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ANTONIO LOTTI CRUCIFIXUS

THE SYRED CONSORT | ORCHESTRA OF ST PAUL’S |

BEN PALMER

1 Dixit Dominus in G minor

solos: Kate Ashby, Felicity Hayward sopranos Ciara Hendrick alto

Hugo Hymas tenor Oliver Hunt bass

Miserere in C minor

solos: Rachel Ambrose Evans soprano Ciara Hendrick alto

Ruairi Bowen tenor Ben McKee bass

Miserere mei Deus

Quoniam iniquitatem

Auditui meo

Cor mundum crea

Quoniam si voluisses

Missa Sancti Christophori

Kyrie

solos: Rachel Ambrose Evans soprano Lucy Goddard alto

Robbie Jacobs tenor Michael Craddock bass

Gloria

solos: Rachel Ambrose Evans soprano Ciara Hendrick alto

Hugo Hymas tenor Oliver Hunt bass

Credo – Crucifixus a 8

Sanctus

solos: Felicity Hayward soprano Lucy Goddard alto Benedictus

Agnus Dei

solos: Rachel Ambrose Evans soprano Lucy Goddard alto

Robbie Jacobs tenor Michael Craddock bass

Credo in G minor

Choir I: Felicity Hayward soprano Ciara Hendrick alto Hugo Hymas tenor Ben McKee bass

Choir II: Rachel Ambrose Evans soprano Lucy Goddard alto Ruairi Bowen tenor Oliver Hunt bass

Credo in unum Deum

solos: Lucy Goddard, Ciara Hendrick alto

Et incarnatus est – Crucifixus a 6

Ritornello – Et in Spiritum

solos: Rachel Ambrose Evans, Felicity Hayward sopranos Oliver Hunt bass

Et unam sanctam

Total playing time

All tracks except 9 and the ‘Crucifixus’ in 14 are premiere recordings

Recorded on 7-8 October 2015 in All Hallows’ Church, Gospel Oak

Producer/Engineer: Paul Baxter

24-bit digital editing: Adam Binks

24-bit digital mastering: Paul Baxter

Design: Drew Padrutt

Photography © Maky Manole

Editions by Ben Byram-Wigfield www.ancientgroove.co.uk

Chamber organ supplied by Malcolm Greenhalgh

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Booklet editor: Henry Howard

Delphian Records Ltd – Edinburgh – UK www.delphianrecords.co.uk

Notes on the music

Despite composing more than 140 works of sacred music, twenty-three highly successful operas and numerous other works in a career of more than fifty years, Antonio Pasqualin Lotti is now known almost exclusively for only three works: his ‘Crucifixus’ settings for six, eight and ten voices. It is not widely known that these ‘motets’ are in fact parts of three settings of the complete Credo: the six-part setting comes from a Credo that is otherwise for double choir in G minor; the ten-part is from a Credo in D minor for four voices; the eight-part is from a Credo in F major for four voices. All three works have an accompaniment for strings and organ. Two of these settings – the eight-part and the six-part – were plucked from their place for inclusion in an 1838 collection of sacred music by Johann Friedrich Rochlitz (1769–1842), Sammlung vorzüglicher Gesangstücke vom Ursprung gesetzmässiger Harmonie bis auf die neue Zeit (‘Important Pieces from the Origin of Regular Harmony to Modern Times’), and as a result became popular throughout Germany and the rest of Europe.

After hearing these settings, two obvious questions arise: how do the ‘Crucifixus’ sections fit in the context of the larger work? And, more fundamentally: what else did Lotti write?

From the age of seventeen until his death aged 73 in 1740, Lotti held a variety of full-time positions at the Doge’s chapel of San Marco in Venice. He also took a variety of freelance

work, providing music and musicians for special occasions at many of the hundred or so churches on the island city. This would have included patronal festivals (for each church’s patron saint) or the investiture of Venetian noblewomen into a convent. Most of his ‘concert’ sacred music – for choir, soli and instruments – is likely to have been written for such festivities, when expense and extravagance were not spared, and the chance to write modern, daring music for Mass and Vespers was welcomed, rather than the more austere and devotional four-part choral works, backed by organ, that were the more usual fare at San Marco.

