Release Date: 04 January 2005
Label: Naxos - Ex Select Products / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 747313262427
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: STAINER
Description
Sir John Stainer (1840-1901)The CrucifixionSir John Stainer was organist of St Paul's Cathedral andprofessor of music at Oxford, but he made it his specialvocation to provide good music for parish choirs ofmoderate abilities, publishing a large number ofanthems, chants and hymn tunes with this end in view.Though undoubtedly there was a financial motive, thecult of simplicity also suited Stainer's temperament andphilosophy. He made himself an expert in the art ofdrawing emotion and depth of meaning out ofcommonplace melody and harmony.In 1887 Stainer conceived the novel idea of writingmusic for Passion Week that was well within the reachof village choirs. The librettist, W.J. Sparrow-Simpson(1859-1952), was the son of a colleague at St Paul's, andthe first performance was at St Marylebone ParishChurch in London. The Crucifixion was not only wellreceived, but has outlived almost all church choir musicof its period, becoming a great popular favourite in theteeth of astoundingly harsh judgements by some criticsand historians. The qualities that have endeared it tomany generations are those that Stainer had consciouslycultivated as a happy medium between contrapuntalelaboration and melodramatic tone-painting.Stainer was writing at a time when Bach's Passionshad been only recently introduced to the British oratoriopublic, and had at last dislodged Handel from his placeas the unquestioned master of sacred choral music. TheCrucifixion followed the Lutheran Passions in severalrespects. Never an oratorio, it was a 'Meditation',designed to form an integral part of an Anglican service,using the normal resources of choir and organ, andbringing in the congregation in several simple hymns(though Stainer composed new tunes where Bach hadadapted ones already well known). The librettoalternates biblical prose narrative with newly composedverse expressing a Christian's response to the successiveevents. This procedure was never used by Handel, butcomes directly from Bach oratorios.Stainer, however, plays down the dramatic elementsof the passion story, which in any case were not hisforte, especially those that dwell on Christ's physicalagony; Christianity had become more humane in theintervening 150 years. The words 'scourged him' aregiven no musical illustration. Instead, Stainer depictsJesus in Gethsemane as a pathetic man, begging for thesympathy of his followers. Perhaps the key of C sharpminor is meant to embody the sharpness of death, butthis would hardly affect the listeners or even theparticipants. The expressive song 'Could ye not watchwith me' is in varied strophic form with chorus. Thehighest note is skilfully reserved for the word 'agony' inthe last verse, and the voice then descends to the depthsof woe.After a dramatic recitative comes the mostambitious number, Processional to Calvary, describedas if by a Christian bystander. One hears Christ and hisfollowers approaching during the long organintroduction in A minor: first a quiet march which willbe the r
Tracklisting
Dariia Lytvishko
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop
Alice Di Piazza; Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Bigband; Titus Engel
Anna Alas i Jove; Miquel Villalba
David Childs; Black Dyke Band; Nicholas Childs
Yaqi Yang; Margarita Parsamyan; Robynne Redmon; Minghao Liu; Frank Ragsdale; Kim Josephson; Kevin S
Vilmos Csikos; Olivier Lechardeur; Manon Lamaison
Tomas Cotik; Martingale Ensemble; Ken Selden
