Reviews

CD Review:  Requiem Aeternam: February 2008

Independent record producers Boreas Music, based in York , have come up trumps with a fine recording of choral music by Thomas Luis de Victoria.

The recording opens with the Motet O quam gloriosum followed by the mass of the same name.  They add the hymn Christe redemptor omnium to end this section before concluding with the mighty Requiem Aeternam, written for the funeral of Victoria 's patron the Dowager Empress Maria of Spain in 1603.

The Ebor Singers were founded in 1995 and is a group made up of early music vocal specialists from the University of York , capitalising on the already great reputation that the city has in this sphere of music.  Indeed, the quality, range of expression and mood of the singing is first rate, and can compete with any of the Oxbridge and London professional early music choirs.  Paul Gameson is to be admired for the way he has persuaded The Ebor Singers to produce such a close-knit sound.  This allows the resonant harmonic flow to despatch a greater depth of meaning, while the delicious dissonances used to highlight certain textual points, combine to produce a homogenous and convincing sound that grows organically from this finely balanced choir.  I look forward to hearing more from The Ebor Singers in the future and I recommend this recording to you whole-heartedly.

(David Alker, The Organist)

CD Review:  Requiem Aeternam

4 stars

Anyone who has heard The Ebor Singers in concert will be fully aware of their prowess.  Their founder-conductor, Paul Gameson, has moulded a tight-knit ensemble, while also finding a distinctive voice in York's already crowded choral scene.  Victoria, Spain's leading Renaissance composer, is excellently represented here.  The Missa O Quam Gloriosum is preceded by a motet on which it is based, the latter taken unconventionally fast.  Yet this brings benefits in vitality and rhhythmic veve, which spill into the mass itself.  The incomparable Requiem, representing the Iberian Renaissance in full flower, sounds sumptuous in the welcoming acoustic of St Chad's, York.  But Gameson is not afraid to inject drama, for example the Offertory, rightly keeping the mood optimistic, never gloomy.  A triumphant achievement, too, for York's new label, Boreas.

(Martin Dreyer, York Evening Press)

CD Review: Dusk Songs: 8 November

5 stars

Not every young composer has the opportunity to have their music performed alongside an established older generation and survive the experience. Kerry Andrew emerges unscathed. Dusk Songs is a setting of 12 liturgical texts for Compline. Influenced by world music and non-Western vocal techniques, she is able to create a meditative mood for the ending of the day. Andrew's flowing vocal lines and her deep feeling for text presage the emergence of a considerable talent. Moody's Canticum canticorum are three atmospheric settings ­influenced by Eastern Orthodox liturgical chant that maintains the reflective spirit of the CD. MacMillan's evocative A Child's Prayer and Christus Vincit touch the senses to bring a radiant ending to this inspirational programme. The Ebor Singers are magnificent throughout. I can't wait to hear more from this young group.

(Shirley Ratcliffe, Choir and Organ)

CD Review:  Dusk Songs : 5 July 2007

4 stars

Considering the anti-Christian ethos in the air these days, it is remarkable - and heartening - that so many younger composers are still writing for the church. There are two with University of York connections on this disc, Kerry Andrew and Ivan Moody.  Andrew responded to an Ebor Singers commission for Anglican compline last year with 12 Dusk Songs, the disc's title work. Beautifully tailored to voices, the pieces are mainly tranquil. Exceptions include the vivid Gloria in the Nunc Dimittis and the controlled urgency of Hail, Gladdening Light. Moody's Orthodox leanings inspire three, more traditional, Latin settings from the Song of Songs, with warm, almost fruity, harmony well suited to the text. James MacMillan's fertile Catholic faith provides two anthems in prayerful, astringent vein, but exultant at the close of Christus Vincit.

The Ebor Singers under Paul Gameson adapt fluently throughout.

(Martin Dreyer, York Evening Press)

Concert review: Monteverdi Vespers: 7 May 2007

A thrilling adventure

A WAG once remarked that to perform Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers is to court disaster.

Mind you, he went on to say that to write about it is to alienate some of one's best friends. We are clearly all in dangerous waters here.   But the Ebor Singers are courageous enough these days - and talented enough, too - to take on almost any choral challenge. On Saturday, they tackled the Vespers and emerged with flying colours.

Spread in a single line across one side of the Chapter House, with Peter Seymour's chamber organ and David Miller's chitarrone (bass lute) dividing them into two choirs, the 19 singers were fully exposed to this slippery acoustic.  But a baker's dozen of them took solo roles, which says much about their individual prowess.   Paul Gameson conducted from within the tenor ranks. He hardly needed to: tempo changes in Nisi Dominus, for example, were exceptionally smooth, as if instinctively felt. Some sections even occasionally swayed in unison. Plainsong antiphons were inserted before the five psalms, adding liturgical flavour.

