Review: “Good Night, Beloved” – The Sixteen, Christophers

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have a talent of making the humblest of music sound as important as some of the finest choral music ever written. In this latest release, entitled “Good Night, beloved”, they take a varied and intriguing snapshot of over 500 years of choral music, mostly from the British Isles, including the old and the new, familiar and unfamiliar. Most of the album has The Sixteen performing A cappella.

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The album’s title is taken from a piece by Ciro Pinsuti. Not a name immediately associated with English part-songs, his setting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Good night, good night, beloved” from the 1860s is the central item. Despite this song being very much of its time stylistically, Christophers strips away any sentimentality and just lets the music speak for itself, simply and plainly.

The remainder of the program is a mix of mostly secular part-songs, interspersed with some contemporary pieces and two songs by the Tudor composer William Cornysh. The Cornysh items, for male voices only, bring textural variety to the program as well as more lighthearted lyrics.

The slower, expressive and reflective contemporary pieces are tonal, highly accessible and carefully programed. They contrast harmonically with the Victorian repertoire, which is generally richer, and with the more frivolous and vivacious Cornysh works, which provide a curious contrast.

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Peter Maxwell Davis’ “Lullaby for Lucy” has become a favourite with many choirs and is given a particularly strong performance here, slightly more relaxed than the composer’s own recording. Christophers is very careful in adhering to Maxwell Davis’ phrasing and markings, but with The Sixteen he elevates it to a highly polished performance. Eric Whitacre’s “Sleep” is paced almost identically to the composer’s own recording, but lacks the additional warmth that one can hear with larger choral forces.

Bob Chilcott’s arrangement of the famous Irish melody “Londonderry Air” is executed with simplicity and tenderness. Glynn provides the accompaniment without intrusion, however, the gentle ambiance is momentarily punctured by the sopranos, who are occasionally too enthusiastic in the ascending phrases. Roderick William’s arrangement of the Scottish tune “Eriskay Love Lilt” is a new commission and is sung with a gentility and warmth.

Arnold Bax’s choral music is not performed or recorded as often as it should be. Renowned for being particularly challenging, it has become very much the domain of professional choirs. His setting of “Mater ora filium” is the final and longest piece on the album. Originally conceived for a larger chorus, the semi-chorus lines become solos. The Sixteen seculey navigate the complex lines, and Christophers’ pacing of this rhapsodic work provides a fitting conclusion.

Throughout, the most consistant element is the distinguished sound of The Sixteen. The sopranos have a clear purity; altos — a mix of male and female voices – have a distinctive sound; the tenors show their strength when penetrating the textures, and the basses’ sonority underpins the choral blend. What shines through in every piece is the sheer technical assurance of the group. The choir for most of the works are only 18 in number. Intonation is flawless, the blend of voices judicious and the diction pristine — the uniformity with which consonants are placed is nothing short of impressive. The strength, colour and purity of the voices make this ensemble seem a little larger.

Recorded in the preferred venue of the Church of St Augustine, Kilburn, London in October 2020, the acoustic enhances the choral sound, giving some of the more expansive pieces even more space to radiate. The only draw back, if listening through headphones, is that there is some external environmental noise which bleeds through, as in “Sleep”. This can momentarily brake the illusion of tranquility. The booklet contains an insightful introduction from Christophers and well written accompanying notes. A captivating listen from beginning to end.