BaL 10.07.21 - Bernstein: Chichester Psalms

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30am
Building a Library
Bernstein’s exuberant Chichester Psalms was one of the composer’s many strong connections with the UK, commissioned for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals Festival at Chichester Cathedral. Edward Seckerson talks to Andrew about the background to the piece, whilst whittling down the available recordings to come up with the finest recording to buy, download or stream.

Available versions:-

Bournemouth Symphony Chorus & Orchestra, Marin Alsop

Wells Cathedral Choir, Malcolm Archer *

Camerata Singers, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein

Vienna Boys’ Choir, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein

Thomas Trotter, Corydon Singers, Matthew Best

Choir of Clare College Cambridge, Wallace Collection, Timothy Brown

Britten Sinfonia, Ensemble of King’s College, Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury (SACD)

Peter Barley, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury

Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Greg Funfgeld *

Thomas Jaber,Texas All-State Mixed Choir, Texas Two Year College All State Choir, Lynne Gackle *

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, Richard Hickox

Texas All-State Mixed Choir, Texas Tech University Symphony Orchestra, Craig Jessop *

James Lancelot, Choir of King’s College Cambridge, Philip Ledger *

Kraków Philharmonic Chorus, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Orchestra Of St. Luke’s, Gilbert Levine

Choeur de Radio France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Yutaka Sado

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Gerard Schwarz

Choir of St Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York, John Scott

Atlanta Symphony Chorus & Orchestra, Robert Shaw

Tenebrae, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Nigel Short

BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, Leonard Slatkin

Greg Morris, Temple Church Choir, James Vivian

Richard Barnes, Chichester Singers, Jonathan Willcocks *

(* = download only)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

...whilst whittling down the available recordings to come up with the finest recording to buy, download or stream

I'd be delighted to find a way to acquire a legal way to download a work for nothing.

[Darloboy]

As far as I can tell, this work has only been covered by BaL once previously - In May 04 when Ash Khandekar chose Bernstein's live IPO performance from 1977. He recommended Timothy Brown for the reduced scoring version.

This doesn't seem like one of the "blockbusters" that usually end the series so I'm assuming there'll be another BaL on 17 July before the summer break.

[Darloboy]

This doesn't seem like one of the "blockbusters" that usually end the series so I'm assuming there'll be another BaL on 17 July before the summer break.

Having said that, I’ve just remembered that a series ended with RV-W’s Dona nobis pacem a few years back so maybe this will be the last before the summer break.

[Goon525]

Chances of Edward Seckerson, of all people, not choosing a Lennie version? Less than 10%.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Chances of Edward Seckerson, of all people, not choosing a Lennie version? Less than 10%.

Has he met Lenny then? I remember him mentioning (at length) his connections with Jurowski.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My first contact with this work was when our University choir sang it, only 5 years after its composition. I wasn't in the choir at the time, as it clashed with the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, where I was one of the rehearsal accompanists, but the other music students were enthused by it and I was influenced by this.

Much more recently, I've sung in it in two different choirs, learning the true meaning of the word 'fear' in the middle movement - nightmarishly fast singing in Hebrew, with constantly changing rhythms.

Also, I was choir accompanist for another performance. This was interesting, as the vocal score orchestral reduction spreads across 2, 3 or 4 staves at various times, without much consideration about whether it's playable or not. Some years ago, I did an 'Idiot's Messiah' (for my own benefit ) with a much simplified accompaniment, with the choral parts reduced to short score. I decided to do the same again with Chichester Psalms, reducing it to a playable 2 staves - well worth the effort when it came to the rehearsals (and most definitely for my own use only, for legal reasons). But when the accompanist for the Torbay Singers played the published version in rehearsal, I was staggered by her fluency.

[LHC]

Chances of Edward Seckerson, of all people, not choosing a Lennie version? Less than 10%.

I remember several years ago talking to my then boss about a forthcoming BAL in which Ed Seckerson was going to review a Mahler symphony. My boss remarked that Seckerson would listen carefully to all the available recordings before choosing the Bernstein.

[Goon525]

I remember several years ago talking to my then boss about a forthcoming BAL in which Ed Seckerson was going to review a Mahler symphony. My boss remarked that Seckerson would listen carefully to all the available recordings before choosing the Bernstein.

No idea who your boss was, but he knows of what he speaks.

[rauschwerk]

Sang this more than half a century ago with Tay Cheng-Jim/LSO/Kertész. That was fun but I have since gone off the piece. Our chorus master, John Alldis, described the main theme of the last movement as a 'panto tune'. Was he right?

[LMcD]

Sang this more than half a century ago with Tay Cheng-Jim/LSO/Kertész. That was fun but I have since gone off the piece. Our chorus master, John Alldis, described the main theme of the last movement as a 'panto tune'. Was he right?

'Oh yes he was!' Oh no ... '

[EnemyoftheStoat]

Sang this more than half a century ago with Tay Cheng-Jim/LSO/Kertész. That was fun but I have since gone off the piece. Our chorus master, John Alldis, described the main theme of the last movement as a 'panto tune'. Was he right?

It's behind you!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Sang this more than half a century ago with Tay Cheng-Jim/LSO/Kertész. That was fun but I have since gone off the piece. Our chorus master, John Alldis, described the main theme of the last movement as a 'panto tune'. Was he right?

I think the harmonies are in places a bit saccharine and the chromatics on the melodic line over the top but it’s more Broadway than panto isn’t it? I still like the piece but then I like Broadway. Bernstein had a bit of taste for the melodically / harmonically sentimental didn’t he? I’m thinking of One Hand, One Heart from West Side story and indeed I Have A Love from the same.Everyone thinks of the more astringent pieces but it’s there’s so much of Jerome Kern in there really.

[LMcD]

It's behind you!

'I can't see it!'

[makropulos]

Sang this more than half a century ago with Tay Cheng-Jim/LSO/Kertész. That was fun but I have since gone off the piece. Our chorus master, John Alldis, described the main theme of the last movement as a 'panto tune'. Was he right?

Almost. It was originally written as a duet in a musical (based on The Skin of Our Teeth) that was never finished - as was a good deal of the rest of the Chi Psalms apart from the bit taken from a cut number in West Side Story. The whole thing is a rather brilliant piece of musical recycling.