The lion's share of the solo work went to Jason Darnell. His intelligent phrasing made Nigra Sum a highlight, but he also scaled down his tenor admirably in the echo duet and in the trio Duo Seraphim. Bass soloists were sometimes too light, but the sopranos absolutely spine-tingling at stratosphere heights.  Of three "imported" motets by Monteverdi's contemporaries, Cavalli's Salve Regina was most telling. But the dazzling final Magnificat capped a thrilling adventure.

(Martin Dreyer, York Evening Press)

CD Review:  Pierrot Lunaire, 2 May 2007

The singing is excellent throughout, with the younger ensembles Ebor and Juice more than matching the more established Hilliards and Red Byrd....

In recent years when film directors have attempted new versions of classic tales they have often emphasised a return to the story's source (whether justified or not), hence Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula . Roger Marsh's Albert Giraud's Pierrot Lunaire is however not such an attempt to replace the classic Schoenberg cycle of a similar name, instead he has created a distinctive work of his own. As Marsh explains in the liner notes, he wished to write a piece that would draw attention to Giraud's poetry which in his view has been sidelined by the shadow cast by Schoenberg's piece and the German reworking of the text by Hartleben.

Marsh sets all fifty poems from the cycle to form an evening length quasi-theatrical piece mostly featuring a cappella ensembles (the piece grew out of a Hilliard Ensemble summer school). The main musical point of reference is the French choral tradition down the ages, although shorn of the more indulgent harmonic excesses that may suggest to some listeners. The vocal style is closer to early music, and occasionally the full-throatedness of Bulgarian music, with only the episodes for Linda Hirst making reference to the Schoenberg albeit filtered via Berio and Boulez. The singing is excellent throughout, with the younger ensembles Ebor and Juice more than matching the more established Hilliards and Red Byrd.

Marsh's desire to draw attention to Giraud's words is emphasised by his use of a narrator in several of the movements providing a translation which runs parallel to the music. And here we come to a matter which may sharply split the opinion of listeners: The narrator's voice mostly exists in a distinctively separate studio space from the singers, giving the impression of an internal monologue from a radio play (Marsh is noted for his productions of the works of James Joyce on the Naxos label). For this listener the presence of the narrator popping up becomes a slight irritation – the music more than stands on its own feet, Marsh's setting of French is always extremely clear, and there are excellent translations in the CD booklet. The recording ends up in a half way house between a document of a performance and a radiophonic work, and I would have preferred if it had leaned in one or other direction (perhaps a DVD would have solved this, with the option of a narration track which delves further into the evocative electroacoustic hints which are scattered through the piece such as the piano delirium of ‘Valse de Chopin').

But gripes aside there is much attractive music to be heard here, and I hope the chance for the piece to be presented live again will arise soon.

(Stephen Chase, New Notes, May 2007)

CD Review:  Pierrot Lunaire, 6 April 2007

In his Pierrot Lunaire, Schoenberg set just 21 of the 50 "rondels bergamasques" that the Belgian Albert Giraud had published in his collection of the same name in 1884. The poems inhabit a fantastical world, unified by the figure of Pierrot and other characters from the commedia dell'arte, but full of extraordinary imagery that would not be out of place in the work of the surrealists almost half a century later. Roger Marsh's settings grew out of a summer school in 2000, for which he was commissioned to write pieces for each of the participating vocal ensembles to learn and which were then performed as a composite work at the end of the course. Marsh set 22 of the texts, and over the next two years added the other 28.

The sequence is wonderfully varied. Some of the numbers use a full mixed choir, The Ebor Singers, others the all-male quartet of the Hilliard Ensemble, the trios of Juice and Red Byrd, or different combinations of all of them. Most settings are unaccompanied, but instruments - piano, organ, strings - make their appearances too. One layer of the texture always delivers Giraud's text in the original French, but an English translation is always present too - either introduced into the musical textures by different voices, or recited by an actor - the composer's son, Joe Marsh. Perspectives constantly change; it's diverting and surprising, worlds away from Schoenberg's overpowering work yet still mysteriously close to the essence of Giraud's unique imagination.

4 stars

(Andrew Clements, 6 April 2007, The Guardian)

Carol Competition and concert review:  19 December 2006

Alive and thriving

We must always be looking to the next generation: the continued health of music demands it. So the Ebor Singers and their conductor Paul Gameson deserve plaudits for their new carol competition for young composers.

The two leading works were unveiled on Sunday in a concert that aligned Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, in its original, treble-voice version, with other carols of the last century.

Topaz Pauls's setting of Hush! My Dear, by the 18th-century hymn-writer Isaac Watts, was a worthy winner.  A pretty melody, heard at first from a soprano soloist, framed the piece, with a contrasting minor section between: a neat shape, easily comprehended, full of promise. Runner-up Ester Lusty gave Herrick's What Sweeter Music? more hymn-like treatment, pleasingly harmonised.

