Britten Sinfonia - Songs of the Sky (2009)

Songs of the Sky includes five chamber and vocal pieces commissioned from British composers by the Britten Sinfonia soon after the turn of the twenty first century. The variety of styles represented is a testimony to the diversity and dynamism of contemporary British composition. Steve Martland's Tiger Dancing, for string ensemble, refers to Blake's "Tyger," and has the character of a perpetuum mobile, with the rhythmic drive of a hoedown combined with the harmonies and sonorities of East Asian gamelan. It manages to sound integrated, though, and has an inescapably compelling energy. Huw Watkins' evocative Dream, for violin, clarinet, and piano, mostly has the quality of a reverie, occasionally interrupted by outbursts of nervous agitation, with the unpredictability and volatility characteristic of dreams. Raï, by Tarik O'Regan is scored for a mixed chamber ensemble, prominently including two percussionists. The Middle Eastern tone of much of the music reflects the influence of the composer's childhood in Algeria. The composer's background in jazz is evident throughout Jason Yarde's genial and lyrical Who Knows the Beauty, for piano quintet and alto saxophone. John Tavener's 11-movement Songs of the Sky, for voice, oboe, and piano, is the sole vocal piece on the program. There's little in it recognizable as the serene holy minimalism for which he is best known; its stylistically disparate movements most frequently evoke Britten or Tippett. The Britten Sinfonia performs with the kind of lean physicality this music demands, but also with exceptional polish and precision. The sound is clean, with an immediate sense of presence.