Recording Reviews

Morgan Luttig, editor

Hilary Tann: Luminaria

Magna: Sacred Choral Music

Cappella Clausura

Amelia LeClair, conductor NV6509 (2023, 72’00”) example, the presence of the Lombard rhythm, or Scottish snap, appears in most if not all of her choral writing. Tann is fluid stylistically, taking inspiration from Welsh hymns (notable in track two, The Moor ), plainsong, and at times, from orchestration that could be likened to Britten’s Ceremony of Carols (for example in track nine, Children of Grace.)

Luminaria Magna is Cappella Clausura’s latest release. Led by founder Amelia LeClair, Cappella Clausura, in collaboration with Danish organist Heinrich Christensen, interprets thirteen of Hilary Tann’s sacred works. The exceptional performances of both Christensen and Cappella Clausura bring to life the Welsh composer’s vibrant organ and lyrical choral settings which are organized programmatically by interspersing solo organ works amidst her shorter choral pieces. The recording is not only a gift to the ears, but an opportunity for conductors and lovers of choral music to become more familiar with the lesser known but accessible and diverse choral oeuvre of Tann.

The album begins with Advent, the first of four Embertides, an organ suite that pays homage to the four parts of the liturgical and secular year. These standalone reflections are interspersed between nine of Tann’s thirteen extant choral works.1 Her three Psalms (136, 86, 104) finish out the album, performed in the order intended by the composer.2 Out of the nine choral works, only two are for soprano/alto voicing, while the remaining pieces include lower voices. Some pieces add organ, and the final two Psalms, 86 and 104, include trumpet.

Two pieces stand out in both composition and performance. That Jewel-Spirit… is written for SSA voices, flute, and piano or string quintet (Cappella uses organ in place of piano.) The

The music of Welsh-born Hilary Tann (1947–2023) is influenced not only by her Welsh origins, but also by the natural world, as well as her affinity with Japan. Tann lived and worked in upstate New York, and was also a published haiku poet. Compositionally in her choral works, she is attentive to text, weaving various languages together often freely flowing between English and Latin in one piece. Stylistically, one can’t help but note the Celtic influence of her homeland. For

1 According to the composer’s works listed on her website: https://hilarytann.com/

2 See program note for Psalms at: https://hilarytann.com/ text combines poetry of Japanese haiku master Matsuo Bashô and American poet Penny Harter both who wrote about Mount Haguro, located in the ancient province of Dewa, Japan. The work was commissioned in memory of a student, Moe (known as “Momo”) Nakamura. The composer wrote in the program note, “the connections between Momo, Japan, and the USA are many.” The opening theme, upon which the piece is based, enters above a major second in the upper register of the keyboard and flute, giving both a simplicity and a melancholy sense to the piece that continues until the end.

The second work that shines both compositionally and in its introspective performance is Measuring the Distance , which combines English with Latin numerology in a text, again, by Penny Harter. Throughout, Tann uses rhythmic language, some spoken sections, and articulation to create the feeling of the passing of time. “Musicians have a complex and personal relationship to time: the practical business of notating music; the experiential time of listening; the times of one’s life. In ‘Measuring the Distance,’ temporal matters gradually give way to an unbounded sense of loving and being loved,” 3 wrote the composer. Indeed, she sets the words then try to measure love- love that can leap any distance with a rare moment of simplicity and vulnerability in a soprano and tenor duet about halfway through the piece. At the end of the work, Tann uses the same text to bring back the important message, centering love. Throughout, the choir’s sound is supported, full, and lush, which allows overtones to speak and the interpretation of the piece’s message to come through.

—Corie Brown

Dr. Corie Brown serves as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at San José State University.

Michael Kurek: Symphony No. 2: Tales from the Realm of Faerie and Other Works

Vanderbilt Chorale, European Recording Orchestra

Michael Kurek, conductor NV6458 (2022, 58’39”) provides support for the choir while remaining independent and aurally interesting for the listener. A salient feature of Kurek’s Missa Brevis is that each movement has its own unique identity. Each movement could stand alone, but they also seamlessly connect as the whole, making the mass cohesive for the listener.

