The second release in this series of Choir and Organ Tutorials, recorded at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, is the Gloria from Schubert’s Mass in G. We’re releasing it during Eastertide, as it’s such a joyful, celebratory piece, and it suits the season of resurrection.
The Gloria begins “Gloria in Excelsis Deo!”, “Glory to God in the highest!” and is usually one of the most upbeat movements of a classical mass. It’s presented here as a full rehearsal and performance, directed by Ralph Allwood, and accompanied expertly by organist Jonathan Eyre.
As Ralph points out at the start of the rehearsal, this was intended as a full orchestral piece, as were the other two Schubert masses, but it’s good to do it with organ because it’s such good music. This one dates from 1815, although it wasn’t published until after Schubert’s death. Apparently, it was originally scored for string orchestra and organ, although there is a later set of parts which seem to imply that Schubert added trumpets and timpani in a grander conception of the work.
Jonathan is asked to discuss the advantages and compromises inherent in carrying this off on the organ. He explains that he’s playing from a Novello score where it feels like the whole orchestration has been put in a score notation package and shrunk down, but the organist aims to keep it “rather light”. It’s important that the string parts can be heard, for example. The opening begins with a fast and demanding D major scale, and here it’s important that the choir gets a good sense of the tempo.
Find out more about this tutorial here:
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About the Choir & Organ tutorial series:
This choir and organ tutorial series emphasises the partnership between director and organist, showing how the roles complement each other when creating excellent church music. The organist for this series is Jonathan Eyre, and the series is illustrated with a number of classic examples from the repertoire.
The works include the mass movements, Gloria and Sanctus, classic anthems such as Elgar’s monumental “Give unto the Lord”, and a section from Fauré’s Requiem. Each episode brings out a different aspect of choral performance and organ accompaniment, in most cases including a detailed rehearsal during which Ralph Allwood leads the choir through to a full rendition.
There is a well-established production team for these tutorial sessions, and it was a pleasure once again to bring it together for a recording session at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel in Greenwich on a bright day in January. James Atkinson, with his assistant Andy Heathcote, was responsible for the excellent camera work, this time employing a full six cameras to capture every detail of the action from a variety of angles. Adrian Lucas masterminded the sound recording, while Francis Rumsey acted as session director.
The organ used during these recordings is a Viscount Regent 356, a physical modelling digital instrument, which was installed in the chapel a few years ago to stand in for its ailing but historically significant pipe organ. The location of the console near to the choir at the front of the chapel makes for relatively easy interaction between conductor and organist.
Find out more about the choir and organ tutorial series here: viscountorgans...
8 сен 2024