Inevitably, Lotti’s works fell out of use as fashions changed, and later maestri supplied their own new music to supplant what had been used before. This was the case for many composers of previous eras whose music we now enjoy today: Claudio Monteverdi, Lotti’s predecessor as maestro di cappella at San Marco, has only enjoyed a resurgence since the ‘rediscovery’ of his 1610 Vespers in the 1960s. Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D and the Quattro Stagioni are now perennial concert favourites, despite being almost unknown only a handful of decades ago. Even much of the music of a Baroque master like Bach was revived after a period of neglect, with Mendelssohn famously performing the St Matthew Passion in 1829 for the first time since Bach’s own lifetime. Today, Lotti’s music is over-ripe for revival:

his masterful variety, incessant invention and defiant refusal to fit any one genre matches the eclectic expectations of a modern audience.

Some of the difficulty in ‘resurrecting’ Lotti’s music may lie in his use of large vocal forces: a Gloria in G requires 14 separate vocal lines for just one movement; his concertato Requiem needs 10 voices in the chorus and a sextet of soloists. Seven of his Kyrie settings are scored for two choirs plus nine soloists. His string sections are frequently written as a quintet with two viola parts, rather than the more conventional quartet of two violins, viola and basses. A trumpet and a woodwind section of two oboes, bassoon and occasionally two flutes are additional requirements for some of his works.

However, Lotti did write a number of works that call for a more conventional, smaller group of singers and players – most likely composed for one of the Venetian ‘scuole piccole’ or the Ospedale degli Incurabili – and it is from this group that the pieces in this recording are taken. The Dixit Dominus in G minor is one of six settings by Lotti of this text, the first psalm sung at Vespers on feast days. His other settings are considerably longer and on a larger scale, yet this more compact reading manages to convey every bit of the pomp and majesty that the text demands. Starting with a monumental Adagio , it alternates between the rhythmic

shock and awe of the tutti sections and the calm supplication of solo ensembles. The work is for a five-part chorus with five soloists, one taken from each of the vocal parts. Lotti weaves extraordinarily daring harmonies under the lyrical vocal lines, and interjects instrumental cadences that contain some startling chromatic contradictions. Pensive tenor and alto solos seamlessly bridge the last verse of the psalm to the start of the Gloria. It ends with a fugue and Amen that is every bit as impressive as the opening of the work.

The Miserere in C minor is one of five settings by Lotti, all in minor keys. Lotti shows the fecundity of his inventiveness to great effect in this work. The nineteen sentences are each set as a separate musical form: some as full sections for four-part chorus and strings, others as smaller, more intimate ensembles. Lotti writes an incredible variety: strong, singable, melodic lines for voices, often with string interludes in which the first violin plays against the other instruments. The lack of a Gloria Patri at the end of the psalm suggests usage in Holy Week.

The Credo in G minor is a rare example of Lotti using the typically Venetian form of two choirs in antiphony, one repeating or echoing the other, then taking the phrase and developing it. To this, he adds the orchestra as a ‘third choir’, frequently rotating a phrase between them all.

Notes on the music

Lotti is a master of word-painting, and while some techniques are obvious (descending scales for ‘descendit’, ascending scales for ‘ascendit’), he also repeats ‘non erit finis’ (it will not end), and pauses with anticipation at ‘et expecto’. The Adagio of ‘Et incarnatus est’ brings a more solemn and sacred aspect, before the change of scoring for the apex of the work, ‘Crucifixus’. And so from two choirs of four voices with strings, the mood alters to six voices with only continuo accompaniment. The two antiphonal choirs and strings return, mining a similar vein to that of the start, before a curiously secular instrumental ritornello and trio ensemble over a ground bass. The work ends with an insistent eight-part fughetta for ‘et vitam venturi’ with instrumental interludes and a surprising final cadence.

Lotti wrote twelve concert settings of the Kyrie, fourteen of the Gloria, and five of the Credo. The convention in Venice was that when the first three sections of the mass were lengthy, elaborate works, the last three (Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei) would be sung to plainsong. These individual sections were rarely composed together as a ‘missa’: it was quite usual for one composer to supply a Kyrie, and for another composer to provide a Gloria. It was left to Lotti’s pupil, Jan Dismas Zelenka, to compile Lotti’s mass sections together and give them fanciful names, like Missa Sapientiae, Missa Vide Domine laborem meum, and Missa Sancti Christophori, under which last title

Zelenka compiled a Kyrie, Gloria and Credo, all in F major. In Zelenka’s native Prague, the last three sections of the mass were expected to be composed in the same style, and so for performance there Zelenka created a pastiche: the Benedictus uses the Christe eleison and the final fugue of the Gloria; the Agnus Dei uses material from the opening and closing sections of the Kyrie. The source of the Sanctus has not been identified, though there are indications that it is also a contrafactum (where the text has been applied to pre-existing notes, rather than it being a new confection).