In a time when so much is happening in the world, people often look for ways to escape and find reprieve from the challenges in daily life. For many, music is this reprieve. The choral and instrumental selections in Symphony No. 2: Tales from the Realm of Faerie and Other Works take listeners on a journey to lands of fantasy and hope. The album features music by American composer, Michael Kurek, divided into two parts: Symphony No. 2, scored for large symphony orchestra, and Missa Brevis , set for choir and organ. Listeners will find that the music is enjoyably straightforward and easy to follow. Symphony No. 2 evokes strong aural images of imagination while Missa Brevis honors the centuries-old traditions of the Mass ordinary through its functional and convincing setting.

Michael Kurek’s Symphony No. 2 creates a cinematic soundscape that transports listeners to fantasy lands of literature and cinema. The selections will remind listeners of various characters, creatures, and other thematic moments found in fairytales. Using “faerie,” the old spelling for “fairyland,” Kurek’s piece title insinuates a desire for listeners to escape into an imaginative fairyland while listening to Symphony No. 2 . Although the symphony comprises more time than the mass on the recording, the two works complement one another in their quest to take the listener on an epic journey of enjoyable music.

Michael Kurek’s Missa Brevis is both accessible and simple. The Vanderbilt Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Tucker Biddlecombe, performs Kurek’s mass in a way that showcases the musical effectiveness and simplistic beauty of the work. Throughout the Mass , organist Polly Brecht plays the accompaniment with sensitivity as the instrument is aurally balanced with the voices. On the second half of this recording, the four movements of the Missa Brevis are paired with Kurek’s Ave Maria, a selection that could be used liturgically or in concert.

This setting of the Missa Brevis utilizes traditional movements from the mass ordinary: Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. The organ introduction of the Kyrie sets the tone of the work with its use of pedal points and stepwise descent in the bass. Similar to the other movements, The Kyrie utilizes homophony and voice pairings between the treble and tenor-bass voices. The Vanderbilt Chorale effectively portrays the tripartite division of the piece through powerful dynamic and affect changes. The voices of the Vanderbilt Chorale are perfectly balanced and weave together seamlessly as the choir transitions into new musical material within and between each movement.

Overall, trained musicians can hear the simplicity and functionality of this brief mass. Whether used in liturgical or concert contexts, audience members will enjoy the digestible and harmonically stunning piece. The polished performance by the Vanderbilt Chorale makes the practicality of the piece hard to detect. This recording utilized German Neumann U87 microphones and a Dobson 92 organ, recorded in Turner Hall at Vanderbilt University. These highvalue instruments and recording devices combined with the artistry of conductor Tucker Biddlecombe, organist Polly Brecht, and the singers of the Vanderbilt Chorale, create an ethereal experience that is simple yet full of beauty.

The Gloria begins with a triumphant opening that appears as a homophonic choral incipit. This movement stays harmonically simple, a helpful characteristic for developing choirs as they navigate the plentiful text of the Gloria. The Sanctus opens with an ascending unison line from the treble voices before splitting into two, then four parts. This movement features colorful chords on vivid text, such as “sabbaoth,” “hosanna,” and “in excelsis,” providing harmonic places of arrival for the choir. The Agnus Dei has a similar affect to the opening Kyrie, longing for mercy but filled with hope as the choir concludes the Missa Brevis on an intimate chord, singing “pacem.” Throughout the mass, the organ accompaniment

To conclude the album, the treble voices of the Vanderbilt Chorale performed Kurek’s SSA arrangement of Ave Maria . Continuing with a theme of simplicity, this arrangement offers legato and lyrical lines sung artfully by the choir. The contour and melodic material may seem akin to the well-known Gounod arrangement of Ave Maria , which may not be surprising given the late and 19th and early 20th century French choral influences in Kurek’s work.

The selection of Symphony No. 2 and Missa Brevis provide listeners the chance to be engulfed in a different world. Kurek jokes that his music is “completely conventional and without interest,4”