Nicholas Maw: Hymnus

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Hymnus is firmly rooted in the tradition of largescale English choral works, full of luminous harmonies, rich choral textures and fine, eminently singable lines. The music is compelling, accessible... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Catalogue No: CDDCA1070
Label: ASV
Length: 76 minutes

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Maw, N: Hymnus for mixed choir and orchestra (1995-6)

Work length33:18

Oxford Bach Choir, BBC Concert Orchestra
Nicholas Cleobury
Recorded: 1998-03-15
Recording Venue: Henry Wood Hall, London

Hymn At Dawn

Track length17:31

Evening Hymn

Track length15:47

Maw, N: Little Concert for solo oboe, 2 horns and strings (1987)

Work length14:24

Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Britten Sinfonia (chamber orchestra)
Nicholas Cleobury
Recorded: 1998-12-21
Recording Venue: Henry Wood Hall, London

Lento e calmo - Recitando: tranquillo -

Track length9:02

Allegro vivace -

Track length4:12

Vivace assai

Track length1:10

Maw, N: Shahnama for small orchestra (1992)

Work length29:11

Britten Sinfonia (chamber orchestra)
Nicholas Cleobury
Recorded: 1998-12-21
Recording Venue: Henry Wood Hall, London

Title. Recitando: poco sostenuto

Track length1:21

Rustram And The Seven Champions Hunt In Turan. Con moto e molto vigoroso

Track length3:08

Manjun Prostrates Himself At His Mother's Feet. Poco larghetto

Track length2:37

The Women Of Egypt, Overcome By The Beauty Of Yusuf, Cutting Their Fingers As They Peel Oranges. Poco espansivo, ma con moto

Track length3:02

Rustram And Kay Kaus Watching The King Of Mazendarian Turning Himself Into A Boulder. Molto deliberato - Agitato

Track length2:04

Graveyard Discussion. Grave; ben misurato e ritirato

Track length2:51

Intermezzo - The Returned Traveller Discovers Maidens At Play In His Garden. Poco maestoso - Scherzando e grazioso

Track length4:48

Battle Between Kay Khusraw And Afrasiyab. Agitato ma pesante

Track length2:37

A Palace At Night. Lento e fluttante

Track length6:43

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Reviews

2010

Hymnus is firmly rooted in the tradition of largescale English choral works, full of luminous harmonies, rich choral textures and fine, eminently singable lines. The music is compelling, accessible and distinctive and the choral writing clearly designed to be demanding yet well within the scope of a large amateur choral society. Maw wrote it in 1996 to mark the centenary of the 200-voice Oxford Bach Choir and, as it was intended primarily to display a large chorus, there are no solo parts and the orchestral accompaniment is relatively discreet. The net result of this is that the choir has virtually no respite throughout the work's 33-minute duration, which probably accounts for the sense of tiredness and strain that permeates this recording.
Climaxes (and there are a great many of those in the work) appear to overstretch the choir while the gentler passages fail to exhibit the kind of precision and polish which characterises the choir's live performances. The BBC Concert Orchestra also seems to lack that final polish, but much of this may well be attributed to a strangely boxy and claustrophobic recording. It's a splendid work and there are some worthy performers, all of which deserve rather better than this.
The other two works on the disc more than compensate for any shortcomings to be found in Hymnus.
Nicholas Daniel produces an amazing range of moods and colours – from the exquisitely lyrical to the robustly athletic – in the Little Concert for oboe, two horns and strings, while the atmospheric and evocative Shahnama, nine brief movements inspired by an 11th-century Persian epic, is beautifully captured in Nicholas Cleobury's nicely spaced and tautly directed performance.

Nicholas Maw: Hymnus

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