This CD should be high up
on the wish-list of all music-lovers this
Christmas. It is full of interest, and also
strikes a great balance between the familiar
and the novel. In the interpretations of Boni
Pueri with Musica Bohemica, even the most
well-worn traditional favourites such as ‘Adeste
Fideles’ or ‘Ding, Dong Merrily’ come up sounding
fresh and lively.
But the CD opens with a welcome
addition to the catalogue, namely Julius Harrison’s
4-part SATB (or more accurately TrATB) version
of ‘A Ceremony of Carols’, made in 1955, thirteen
years after Britten’s original. Any arranger
would approach a work of such perfection with
trepidation, but Harrison has done a superb
job, and has, in my opinion anyway, sacrificed
little of the original’s beauty. Britten’s
lightness is happily preserved, especially
with the young tenor and bass voices of Boni
Pueri.
Such is this Czech choir’s
natural musicality and the beauty of their
voices that I found it easy to accept their
occasionally idiosyncratic pronunciation of
the English language. ‘Balulalow’ brings a
breathtakingly beautiful solo contribution
from Jakob Kubin (who fortunately graces a
number of other tracks)
and a bonus is the sensitive harp
playing of Hana Müllerová-Jouzová,
who gives a haunting interpretation of the
Interlude on track 8.
The only little reservation
comes in track 7, ‘This Little Babe’, where
the boys do not quite manage to deliver the
tricky words and rhythms at the very fast
tempo set by conductor Jakub Martinec. Unusually,
the harp-accompanied version of the Processional
and Recessional that frame the piece is used,
and no attempt has been made by the production
team to suggest the approach and departure
of the voices, which seems a pity.
Jaroslav’s Krček’s
arrangements of thirteen ‘Old European Christmas
Carols’ bring more delights. They have the
virtue of being straightforward harmonically
and texturally, thereby allowing the simple
beauty of the melodies to be enjoyed. As well
as the familiar carols,
we have some less well-known ones which will
captivate listeners who, like me, love the
magic of Christmas music but are always looking
out for something new. The ‘Polish Lullaby’
is utterly charming, as is the Czech carol
‘Žežulka z lesa vylitla’, better known
as ‘The Cuckoo’. In this one, as elsewhere,
the brightly coloured folk instruments of
Musica Bohemica make an unforgettable contribution,
with a quail and some turtle-doves joining
our friendly cuckoo.
The disc is completed by
an irresistible ‘Stille Nacht’, rendered not
at the usual slow tempo, but as a swaying
waltz with harp and zither – the Angel Gabriel
meets the Third Man! Buy this and give it
to your Best Friend – you’ll be rewarded with
eternal gratitude.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
see also article
by Len Mullenger
Hana Müllerová-Jouzová
(harp), Miroslav Kejmar (flugelhorn) 