“England’s trove of first-rate choirs is exceeded only by its collection of truly gifted living choral composers. Many are of younger generations, and hardly an issue of ARG goes by without a review or two covering fresh English compositional voices that are worth your attention. This issue’s discovery is David Bednall (b 1979), who is fast coming to the fore as not only a composer, but an exceptional organist and improviser. His previous discs have garnered considerable critical acclaim – though not from us: Mr Greenfield’s lukewarm review of Bednall’s Requiem (M/J 2010) appears to be the only major release of his choral music we’ve covered. There’s also a release devoted partly to his organ improvisations, for which he is mostly praised (J/A 2005 under Archer). While I haven’t heard either of those, I found the works here—all first recordings – ingenious, inspiring, and very appealing – even exciting.
As Bednall tells us in his own lucid program notes, color and texture—in a mostly tonal (or at least poly-tonal) context—are his primary compositional watchwords. Among a flock of mostly English and French composers, he singles out Herbert Howells as his primary influence, particularly admiring his “ability to sound fresh in each new work whilst maintaining a strong compositional identity”. And from what I’ve heard here, I can enthusiastically confirm said qualities, especially the latter. Like Howells’s, Bednall’s music reveals a signature harmonic stamp, plus infinitely varied stylistic and structural aspects that make it very much his own. Within a diatonic framework, he spices his often very rich sounding schemes with swarms of (as my own esteemed choirmaster puts it) deliciously “crunchy” dissonances and tone-clusters that beguile (and sometimes assault) the ear while lending considerable punch to the sacred sentiments at hand. His prowess as an organist shows in his often thrilling writing for the instrument.
The primary works heard here are his most impressive organ-supported St Paul Mass plus his two memorable, but very different sets of evening canticles (both from The Wells Service). The composer describes the mass as “conceived on a grand scale, taking some of its inspiration from the French Messe Solennelle”. Said grand scale is partly his natural response to the vast edifice of St Paul’s Cathedral, whence the commission. He points out that while the edifice’s notorious “cavernous echo” limits possibilities for compositional clarity, it also promotes the creation of “vast walls of sound” and “moments hanging in space”.
And such walls of sound are exactly what we get in much of this often robust and insistent music. In the Kyrie, the fairly quiet opening exchanges between the choral sections are followed by a two-chord motif that’s heard intermittently through the work. From there, the music builds into massive, triple- forte outcries of ardent supplication. Here and elsewhere, potent organ passages alternate with vocal outcries in trade-offs of huge and varied blocks of granitic sound. Softer and more ethereal interludes supply the contrasting “hanging in space” effects. The Gloria begins in like manner, with heavier episodes giving way to quieter, chant-like interludes where solo and choral passages are juxtaposed in call-andresponse fashion, leading into another buildup to a powerful climax.
Some of my favorite moments come in the comparatively brief Sanctus (there’s no Credo), where quiet beginnings quickly build into another massive, momentarily chaotic paean of praise where the heavenly hosts seem to come at the listener from every corner of the cosmos, rather than from a more orderly single seraphic choir. The Benedictus (as well as the final Agnus Dei) is generally more subdued. Soft solo voices lead into gently expanding choral passages and thence into a sweetly radiant final episode. The Agnus Dei begins with a dark and unsettled organ progression that sets up grating contrasts when the choir enters. Some of the work’s most magical moments come near the end when treble and tenor soloists take turns floating over the choir’s subtly shifting canonic lines. I can only imagine what this music sounded like at St Paul’s. This marvellous mass alone is well worth the price of the disc.
