HERBERT HOWELLS: SIR PATRICK SPENS, OP. 23; HYMNUS PARADISI
Claire Rutter (soprano); James Gilchrist (tenor); Roderick Williams (baritone) Katy Butler (soprano)
The Bach Choir; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra;David Hill
Naxos 8.570352 65m12s

If you are unfamiliar with either of these works, you need to go out and buy this CD. This is the first recording of Sir Patrick Spens, and quite how it escaped the recording companies' spotlight for so long is puzzling. Written when Howells was only 25 years old, it is a substantial work at nearly 20 minutes, and no words from the Scottish ballad are repeated. It makes for compelling and intense listening. Nothing can be more intense than Hymnus Paradisi, surely one of the most beautiful and heart-rending pieces in the repertoire. The performances here lack nothing: they are well recorded, beautifully paced and executed; David Hill and the orchestral and choral armies are faultless. The soloists are excellent, but compared with other recordings (Willcocks and Hickox) Claire Rutter sounds fresh, creamy and dreamy, but dramatic when needed; I have yet to hear James Gilchrist have a bad moment. In the usual Naxos way the booklet presentation is fairly poor, and you may need a magnifying glass to read it – but it is worth persevering for the informative notes by Andrew Burn. If this is you sort of music, you do need to have all of the recordings, and most certainly this one. AR