Description
Phoenix Mass, written in 1965, was originally intended for school choir, but rapidly turned into a much bigger and more demanding work, incorporating English as well as Latin Mass texts (notably in the Gloria) and mixing spoken phrases with sung; it's scored, similarly to Stravinsky's Mass, for chorus and brass ensemble. Two other early works are The World's Winter - a chilling Tennyson setting written for soprano Jane Manning and the Nash Ensemble - and Paean, a forceful and virtuosic piano work in three sections. These three works are accompanied by Payne's 2006 Horn Trio, commissioned to celebrate a diamond wedding.
Phoenix Mass, Paean and The World's Winter have been transferred from LP in the absence of the original masters. The Horn Trio was recorded live for BBC Radio 3
BBC Singers
The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble / John Poole conductor
Susan Bradshaw piano
Jane Manning soprano
The Nash Ensemble / Lionel Friend conductor
Jane's Minstrels