And there’s much more—though I will spare you detailed analysis, since (I hope) I’ve already given you an adequate idea of how Bednall’s music works. But I will tell you that the four evening canticles of The Wells Service (the four morning canticles are found in Volume 1 of Regent’s Bednall series) are rather unusual. The first set, rather than setting the commonly used Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis texts, employs the seldom-used Cantate Domino (Sing to the Lord) and Deus Misereatur (God be merciful to us) texts that Anglican liturgy also allows at Evensong. The remaining two items revert to the classic “mag-and nunc” texts, but Bednall chose to offer them in a cappella settings—something I’ve never encountered before for these texts. It seemed strange at first, but once I got into the music, I found that I didn’t miss the organ at all: the unaccompanied settings hold their own nicely without it. There are six remaining shorter, stand-alone works as well—each one a rare treat.
The sonorous and dependable Wells Cathedral Choir outdoes itself here, in well-tailored, technically assured, and spiritually potent readings. The sound of the choir’s lay clerks (the lower voices)—both collectively and from the excellent soloists—at first seemed stentorian in places, but then Bednall’s music often calls for the kind of full-throated sound that you don’t regularly hear from a cathedral choir. Regent sees to crystalline sound and excellent organ-choral balances, as well as a solid booklet.
The moment I heard this remarkable release, I went online and ordered Volume 1 of the series (Regent 247)—this is a composer whose work I wish to follow. Any serious fan of contemporary English choral music should respond enthusiastically to Bednall’s creations. But, a note of caution to choirmasters on the prowl for new material: some of this music (especially the mass) is a bit beyond the capabilities of your average church choir. But don’t let that stop you from getting to know one of the most promising new voices to emerge in England over the past decade.”
American Record Guide, May/June 2011
“I have voiced my admiration for the music of David Bednall (b1979) more than once and I make no apologies for waxing enthusiastic about it again, for there’s so much on this latest disc to relish and enjoy. It is tempting to play spot-the-influence (Messiaen and Duruflé abound, while great chunks of Langlais pop their heads around the pillars from time to time), and certainly Bednall suffers from what Vaughan Williams identified in himself as “a bad attack of French fever”, but he doesn’t totally ignore his English heritage; there is Gustav Holst as the Missa Sancti Pauli floats away into the ether and even more Herbert Howells in the intensely lovely O Jesu, victim blest (although its climax comes straight out of Duruflé’s Requiem). But the cumulative effect of all these influences is to create a musical language which is at once both reassuringly familiar and strikingly distinctive.
Bednall has again entrusted his music to the Wells Cathedral Choir under Matthew Owens and they have not only done him and themselves proud, they have reinforced their current position as one of the UK’s leading cathedral choirs; an absolutely magical performance of the Benedictus from the Mass sets the seal on their excellence. Composed, as the name suggests, for St Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Missa Sancti Pauli dates from 2007 and while it is the largest single work here, the four canticles from The Wells Service added to the four morning ones recorded on a previous disc (5/07) make up what Bednall himself suggests in his impressively coherent booklet-notes as “a possibly unique” setting of all eight canticles for a single foundation. His intense knowledge of the choir, the organ and, perhaps most tellingly, the Cathedral’s acoustic (gloriously captured in this warmly atmospheric recording) infuse every bar, and the choirs responds with both affection and towering authority.”
Marc Rochester, Gramophone, September 2010 (Gramophone Recommendation)
“Bednall cites Pierre Cochereau among more familiar influences, and this second volume of works by the 31-year-old Wells Cathedral assistant organist (sic) shows a clear familiarity with the Frenchman’s transcribed improvisations. The language is freely tonal, unembellished and robustly functional, though Psalm 150 has a virtuosic organ part, but already markedly individual. What makes the selection of pieces particularly interesting is that in addition to sections of the Wells Service and a Missa Sancti Pauli for St Paul’s, it combines liturgy with highly personal expression – as in Everyone Sang (Sassoon) for the wedding of friends – while in the 9/11 Behold, O God our defender it goes back to the very beginning of Bednall’s emergence as a mature composer.”
