A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Sir John in his home near Huntingdon. Our conversation took in his early and formative experiences, his long and successful career as a composer, a couple of his most recent works (in particular his new piano concerto Reflections written for Steven Osborne, and two new commissions recently recorded by Clare College choir and the Dmitri Ensemble), and of course the long-standing, strong connection between his choral music and Christmas celebrations.
Not surprisingly, some exciting new recordings are released around now to mark the occasion - the Presto team have been listening to them and you can read some of our thoughts further down the page.
John Rutter: A Clare College Celebration
The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Dmitri Ensemble, Graham Ross
A mixture of the familiar and the new – Graham Ross and his Dmitri Ensemble, together with the Choir of Clare College that he now directs, pay a heartfelt tribute to Ross’s predecessor-but-one as Director of Music. Well-loved anthems are heard in their orchestral garb, while two new works see the light of the day for the first time.
2023 saw the fiftieth anniversary of Clare admitting female students, to which Rutter responded – perhaps wryly – with three gently funky settings of Shakespeare texts concerned with youthful love and romance. This triptych, Bard’s Eye View, receives its premiere recording here.
So too does the unaccompanied A Ukrainian Prayer, setting a simple prayer in the Ukrainian language pleading for protection and written in 2022 in response to the Russian invasion. The style evokes that of Ukrainian and Russian orthodox choral singing, while choir’s sopranos excel in some spine-tingling high notes at the piece’s climax.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
The name of this album comes from its centrepiece, Reflections, a concerto for piano and orchestra, stylishly played by Steven Osborne and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer. It is recognisably Rutter in its memorable melodies and congenial harmonies, but also a wonderful reflection of his musical influences. In the first movement there’s a strong sense of Vaughan Williams, whilst in the fourth, Gershwin makes his presence in Rutter’s life felt. Thanks to the composer’s innate musicianship, everything holds together seamlessly and with originality.
Lost City is atmospheric to the point that it could be a film score, and Flower of Cities All is overtly celebratory in a similar way to the Celebration Overture that opens the album. Elegy closes this thoroughly engaging album with music less overtly driven by melody, reminiscent of parts of the Magnificat, and a reminder that Rutter is a composer of many dimensions.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
John Rutter: In the Poet's Garden
Roderick Williams (baritone), Melanie Marshall (alto), Catrin Finch (harp), Taplow Young Voices, Matthew Jorysz (organ); Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cambridge Singers, John Rutter
There's some wonderful word-painting (in terms of both singing and orchestration) on this lovely collection of recent choral works which all take their cues from poetry. The Three Shakespeare Songs, Dancing Tree (on verses by Cornish poet Charles Causley) and the luminous setting of Walter de la Mare's When Music Sounds are all quintessential Rutter, but the two larger-scale works contain plenty of surprises: the Creation story I'll Make Me a World (setting a poem by James Weldon Johnson and graced with eloquent solos from Williams and Marshall) is suffused with blues, jazz and Broadway elements, whilst the delightfully vivid London Town includes a Dowland-esque setting of a poem written by the condemned Sir Walter Raleigh as he awaited execution, with the lower strings imitating a viol consort to haunting effect.
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