It was a pity that the opening and closing plainchants in the Britten were not sung in procession, given the ideal surroundings. Still, after a slightly boisterous start, the ladies settled into an easier stride, gentled along by Melanie Jones's harp. Solo voices were relaxed and ensemble was tight. Over-fast, Deo Gracias lost rhythmic excitement. But the overall effect was vividly evocative.

Interleaving the 'O' antiphons with the remaining carols - following the example of St John's College Choir, Cambridge - worked well. Leighton's setting of the Coventry Carol was beautifully delivered, set off by Louise Eekelaar's clear soprano. And the stunning final chords of Howells' A Spotless Rose were impeccably tuned. The carol is alive and thriving.

(Martin Dreyer, December 19 2006, Yorkshire Evening Press)

Siege! review: 27 May 2006

If this is outreach, let's have plenty more.

OUTREACH is one of those buzzwords without which no application for arts funding is complete.
But it can have genuine meaning, never more so than on Saturday when the Ebor Singers devoted six events to the Siege of York in the summer of 1644. Walks, lectures and concerts one involving two local schools celebrated what proved a defining event in the English Civil War.
continued...

Music For Troubled Times, the culminating concert, brought the love of Charles I for his French queen, Henrietta-Maria, to the foreground, with extracts from their letters read by Emily Allen and Christian McKay. The backdrop came from composers largely associated with Charles's court, notably William Lawes. His three-part round, See How Cawood's Dragon Looks, reminded us of the Royalist garrison stationed at the archbishop's castle there. Two vigorous psalms must also have roused the troops.  But the best of the music symbolised the anguish that divided country and families alike. We felt the pain in William Child's dissonances, tenderly shaped. Still more telling were the raw harmonies of George Jeffreys's How Wretched is the State.

Paul Gameson and his singers deserve warm congratulations.   If this is outreach, let's have plenty more.

(Martin Dreyer, May 29 2006, Yorkshire Evening Press)

Concert review: 29 October 2005

A feat of stamina and severe test of musicianship passed with flying colours

The growing number of small and chamber choirs in York, already disproportionate for a city this size, makes it imperative that each one should carve out a distinctive niche for itself.

The Ebors, under their founder and director Paul Gameson, are managing with signal success.

Their performance on Saturday of music for All Saints and All Souls by the great Spanish renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria offered shining proof of their prowess. Mass movements from the Missa O Quam Gloriosum (published 1583) and the complete Requiem Mass (1603) may not sound like the stuff of entertainment but they contain much delicious counterpoint.

The choir's 17 members were ranged in a semicircle, with Gameson himself, singing tenor, on one end.

These youthful voices were mainly well aware that in such a warm and vivid acoustic the building must be entrusted to do the work. Only the sopranos, so often a glowing beacon, occasionally overstepped the bounds of stridency, as in Guerrero's Trahe Me Post Te.

The gem of the evening was the motet Versa Est in Luctum, its low, anguished harmony swelling and then subsiding into a neat decrescendo.

But overall a feat of stamina as well as a severe test of musicianship were passed with flying colours.

(Martin Dreyer, October 31 2005, Yorkshire Evening Press)

One of the most exciting professional vocal groups to emerge in the UK for many years

October 28 2005, Yorkshire Post

CD review:  Cantate Domino, Omnis Francia!

It is not unusual to find an academic book that is the fruit of doctoral research. Much rarer is the CD spin-off. The Ebors' latest offering, subtitled `French sacred choral works of the 17th century', gives us 15 tracks taken from the territory of Paul Gameson's thesis. As the group's founder-director - and member of its tenor section - Gameson has been injecting vivid life into this largely forgotten corner of the repertory.

Two-thirds of the disc is devoted to Guillaume Bouzignac, who was born in the late 16th century and lived until about 1660. He rescued sacred music during the reign of Louis XIII from its provincial roots by injecting new Spanish and Italian flavours. The results are tasty indeed. He has a flair for rhythmic intensity, but can equally conjure a devotional atmosphere. Most of his texts are taken from the psalms or the New Testament, but often with little references to France. Throwing wide the gates to let the French king enter in - the title track, inspired by Psalm 24 - might be seen as bordering on sacrilege. No matter, the music is uniformly splendid.

The Ebors are blessed with a firm, clear soprano line, heard to considerable advantage in the beautifully controlled serenity of the motet for compline, In Pace. The acoustic of St Chad's Church, York adds further depth.