The Kyrie has many of Lotti’s trademark techniques: an urgent instrumental introduction, followed by a lyrical, syncopated calling of the first word, underpinned by a speech-like rhythmic texture. In the Christe, the chorus responds to the plea of the soloist. The final Kyrie starts with a solemn restatement of the word ‘Kyrie’, before a finale that shows Lotti’s idiomatic skill with fugues. The Gloria begins with a suitably glorious string introduction, and a division is made between the upper voices ‘in excelsis’ and the lower voices ‘in terra pax’. An alto solo for ‘Gratias agimus’ is accompanied by traditionally Venetian repeated notes in the strings, and an ascending and descending bass line.

Unison strings in G minor signal a change of mood, before a majestic duet of tenor and bass, leading into a polyphonic chorus at

‘Domine Deus, Agnus Dei’, as Lotti plays with chromatic effects above a pedal note. At ‘Qui tollis’, a chorus responds to the plea of a solo voice. The ‘Quoniam’ section plays with unison lines, before another strong fugue subject that Lotti weaves to a masterful conclusion. A driving arpeggiated figure in the continuo line starts the Credo, whose lengthy text is delivered with a forthright efficiency. The chorus frequently has homophonic speech rhythms while the upper strings provide the lyrical texture. Lotti uses many of the same word-painting techniques as in the Credo in G minor, though he manages to convey them in an inventively distinct fashion. Again, there is an Adagio for ‘Et incarnatus est’, whose series of harmonic changes portrays the mystery of the incarnation. The ‘Crucifixus’ for eight voices starts with something of a bump, its C minor chord jarring against the previous section’s resolution to B flat major. The remainder of this section needs no introduction, with its searing suspensions; the descending syncopated scales to ‘passus’ not only symbolise weeping but portray it; the imitative point of alternating lower and higher notes is a visual signification of the cross.

After the solemn cadence that ends the ‘Crucifixus’, a lone violin signals a fanfare for the ‘Et resurrexit’, with the return of the same use of speech-rhythm as at the start for ‘Et unam sanctam catholicam’. Virtuosic scales on the violin frame the word ‘resurrectionem’,

before a solemn, slow cadence on the word ‘mortuorum’. A dance-like fugue in triple time concludes this affirmation of faith. The Sanctus has the same pattern of supplicant solo matched against tutti chorus, with a joyous contrapuntal theme in the Hosanna. The Benedictus and Agnus Dei rehearse material from earlier in the work, but in a different light that suits the text, with the final fugue bringing the whole mass to an appropriate conclusion.

Lotti’s compositional style is capable of a great variety. There is counterpoint to match the old masters and chromaticism redolent of the early Baroque. His fugues are accomplished, and less ‘mechanical’ than some by other composers. His use of modulation and structure is at the cutting edge of the galant style that prefigures the Classical era. His harmonies can be surprising, daring, even outrageous. As a composer, Lotti was widely regarded in his own lifetime: his influence can be seen in the music of Caldara, Vivaldi, Bach and particularly Handel, who borrowed several themes, phrases and even entire musical forms for inclusion in his own works. His pupils included Baldassare Galuppi, Jan Dismas Zelenka and Domenico Alberti.

Of the Missa Sancti Christophori, only the F major Credo has been recorded before. The Dixit Dominus and Miserere mei are unlikely to have been performed since at least the midnineteenth century. This collection restores

some of Lotti’s best-loved pieces to their rightful place, and provides audiences with an opportunity to hear them in their original context, along with more of his unique, inventive and beautiful music. There remains a considerable wealth of material by Lotti still largely unexplored that deserves to be heard and performed more often.

Ben Byram-Wigfield is a music researcher and publisher, currently studying for a PhD at the Open University and producing editions of all Lotti’s sacred music.

Texts and translations

Dixit Dominus

Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum.

Virgam virtutis tuae emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum.

Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero, ante luciferum, genui te.

