Our support for singer son Sam took us to the church of St Mary at Hill in Billingsgate London, for an enterprising and most moving concert given by ‘The Cantus Ensemble’. The first half was devoted to the Musikalische Exequien by Heinrich Schutz, which were written for the burial service of the splendidly named Prince Heinrich Posthumus von Reuss. There are three sections: Teil I: Concert in Form einer teutschen Begräbnis-Missa Part I: Concerto in the form of a German burial

After a brief hiatus, I had intended my next Blog to be a return to Michael Raucheisen’s ‘Lied der Welt’ project, and a consideration of the songs of Max Reger. Before I do that however, I must allow freedom to a few bees in my bonnet concerning Ralph Vaughan Williams ‘ opera ‘Hugh the Drover’. This seems to me to be an appallingly, and unfairly, neglected work. I hope my brief words below will encourage you to give it a hearing. As is so often the case, I am initially behold

Monteverdi 'Vespers' and Bach 'St John Passion'. The weekend of  7 th and 8 th of March was spent supporting our sons’ musical endeavours. First up on the Saturday was Sam singing the Monteverdi ‘Vespers’ with the Collegium Musicum of London in the suitably opulent surroundings of Holy Trinity Church Sloane Square. The ‘Vespers’ have occasioned a good deal of scholarly debate, mainly centering around how much of the work Monteverdi published he would have expected to hear i

A brief pause in my survey of Michael Raucheisen’s ‘Lied der Welt’ project to consider Elgar’s ‘The Dream of Gerontius’. This temporary change of direction has been prompted by the thought that my loyal readership might appreciate a change from German lieder but also by the release of two ‘Gerontius’ related items: a new recording of the work, conducted by Martyn Brabbins, and the film ‘The Choral’, written by Alan Bennett and directed by his long-time collaborator, Nicholas

Hans Erich Pfitzner  (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was, by all accounts, a rather prickly character. Photographs of him resemble one of the smaller birds of prey in a particularly angry mood, and his uncompromising attitude to music, and life in general, alienated many with whom he came into contact, notable Thomas Mann (who admired his music) and Adolf Hitler (who very definitely did not). Pfitzner eventually come to be regarded as an anti-modernist, although at the start of th

Michael Raucheisen (1889-1984) His father, by vocation a master-glazier, was organist, church choir leader and musical pedagogue. The musical development of his only son was so important to the family that they left the small town in which they lived. From 1902 Raucheisen lived in Munich, and from 1920 until the end of his pianistic activity in 1958, in Berlin. He studied at the Munich High School for Music. Around 1906 he played first violin at the Prinzregententheater and w

If my Blogs have any unifying theme, it is the relationship between words and music. To vary the mix a little, this Blog is about words on music, namely 'Leporello' by John Heath-Stubbs, which is, in my opinion, the finest English language poem with opera as its subject. It is a long poem, but I make no apology for quoting it in full. Leporello Do you see that old man over there? - He was once a gentleman's gentleman; His skull is bald and wrinkled like a leathery snake’s eg

My survey of Christmas music continues with five miniatures. They all offer a intense distillation of experiences associated with the Nativity. I suggest sampling them one at a time and sitting in silence once they have finished. Ideally, limit yourself to one piece a day. We begin with Gerald Finzi's final work, 'In Terra Pax'. This exquisite evocation of contrasting yet connected Christmas scenes is scored for chorus and orchestra, with soprano and baritone solos. The ope

Hodie ( This Day ) is a cantata by Ralph Vaughan Williams . Composed between 1953 and 1954, it is the composer's last major choral-orchestral composition, and was premiered under his baton at Worcester Cathedral , as part of the Three Choirs Festival , on 8 September 1954. The piece is dedicated to Herbert Howells . The cantata, in 16 movements, is scored for chorus , boys' choir , organ and orchestra, and features tenor , baritone , and soprano soloists.Stylistically,

BIRD/SONG Collegium Musicum of London Chamber Choir (Greg Morris conductor) Temple Church Saturday November 22 2025 I have been to a number of Coll Mus concerts, as my son Sam is a member of the tenor section. I might not be a totally disinterested party but my opinion of the high quality of this concert was so obviously shared by the large and very enthusiastic audience that I feel justified in speaking my mind... Quite simply: this is the best I have heard this choir sing