. These tend to be longer musical settings, ranging from 4 to 9 minutes in length, whereas the folk songs are between 1 to 3 minutes long.

Bantock gives his music odd shifts of harmony, sometimes modal in nature, all set a cappella, and I imagine these would be rather complex for singers to perform. If his choral songs remind me of another composer, it would probably be Frederick Delius, who also received a recording from this same singing ensemble (BLOG). Thickset textures and harmonies, sometimes slightly jazz tinged, with a lot of inner movement, provide quite a bit of interest for the listener.

The Elysian Singers of London, under the direction of Sam Laughton, tackle this music admirably, with variable solos coming from within the ensemble. They have rare off-tune / balance moments in Bantock's most chromatic instances, but overall exhibit little-to-no problems of ensemble. The program is made up of mostly medium to slow tempos; I could maybe point to three or four of the fifteen songs which I would call up-tempo, the most characterful of which is the Scottish droning in Dumbarton's Drums, so expect some sameness in that respect.

Otherwise, having an entire recording dedicated to the choral music of Granville Bantock is a rarity and a treasure. If interested in the composer for his more famous orchestral works, Bantock's choral music is certainly worth exploring. While the sonics from the Merton College Chapel are quite lovely, the amount of silence between tracks seems excessive. On the other hand, Meridian's liner notes from director Sam Laughton cover both Bantock and the poets he sets, providing the listener with a lot of information, including all of the song's texts.

 

 

 

 

Works

The Death of Morar (8.49)
Two Irish Folksongs
   Arranmore (3.00)
   Emer's Lament (5.45)
Three Settings of Alfred Hayes
   Nocturne (3.25)
   O What a Lovely Magic (4.29)
   In the Silent West (3.22)
Three Songs of the Hebrides
   The Mermaid's Croon (5.04)
   Milking Song (1.17)
   The Death Croon (7.43)
Two Scottish Folksongs
   O Can Ye Sew Cushions (3.07)
   Dumbarton's Drums (3.03)
Two Poems of W.B. Yeats
   A Faery Song (4.26)
   The Lake Isle of Innisfree (3.30)
Two Scottish Poems
   Song to the Seals (3.57)
   My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose (2.00)

Performers
The Elysian Singers of London
Sam Laughton, conductor

Label: Meridian
Year: 2009
Total Timing: 63.01

 

 

 

 

 

There just aren't that many recordings of Bantock's choral music, at least compared with his orchestral output.

Luckily, we are in capable hands with the few there are, here with the Elysian Singers of London.

So, for those interested, go out and explore with no fear, and ride abreast the Oozy Keep in hopes of entering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find more Bantock recordings HERE!