CD REVIEW -
JOHN RUTTER
Brass at Christmas
Black Dyke Band
Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus
Nicholas Childs / Darius
Battiwalla
Naxos 8574564
[60:04]
As the Salvation
Army discovered in the late 19th
century there is something
soul-stirring in Christmas music
played by a brass band. When it
is a 16-track festive season
selection – with a dozen
world premiere recordings –
by the highly acclaimed and most
successful of today's carol
composers together with Britain's
best-loved band, it is no
surprise to read of Rutter's own
regard for this release by a
group among his all-time musical
heroes as "a gem from start
to finish." I can only
concur.
All except four
tracks are lovely new
arrangements by Luc Vertommen (b
1968), a Belgium brass teacher,
cornet player, conductor and
writer. Among them are Angels'
Carol, Carol of the Magi,
Rejoice and be Merry, Star
Carol, New Year and
Candlelight Carol. The
other arrangers are Peter Graham
(Shepherd's Pipe Carol),
John Clay (Christmas Lullaby)
and Eric Wilson (Jesus Child),
while Rutter himself is credited
for Here We Come a-Wassailing
and with Wilson We Wish You a
Merry Christmas, for brass
quintet. Every piece, of course,
was written to be sung but they
sound brilliant in their band
format.
Founded in 1935,
the excellent Sheffield
Philharmonic Chorus are featured
on the opening track: O Clap
Your Hands as well as on Nativity
Carol and Te Deum,
at 7'41" the album's longest
track. The conductor for these is
the choir's music director,
Darius Battiwalla. The band's MD,
Welsh euphonium virtuoso Prof
Nicholas Childs – under whom
Black Dyke has won three European
Championships – wields the
baton for everything else. The
recordings were made at Morley
Town Hall in Leeds, Denshaw
Village Hall in Oldham and
Birkdale School in Sheffield.
The Yorkshire
band's recently retired tuba
player of 39 years, Philip
Goodwin's booklet notes on all
the pieces played are a mine of
information. It is interesting to
learn from the pen portrait of
the Chorus that their patrons are
two people I admire: broadcaster
Petroc Trelawny and actor Samuel
West.
This album will
raise the spirits and give a lot
of listening pleasure, possibly
not just at Christmas and the New
Year.
©
Peter Burt, November 2024
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