Brian Morton, Choir and Organ Magazine, September 2010
“Regent Records are doing David Bednall proud. Hard on the heels of the recording of his very fine Requiem, they have issued this new CD, which is the second volume of his choral music. Volume One, which I have not yet heard, was entitled Hail, gladdening light (REGCD247). That disc, which was also made by Matthew Owens and the Wells Cathedral Choir, included the four morning canticles from Bednall’s Wells Service; the four companion canticles for Evensong form part of the present programme.
The ‘Magnificat’ and ‘Nunc dimittis’ are familiar pillars of the service of Evensong. It’s less common to hear settings of ‘Cantate Domino’ or ‘Deus misereatur’. One interesting feature of Bednall’s settings is that the latter two settings include an organ accompaniment while the ‘Mag’ and ‘Nunc’ are for unaccompanied choir. ‘Cantate Domino’ is set mainly in a fast tempo. The music is vigorous and strongly rhythmic and the independent organ part is as exciting as the vocal writing. Part way through comes a substantial bass solo… In fact, the solo passages carry a considerable amount of the musical argument in this latter piece. Both canticles have the same, exuberant music for the doxology. The unaccompanied ‘Mag’ features some rich-textured choral writing. The writing for choir is confident and assertive and, frankly, one doesn’t regret the lack of an organ part; the choral music is strong enough not to need any support. The ‘Nunc dimittis’ is a fine, thoughtful piece. Unlike their companions, these two canticles have different doxologies; the one provided for the ‘Nunc’ is gentle, even subdued.
The biggest work on the disc is the Missa Sancti Pauli, which was written with the substantial acoustics – and the substantial organ – of London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral expressly in mind. In his booklet note the composer writes that the music was conceived on a grand scale – which is certainly true – and that it takes some of its inspiration from the French Messe Solennelle. At various times Bednall has been a pupil of two distinguished organists, Naji Hakim and David Briggs. Having heard Briggs play many times on the organ of Gloucester Cathedral and having heard Hakim on disc and radio a few times I think their influence is apparent in this work, not least in some of the massive organ climaxes and the use on several occasions of full-throated, reed-dominated registrations.
The Mass is a very ambitious and often a dramatic work, which makes considerable demands, I’m sure, on the choir and on the organist, though in this performance it sounds as if all these demands are more than satisfied. The ‘Kyrie’ is intense and supplicatory and Bednall is not afraid to screw up the tension, especially during the ‘Christe eleison’. In this performance the ‘Gloria’ follows attacca. The opening music is fiercely exuberant – the organ writing is often on a massive scale. The more subdued, slower music that Bednall provides at ‘Domine fili unigenite’ offers much-needed contrast but soon the pace picks up again. Towards the end the organ part put me in mind of Messiaen at his most magisterial. The ‘Amen’ is simply vast.
The ambitious writing continues in the ‘Sanctus’, even though the movement is quite short – less than three minutes in duration. In his notes Bednall refers to “a great wall of infinite praise.” It’s followed by a beautiful setting of the ‘Benedictus’, which the composer describes as the emotional heart of the work. Of particular note here is the highly effective writing for two solo sopranos over a hushed organ accompaniment. The two soloists, Sophie Gallagher and Follasade-Nelleke Ladipo, sing with distinction, their voices combining delightfully. The ‘Agnus Dei’ gets off to a brooding start. Though the music isn’t as overtly dramatic as that which we heard in the ‘Kyrie’ it’s still very intense. Bednall achieves a soft, luminous end to the work in which soprano and tenor solos soar gently over the rest of the ensemble.
This Mass setting is undeniably impressive. I do wonder, however, if the demands made on the musicians, not least the organist, are so considerable as to put it beyond the range of at least some choral establishments. Also, perhaps the gestures are so dramatic at times as to inhibit its frequent liturgical use. However, even if that happens I’m sure the setting works just as well in a concert context and this extremely fine recording will bring it to a wider audience.
