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.