Juravit Dominus et non poenitebit eum: Tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech.

Dominus a dextris tuis: confregit in die irae suae reges.

Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum.

De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput.

Gloria Patri et Filio: et Spiritui Sancto; Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper: et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Psalm 110 (109 Vulgate); tr. from the Book of Common Prayer

The Lord said unto my Lord: Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

The Lord shall send the rod of thy power out of Sion: be thou ruler, even in the midst among thine enemies.

In the day of thy power shall the people offer thee free-will offerings with an holy worship: the dew of thy birth is of the womb of the morning.

The Lord sware, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech. The Lord upon thy right hand: shall wound even kings in the day of his wrath.

He shall judge among the heathen; he shall fill the places with the dead bodies: and smite in sunder the heads over divers countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up his head.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit;

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

Miserere in C minor

2 Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam: et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum dele iniquitatem meam.

Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me.

3 Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper.

Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut iustificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum iudicaris.

Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.

Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.

Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.

4 Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.

Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.

Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness: according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences. Wash me throughly from my wickedness: and cleanse me from my sin.

5 Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.

Ne proicias me a facie tua: et Spiritum Sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.

Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.

Make me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence: and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

O give me the comfort of thy help again: and stablish me with thy free spirit.

For I acknowledge my faults: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged.

Behold, I was shapen in wickedness: and in sin hath my mother conceived me.

But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts: and and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly. Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Turn thy face from my sins: and put out all my misdeeds.

Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur.

Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea iustitiam tuam.

Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.

6 Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis.

Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.

Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem.

Tunc acceptabis sacrificium iustitiae, oblationes, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.

Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked: and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my health: and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall shew thy praise.

For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee: but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.

The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise.

O be favourable and gracious unto Sion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations: then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.

Psalm 51 (50 Vulgate); tr. from the Book of Common Prayer

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.

Adoramus te. Glorificamus te.

Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.

Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.

Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe; Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe.

Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise you. We bless you. We worship you. We glorify you. We give you thanks for your great glory.

Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father: Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Who takes away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us.

For only you are Holy, only you are Lord, only you are Most High, Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Missa Sancti Christophori – Credo/Credo in G minor

9/13 Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula, Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis.

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria Virgine; et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est.

Et resurrexit tertia die secundum scripturas, et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris, et iterum venturus est cum gloria iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis.

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre Filioque procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per prophetas.

Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum, et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. God of God, light of light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. He was crucified also for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. On the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven. He sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. And his Kingdom shall have no end.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets.

I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. And I await the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.

Dominus Deus Sabaoth: Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini: Hosanna in excelsis.

Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Missa Sancti Christophori – Benedictus

Missa Sancti Christophori – Agnus Dei

Ben Palmer is Artistic Director of the Orchestra of St Paul’s and The Syred Consort, and is in demand as a guest conductor throughout the UK and abroad. Acclaimed for his innovative and imaginative programming,he is increasingly gaining recognition as an inspiring and versatile conductor. In 2016 he will make his debut with the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin; recent guest conducting engagements include Aurora Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (including at the Hampton Court Palace Festival), the London Mozart Players, the Royal College of Music Classical Orchestra (replacing Sir Roger Norrington at short notice), the RCM Philharmonic, the Kazakh State Chamber Orchestra, Southern Sinfonia, the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra and Oxford University Orchestra. Other orchestras he has conducted include the Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the

Rambert Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. He has acted as rehearsal conductor for Bernard Haitink, Jac van Steen and, most notably, Roger Norrington, with whom he has worked closely since 2011, as his assistant conductor for concerts, recordings, on tour and at the BBC Proms.

In addition to his work as a conductor, Ben Palmer is in demand as a composer, arranger and orchestrator. Recent commissions include three works for the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin (all performed at the Berlin Philharmonie), a Sinfonietta for the English Music Festival, and Flying in the Fire for Woking Choral Society, premiered alongside Tippett’s A Child of Our Time at Cadogan Hall. His music has been performed by such ensembles as Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the City of London Sinfonia and The Fibonacci Sequence. It is his lifetime ambition to conduct all the Haydn symphonies.

The Syred Consort is a hand-picked chamber choir bringing together some of the finest young professional singers in London under the direction of conductor Ben Palmer. Founded in 2007, the Consort’s repertoire is diverse, ranging from the Renaissance to the present day, often featuring soloists drawn from within the choir.

