This week (25 June 2008) sees the much anticipated (at least by me!) release of the Wessex Male Choir’s second CD “Shades of Wessex”. The first thing that strikes me about this CD (which we recorded back in April) is that it is far from being a typical male voice choir product. There’s a real mix of music on it and most is not what people expect, but then, the Wessex Male Choir is hardly a “traditional” male-voice choir. Under the inspirational leadership of musical director, Robert Elliott, the Choir has forged a reputation for putting together some varied and entertaining programmes. It is no accident that the choir was invited to sing at Westminster Cathedral and the Bath Forum (as a supporting act for Hayley Westenra) in 2007 and was the top-placed UK male choir in the 2006 International Eisteddfod, as well as winning the Gold Cup in this year’s Cheltenham Music Festival (not to be confused with the Cheltenham Gold Cup race-meeting – ‘hoarse’ members are not allowed in the Choir!). The Choir will also be heading the bill at this year’s PDS Christmas Concert in London in Westminster Central Hall where the audience is likely to exceed 2000.
So what of the CD? Now the first thing to remember is that you are not listening to professional singers, but that said (and of course I am biased) I think the CD is good both in terms of its varied content and generally in its production quality. The challenge for such a recording is to capture a sense of the dynamism for which the Choir is rightly renowned. Overall, I think the album succeeds in this even though it cannot reproduce the magical rapport between audience and choir that is so evident in live performance.
In terms of content, three of the items were recorded at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2006 and the recording quality is not as “clean” as it could be – I think this is a particular problem in O Sacrum Convivium (an a capella TTBB arrangement of the work by Spanish sixteenth century composer Tomas Luis de Vittorio) where the lower voices seem to swamp the tenor lines and the result sounds mushy – particularly in the first half of the piece.
The added instrumental scoring on some tracks certainly enhances the musical texture and by comparison, there are times when the piano (beautifully played by accompanists Mary New and Christine Williams) sounds just a little bit inadequate. The light-hearted El Capotin is a fun piece delivered in an energetic and anarchic fashion by the Choir in mock-Mexican mode in the concert hall - complete with guitars, maracas, unfeasibly large false moustaches, ponchos and the most bizarre collection of sombreros you will ever see! But as a stand-alone musical item on the CD, I’m not sure El Capotin works - although it still has plenty of energy. (Incidentally, performing this number during the recent Cricklade Festival, I accidentally smacked my maraccas together (oooh err, missus!) and the resulting split sent rice grains flying all over the stage!).
I expect everyone who listens to the CD will have a favourite track (and probably some tracks they don’t like – this is inevitable given the wide variety of styles and musical genres on the CD). For my favourite track, I cannot decide between Pavel Chesnokov’s beautiful orthodox communion hymn, Spaseniye Sodelal (lovely controlled finish!) and the passion of Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables. Verdi’s Anvil Chorus (complete with ‘anvil’) is another favourite, and I admit that I have become a reluctant admirer of the emotional American tribute to the fallen, Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones. Perhaps the sentimentality of this piece touches me because I have lost quite a few friends and colleagues over the years. Traditionalists will not be disappointed with the Choir’s rendition of Deus Salutis (O Iesu Mawr) sung in Welsh to a lovely setting of the tune Llef. With hits by Sinatra and McFly as well as negro spirituals, there is probably something for everyone on this CD.
The album works well as a showcase for the Choir but it is hard to see how it will have appeal outside those who have heard the Choir sing (which is a pity). Nevertheless, given the very wide audience that the Choir now reaches, CD sales promise to be strong. For information about how to get hold of a copy, please go to the Wessex Male Choir website at www.wessexmalechoir.co.uk.
