Proms Chamber Music 1: Thomas Tallis (20.07.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

1.00 p.m.
Cadogan Hall

The Cardinall's Musick returns to the BBC Proms with director Andrew Carwood to launch a major new project: the Tallis Edition, aiming to throw new light on the music of this most lyrical of English polyphonists. As well as a selection of the composer's liturgical music, the concert includes his extraordinary 40-part motet Spem in alium plus the world premiere of a new tribute to Tallis by British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad.

Tallis: Videte miraculum
Tallis: O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit
Tallis: Hear the voice and prayer
Tallis: Why fum'th in fight
Tallis: Suscipe quaeso
Tallis: O nata lux de lumine
Tallis: O sacrum convivium
Tallis: O salutaris hostia
Cheryl Frances-Hoad: From the Beginning of the World (world premiere)
Tallis: Spem in alium

The Cardinall's Musick
Andrew Carwood (director).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The first of this year's Proms Chamber Music concerts live from Cadogan Hall.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This just has to be worth listening to.

[Richard Tarleton]

This just has to be worth listening to.

Greatly looking forward to this.

[DracoM]

Apart form it being a PR phrase, what does Carwood mean by 'throwing new light' on Tallis?

[jean]

Well, we'll find out, I suppose.

I'd rather hear some of the early work than yet another Spem.

Nice to hear the original Theme of the VW Fantasia, though.

.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The only chance this Season to hear Music written before 1700 - one of the very few unmissable Proms for me.

[EdgeleyRob]

The only chance this Season to hear Music written before 1700 - one of the very few unmissable Proms for me.

Oh yes.I'll be downing tools to listen to this one.
Next decent Prom ? 30th July.
Can't believe the RVW has never before featured at the Proms.
Hope Sir Mark doesn't witter on between movements during the Elgar.

[DracoM]

Well............chacun a son gout and all that, but.....

.............felt a bit brutalist to me. Is that the 'new light' Mr Carwood intended?
VERY hard sound, very dark sound, almost no light and shade or much variety of pulse - and actually, quite a quick pulse too.
Strong voices, singers on top of their game, do not dispute that in any way.
But................
Wouldn't buy the records if it all sounded like this.

Cheryl Frances-Hoad: From the Beginning of the World (world première): very tricky to sing, lots of inventive timbres and mixes, exceptionally well-sung.
I doubt I'd cross the road for it another time.

[doversoul1]

I wondered if I was too used to hearing recorded performances which are, to me, soaring and transparent. This sounded rather hemmed in and solid. The voices sounded (to me) better suited to From the Beginning of the World.

[DracoM]

Indeed.

[EdgeleyRob]

Wonderful stuff.
I bow to the superior knowledge of you choral music experts.
The performances sounded a lot different to the Tallis I have on record but words and individual lines were very clear.
Listening via headphones there seemed to be a Mexican wave type effect in Spem,the sound moving left to right and back.
Was this something to do with the positioning of the singers,?
I didn't enjoy the new piece.

[Richard J.]

I wondered if I was too used to hearing recorded performances which are, to me, soaring and transparent. This sounded rather hemmed in and solid.

That's probably the Cadogan Hall acoustic compared to echoey cathedrals. The latter tend to put me off such music, and I start to regret the lack of instruments. In the hall on Monday, I found the sound was rich and inspiring. The sheer volume of 40 singers in Spem in Alium was amazing. Yes, there was a movement from left to right in some parts of the work.

Petroc Trelawny seems to have cornered the presenter job at the PCM concerts, which is good. He's much better than either Clemmy Burton-Hill or Catherine Bott. He entertains the audience before the handover from the studio with snippets from the news and weather on R3 fed to his earphone. "They're talking about corrupt footballers". Andrew Carwood: "Makes a change from politicians."

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... there was a movement from left to right ...

Makes a change from politicians

[Simon Biazeck]

Wonderful stuff.
I bow to the superior knowledge of you choral music experts.

No need to do that!

I thought they were very fine in the new commission - very difficult writing, and not entirely idiomatic on a first impression, but nice to hear a new compositional voice not in thrall to current stylistic trends.