The shorter pieces are all well done and, like everything else on this disc, they are receiving their first recordings. I wondered about that statement in the case of O come let us sing, since that also appears on the recent disc of Bednall’s Requiem. However, on that disc we hear the version for upper voices whereas this present disc offers the four-part setting. Also, if one was being pedantic, the sessions for this Wells CD took place first by a few weeks! Behold, O God our defender was composed on 12 September 2001, the day after, and as a direct response to, the terrorist atrocities in the USA. The setting, for unaccompanied choir, takes words from Psalm 84. For much of the time the choir sings in slow, grave eight- part harmony. Particularly effective are the quietly luminous harmonies for the last line: “O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” This piece was clearly an instinctive response to the dreadful events of the previous day – and an eloquent response at that. I wonder if Bednall was inspired, in choosing his text, by the knowledge that Herbert Howells, an acknowledged key influence on his own music, had written a piece with the same title and using some of the same words?
The souls of the righteous is also for unaccompanied choir and here again we can appreciate Bednall’s excellent ear for choral textures. Also to be admired, once more, is his sensitivity to words; this piece is an eloquent response to moving words from the Book of Wisdom. It’s a lovely work and the best is reserved for the end when a radiant soprano solo line – the excellent Sophie Gallagher again – is heard over the hushed choir. By contrast, Everyone Sang, with which the disc opens, is an extrovert piece, as befits a composition for a wedding. This anthem features some truly arresting choral writing and achieves a huge, ecstatic climax on the words “Everyone’s voice was suddenly lifted.” The piece must have made a strong impression when first performed at a wedding in Wells Cathedral and it impresses now when recorded in the same building.
I was impressed with my first exposure to David Bednall’s music on disc and this latest CD confirms that excellent impression. It seems to me that he has an instinctive empathy with choirs and, on the evidence I’ve heard to date, his writing for them is assured and effective. A fine organist in his own right, he writes as effectively as one might expect for his own instrument. His music is superbly served by Matthew Owens and his excellent choir while the contributions of Jonathan Vaughn at the Wells organ are thrilling one moment and sensitive the next. This disc is a fine successor to Regent’s previous issues of David Bednall’s music.”
John Quinn, Music Web International, June 2010
“Bednall is a composer in a rather old-fashioned sense, in that he knows the people who want his music and writes it with them in mind—the kind of luxury that Haydn enjoyed. So his Everyone Sang (2007), the piece that opens the newest Regent CD of his music, owes its unbridled optimism to the fact that it was written for the wedding of two close friends, and its exuberance to the presence of a number of opera singers in the congregation. Here’s a piece that could become a popular favorite, even though it requires good lungs of its performers.
The Wells Service on this disc isn’t simply a new recording of the work on the 2006 CD; instead, it is a 2008 setting of four evening canticles, the earlier score setting four morning canticles. Bednall comments that “This setting of all eight canticles by a single composer for one foundation is possibly unique, and the settings make some use of shared material and leitmotifs to add an even greater sense of unity.” What Bednall couldn’t do, of course, was prevent his music language developing, for there’s a far freer use of dissonance in the new piece; indeed, he’s not beyond dropping in the odd cluster to generate a harmonic frisson here and there. That meatiness of texture continues into the Missa Sancti Pauli, which marries Bednall’s French and British traditions more effectively than anything else on these three discs—it’s clear why he calls it a mission statement. It’s not simply a question of refinements in his technique, either: There’s an understated ecstasy in the work that points to an expanding emotional armory—although the earliest piece here, Behold, O God Our Defender, written on September 12, 2001, as a reaction to the events of the day before, reveals the presence of ecstatic dissonance in his language even at that early stage. His setting of Psalm 150 was written for the Jean Langlais Festival in 2006 and the bursts of organ-writing that are played off antiphonally against choral statements could almost have come from that pen, or Jean Guillou’s, or Gaston Litaize’s. This is genuine European integration—not like the nonsense that emerges from the E.U. headquarters!”