The Consort has toured programmes of Antonio Lotti and Bach Motets, and given acclaimed performances of Messiah in London and throughout the UK. Past seasons have included a cycle of J.S. Bach’s four great choralorchestral works, music by Duruflé, Gesualdo, MacMillan, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky and Tallis, Berlioz’s Messe solennelle, Handel’s Israel in Egypt, and world premieres by Graham Ross and Malcolm Hayes.

In addition to several performances at the English Music Festival, the Consort has sung in such notable venues as Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John’s Smith Square, St Martin-in-the-Fields and, under the direction of Tim Brown, King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. The choir collaborates regularly with the Orchestra of St Paul’s, and occasionally with its sister ensemble, the Syred Sinfonia.

The Syred Consort remains hugely indebted to its sponsor, Richard Syred, from whom the choir takes its name.

The Orchestra of St Paul’s is one of London’s most dynamic and versatile chamber orchestras. Under the baton of Artistic Director Ben Palmer, OSP has developed a reputation for imaginative programming and exciting, stylish concerts, equally at home performing a Haydn symphony as accompanying a silent film. Resident at the famous Actors’ Church in Covent Garden, OSP performs regularly at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, at St Martinin-the-Fields, Cadogan Hall and St John’s Smith Square, and has appeared at Milton Court, LSO St Luke’s and the Victoria & Albert Museum. In 2015 the orchestra released a critically acclaimed CD featuring premiere recordings of music for strings by Elgar, Malcolm Arnold (both in arrangements by David Matthews) and Robert Simpson.

Based around a core of principal players, the Orchestra of St Paul’s adapts to each project, varying its layout, playing style and line-up, ranging in size from a small ensemble to an orchestra of 60 or more. The orchestra’s patron is Sir Roger Norrington, one of the world’s leading exponents of historical performance. The orchestra has worked with such acclaimed soloists as Roderick Williams, Steven Osborne, Alexandra Dariescu and David Owen Norris, and with actors Samuel West and Clemency Burton-Hill.

Recent highlights include a nine-concert tour of China, screenings of Casablanca, The Snowman and Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush at Southbank Centre, and a cycle of the nine Beethoven symphonies.

The Syred Consort

Sopranos

Rachel Ambrose Evans

Helen Ashby

Kate Ashby

Felicity Hayward

Altos

Joseph Bolger

Lucy Goddard

Ciara Hendrick

Tenors

Ruairi Bowen

Hugo Hymas

Robbie Jacobs

Basses

Michael Craddock

Oliver Hunt

Ben McKee

Orchestra of St Paul’s

Violin I

Francesca Barritt

Charis Jenson

Violin II

Esther King Smith

Rachel Spencer

Viola I

Matthew Kettle

Barnaby Adams

Viola II tracks 2-6, 13-16

Richard Waters

Stephanie Edmundson

Cello

Alex Rolton

Bass

Alice Kent Chamber organ

Daniel King Smith

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John Kitchen harpsichord

DCD34112

In the latest instalment of his survey of the Raymond Russell Collection’s early keyboard instruments, John Kitchen turns his attention to its 1769 Pascal Taskin harpsichord – the world’s most famous harpsichord, rarely recorded hitherto. It was during the reign of Louis XV that the harpsichord gained its greatest popularity in France, and this glorious instrument would have been a preferred choice for any composer of the epoch. Here its opulent lushness is captured in the ideal acoustics of Scotland’s oldest concert hall.

‘The harpsichord is a gem, resonant and entrancing’

— BBC Music Magazine, September 2012

Handel: Overture Transcriptions & Suites

John Kitchen harpsichord

DCD34057

Handel’s overtures had an independent life almost from their inception, and the practice of performing them on keyboard instruments has a similarly long pedigree, beginning with a number of transcriptions made by the composer himself. John Kitchen virtuosically evokes Handel’s orchestral palette in the welter of timbres and colours which he summons forth from the Russell Collection’s 1755 Jacob Kirckman harpsichord, a classic instrument from the apex of the English harpsichord-building tradition. Interspersed between the overture transcriptions are two of Handel’s suites written for the harpsichord; these are played on a 1709 single-manual Thomas Barton instrument from the Rodger Mirrey Collection, one of very few extant early eighteenth-century English harpsichords.

‘stylishly played … The music is universally glorious’ — Sunday Times, August 2009