{"id":10519,"date":"2021-04-08T11:10:51","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T10:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=10519"},"modified":"2021-04-08T22:01:50","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T21:01:50","slug":"continuities-and-radical-surprise-the-absorbing-treasury-of-magnificat-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2021\/04\/08\/continuities-and-radical-surprise-the-absorbing-treasury-of-magnificat-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Continuities and radical surprise: the absorbing treasury of Magnificat 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The second volume in the Magnificat<\/em><\/strong> series by Andrew Nethsingha and The Choir of St John\u2019s College, Cambridge takes a keen look at settings of the Evening Canticles across the years, from 1932 to 2019 from stalwart composers of the canon in Sumsion and Howells to perhaps lesser-known figures including Sydney Watson (who conducted the first performance of Walton\u2019s epic The Twelve<\/em>) and Giles Swayne, as well as contemporary titans Arvo P\u00e4rt and Julian Anderson.<\/p>\n

Swayne\u2019s wonderfully dynamic Magnificat I<\/em> setting revels in repetition, bearing African influences, pitching glowing upper-voices over repeated lower voices, whilst a radiant \u2018Amen\u2019 recedes skywards. There is the usual vigorous, robust setting by Walton, a richly celebratory response to the text\u2019s jubilation. Luminous cluster-chords opens Lennox Berkeley\u2019s meditative, contemplative setting, which pushes ahead with a wonderfully expressive flow, in contrast to Swayne\u2019s rhythmically robust response. P\u00e4rt\u2019s hushed, timeless incarnation of the text is filled with a reverential awe in its widely-spaced textures and unhurried pace.<\/p>\n

The disc finishes with the challenging, bracing setting by Julian Anderson, written for the college\u2019s 150th<\/sup> anniversary in 2019. His Magnificat<\/em> is vibrant with polyrhythms and a dizzying web of textures; contrasting lyrical, melodic lines unfold over glowing sustained chords in Anderson\u2019s richly colourful tonal language. In contrast is a sedate, darker-hued Nunc Dimittis<\/em> \u2013 which brings the whole disc to a reverentially hushed conclusion.<\/p>\n

The introductory essay by former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, speaks of \u201cthese ancient hymns, so redolent of continuities yet so full of radical surprise,\u201d words true both of the canticles and of this absorbing treasury, impeccably performed by St John’s College Cambridge Choir under the direction of Andrew Nethsingha.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Magnificat 2<\/em> <\/strong>is released on 16 April on Signum Classics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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