[.ca] Shakespeare In Song

A Spoonful of Sugar:
Shakespeare, for me, is like cough syrup. It's good to have once in a while, but a spoon of it once a year is all you need. Nothing against the Bard, I just wouldn't want him over for my dinner party. But I try to keep an open mind - at least for a few minutes - so I popped the disc into an SACD player and listened. I heard something new, and something unexpected. Here, the Phoenix Bach Choir doesn't offer some type of trite and foolishly cheerful Renaissance romp, but instead, new settings of old texts. First, the quality of the recording is superb - listening in 5.1 surround it feels as though the group is singing to you in your living room, albeit in a much better acoustic without the drapes, carpet and recliner. Second, the quality of the sound of the ensemble is exquisite, even in extreme dynamic ranges or technically difficult passages. Bruffy and his singers offer impeccable blend, ideal choral balance, spot-on intonation, careful attention to the ebb and flow of the text, and absolute control of technique, especially in complex polyphonic sections. These qualities should be reason enough for anyone to buy the album, even though these attributes should be (but often aren't) par for the course for professional choral ensembles. While the introspective interpretation of the music is an excellent quality, the innovative sounds of these (perhaps unfamiliar) composers are truly wonderful. All of the composers featured on the album have written music during the past 100 years, and the several songs are fresh and accessible. The Matthew Harris "Shakespeare Songs" are absolutely addictive - you'll find yourself humming these tunes while you make your morning muffins. The Nils Lindberg "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is a mellow and jazzy piece, conjuring images of a choral ensemble around the piano at a martini bar. Alan Murray's "O Mistress Mine" is a very English-sounding anthem that, words aside, wouldn't sound out of place in an Anglican church service. To be fair, the other selections on the disc are not as immediately pleasing. The dark, edgy pieces by Frank Martin and Steven Sametz are the best examples, full of brooding and bite. The Vaughan Williams pieces are much more bitter than one might expect from this beloved composer. Unfortunately, these melancholy, hazy selections tend to get buried together on the album, so be sure to sample things out of order as you listen. I suspect that these other pieces are like a good coffee that one must appreciate over several tastings. But perhaps this coffee needs another spoonful of sugar. But after the SACD has stopped spinning, I realize that this music has offered me a window to profundity. As I encountered this offering of art, bringing to it all of my prior judgements and feelings, I found that this music activates a point of resonance within myself. Upon reflection, I realized what I heard was the hum of the universal experience of the human condition, the clear ring of music that is carefully laid out as a mirror before the soul. While most of this album is dark, brooding, and edgy, there is a familiar echo in the sonorities that stays with you like a distant, bittersweet, mysterious, but much treasured, memory.

• Hark! Hark! The Lark Adagio
• Tell Me Where Is Fancy Bred. Allegretto
• I Shall No More To Sea. Largo
• When That I Was And A Little Tiny Boy. Moderato
• It Was A Lover And His Lass Gently
• O Mistress Mine! Adagietto
• When Daffodils Begin To Peer. Lilting, With A Beat
• I. Come Unto These Yellow Sands (Ariel's Song). Molto Tranquillo
• II. Full Fathom Five. Tres Calme
• III. Before You Can Say, 'Come', And 'Go'. Allegro Molto
• IV. You Are Three Men Of Sin. Allegro - Adagio - Allegro
• V. Where The Bee Sucks, There Suck I. Allegretto Grazioso
• Slowly, With Expression - Meno Mosso - Poco Meno Mosso
• 1. Come Away, Come Away, Death. Andante Moderato
• 2. Lullaby. Andante Con Moto
• Double, Double Toil And Trouble...
• Full Fathom Five. Grave
• Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?
• Molto Lento Ed Elegiaco
• O Mistress Mine! Tranquillo
• 1. Full Fathom Five. Andante Misterioso
• 2. The Cloud-Capp'd Towers. Lento
• 3. Over Hill, Over Dale. Allegro Vivace