Caritas Chamber Choir
Ulysses Arts UA240110
Caritas Chamber Choir is a well-established group, who have made seven recordings including this one. Other examples of their work are a disc of Holst’s choral music and a Christmas album. The present collection is a varied selection of contemporary choral works; some very brief such as Dahlgren’s setting of Ave Maris Stella, while Sir James MacMillan’s Be who God meant you to be is almost seven minutes in length.
For the most part the techniques employed in the vocal writing are traditional, eschewing the more extreme vocal demands that are sometimes found in contemporary choral music. This means that all the pieces are well written for the voices, and appear to be grateful to sing as well as to listen to. Dahlgren’s Ave Maria is almost mellifluous in its parallel chords recalling at least to me, the writing of Maurice Duruflé, specifically his setting of Latin texts, such as Ubi Caritas et amor.
With Sir James MacMillan’s contributions, we have a greater sense of architecture which supports the greater length of the works, and while choral music is a major part of his output, the listener is also conscious of his activities in the orchestral and specifically symphonic fields.
Of particular interest is his setting of If ye love me; a text which is indivisibly associated with Thomas Tallis. Written in 2013 to mark the retirement of Bishop Desmond Tutu, it is a fascinating complement to the earlier setting. Unsurprisingly MacMillan’s approach is very different from Tallis’s, with repetitions of the text, yet the mood, at least of the opening of the work, is not dissimilar.
With Andrew Smith’s music there is a distinct presence of the British choral tradition, from the plainsong-like opening of Rex et martyr triumphalis to the comparative simplicity of the Old Irish Blessing, which we are told was written for a scratch choir to perform at a wedding. I am sure that it fulfilled the task superbly, being both contemporary in feel, yet without undue demands on vocal technique.
This is a most enjoyable disc where the music is performed to an extremely high standard. Tuning and intonation are beyond reproach and the recording is both warm and clear which allows the words to be distinct, so that the listener does not have to have the text to hand, useful though this is. The notes on the pieces are informative with sufficient detail to enhance the listening experience. An excellent recording.
Review by Martyn Strachan