Bouzignac's fondness for dialogue comes across neatly in pieces geared to the Christmas shepherds and Herod's massacre of the innocents. A bouncy Benedicamus by the rather older Eustache Du Caurroy, a Magnificat by Henri Du Mont with lively tenor soloists, and a noble Salve Regina by Charpentier, add lustre to a disc that will appeal to connoisseurs and newcomers alike.

(Martin Dreyer, October 28 2005, Yorkshire Evening Press,  4 stars)

CD review:  Cantate Domino, Omnis Francia!

A disc of sheer perfection from the York-based Ebor Singers as they explore the world of seventeenth century sacred music from France. The hauntingly simple melodies of Guillaume Bouzignac, with Ebor's sopranos sending music floating on air, have a serenity that transports us to a world of peace. The vocal soloists are superb, and with organ accompaniment ideally balanced, this recording made in a spacious church captures a timeless atmosphere.

(David Denton, September 30 2005,Yorkshire Post)

York Early Music Christmas Festival 2002:
A la venue de noel (9 December 2004)

The Ebors, under Paul Gameson, were on terrific form. When you consider that 12 of the 15 voices were involved in testing solo work, you get an idea of their standard. They are celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, while also commemorating the tenth anniversary of Charpentier's death.

They had a top-notch instrumental group on hand - string quartet, theorbo, organ - to enliven the composer's imaginative backcloths. Words were the only casualty: the choir's Latin was rarely distinguishable in this slippery acoustic.

The best was kept till last, the Nativity Dialogue between the angels and the shepherds, with the yokels bustling down the hillside, only to turn prayerful at the manger. All this just after the solo angel had delivered a stunning message.

The amazing Magnificat on a four-note ground bass was the pre-interval highlight. The ladies, alone, were slightly hesitant in Sub Tuum Praesidium, and the six sopranos tended to overpower full-choir textures. But their lovely straight tone was huge compensation. Tasty instrumental Noels leavened a tasty evening'.

(Martin Dreyer, 10 December 2004, York Evening Press )

York Early Music Festival 2003:
Music for Troubled Times (14 July 2003)

'The Ebor Singers, led by Paul Gameson, brought their own special pleasures. They fielded a larger group - seventeen voices rather than eight, with the different voice parts jumbled among them. No one, in that arrangement, can ever sleep on the job.

Another benefit is the tapestry of sound, evenly spread across the choir. They began, thrillingly, split into each division of the church's Greek Cross shape, filling the building with Gibbons's Hosanna to the Son of David. Then they fused for psalm settings, a lament and a bristling round by the always remarkable William Lawes, killed in the King's service at Chester, with letter readings and other musical delights sprinkled inbetween.

This was an imaginative, well-researched presentation. And a robust, effective choir: I'd be happy to hear them any day, in early music, late music, even something in the middle'.

(Geoff Brown, The Times, 15 July 2003, 4 stars)

York Early Music Christmas Festival 2002:
Bouzignac: The Christmas Story (18 December 2002)

'The Ebor Singers, directed by Paul Gameson, are a bracing young choir which ventures boldly into new repertoire. It comprises sympathetic and sensitive singers who are well capable of taking on solo roles, and whose full-bodied ensemble maintains a beautiful clarity of individual line and controlled inner-part singing.

Indeed, it was the competent singing of the tenor line that impressed me from the outset of their concert in St Olave's, York, for the York Early Music Christmas Festival. Gameson, a tenor himself, usually steers the choir from the sides with a minimum of gesture: the result is a finely tuned, mutually supportive chamber ensemble.

In this recital of seasonal music by the early 17th-century Languedoc composer Guillaume Bouzignac and his contemporaries (notably the rarely heard Jean-Baptiste Boesset, c.1604-85, composer to Anne of Austria), two tenor duets were among the greatest pleasures.

Bouzignac (c.1587-1660) is little-known, partly because his music languished unpublished for nearly three centuries. His name has been connected with Narbonne (where he was a boy chorister; he was already composing at 17), Grenoble, and Tours, where a number of manuscripts finally surfaced last century.

Most astonishing of the half-dozen Bouzignac Christmas pieces aired was the opening of "Dum silentium", which tells of the angel's appearance to the shepherds - as hushed as the onset of light in Haydn's Creation, with a pent-up tension the Ebor Singers captured here, pianissimo, to perfection.

I had few cavils about this incisive approach to the Baroque: just two hesitant soprano leads, and the odd shy solo. Mutual tuning (though occasionally corrected by organ) was first class. So assured were these performances - one contralto solo was especially memorable - that these singers might contemplate exploring "authentic" pronunciation, as do groups like William Christie's Les Arts Florissants, who have recorded a disc of Bouzignac for Harmonia Mundi.

I particularly enjoyed Gameson's intelligent programming of other French composers who placed Bouzignac into context. A concert of real imagination'.

(Roderic Dunnett, Church Times, January 14 2003)