Martin Anderson, Fanfare Magazine, July 2010
“In the May/June issue, I reviewed works for treble choir by David Bednall (b.1979); this month brings two selections of pieces for mixed voices with a different ensemble and director. The performances are exemplary with the superb Wells Choir and internal soloists. The first disc uses Girl Choristers only, the second Boy and Girl Choristers. Here and there the diction might be improved, but full texts are provided, and the performances are still praiseworthy. Most of the programmes consist of standard texts in new settings. The two exceptions are on the second disc (Flame Celestial); the opening work, Everyone Sang with the words by Siegfried Sassoon and O Jesu, Victim Blest to a text of The Rev’d James Baden-Powell. The former is a striking ten-line poem with images of birds bursting into flight accompanied by song, then of wordless singing as the sun sets. It is not a liturgical work, but one that makes a fine concert opener. The latter, composed for Malcolm Archer and Wells in 2002, sets a poem from 1900 – much better in literary quality than most hymn texts of that period! – in an enchanting variety of tonal colours.
Between the two discs we hear complete The Wells Service, with all eight of the canticles specified for the daily offices in The Book of Common Prayer 1662; this includes the “alternative canticles” – Benedicite, Omnia Opera; Benedictus; Cantate Domino; and Deus Miseratur – along with the “ordinary” – Te Deum Laudamus; Jubilate; Magnificat; and Nunc dimittis. The liner suggests that “the setting of all eight canticles by a single composer for one foundation [Wells] is possibly unique, and the settings make use of some shared material and leitmotifs to add an even greater sense of unity.” The Te Deum and Jubilate, in particular, are elegantly festive, and the other six are winning settings.
The major work on the second programme (Flame Celestial) is the Missa Sancti Pauli, commissioned by St Paul’s Cathedral, London, and first performed there in May 2007. The writing clearly reflects the indendting setting – “cavernous echo” and “moments left hanging in space” – but the Wells’ acoustic also serves it admirably. The influence of the grand French Messe solennelle is in evidence, but the idiom is uniquely Bednall’s. The Kyrie begins with gently plaintive please for mercy; as the movement progresses, the pleas become highly urgent. The Gloria opens with an intense outburst and a dissonant organ comment, then subsides in volume for “et in terra pax” before gathering force for “laudamus te.” Bednall’s writing continues to reflect the text, leading to a triumphant “cum Sancto Spiritu.” There is no Credo. The Sanctus marshals high praise, and the Benedictus invokes soft and mystical tones – this is the Lord coming into the heart rather than entering into Jerusalem. The use of treble voices in the Agnus Dei is slightly reminiscent of Kodály, but highly effective.
The Souls of the Righteous (Wisdom 3:1-3) is more mystical in tone than the familiar setting by T.Tertius Noble, though building to a rich climax in the middle. Three shorter Psalm settings (84:9-13, 95:1-2, and 150) complete this engaging programme. The liners include programme notes, complete texts, and biographies. Gary Cole’s conscientious engineering is evident, as always, in the reproduction.”
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians, September 2010 (Includes review of Hail, gladdening light)
‘Although his musical language is deeply indebted to Howells, David Bednall speaks with an individual voice that is really worth hearing. Every note demonstrates a composer who understands ‘from the inside’ how to write for choirs and for the organ, and how to exploit cathedral acoustics. The wonderful pieces on this disc are Everyone Sang; The Wells Service (settings of the alternative canticles at evensong: the Cantate Domino and Deus misereatur); Behold, O God our Defender; The souls of the righteous; Missa Sancti Pauli; O Jesu, victim blest; O come let us sing; The Wells Service (Magnificat and Nunc dimittis) and Psalm 150. The harmonies, counterpoint, melodies, textures and colours are fabulous – and brilliantly performed by the Wells team. Glorious!.’
Christopher Maxim, Church Music Quarterly, September 2012 (Full star review)
