Planet Hugill: Be nonetheless, and know that I’m God: Choral Contemplations

Choral Contemplations – Sacred Introits & Duets: Peter Blumson, John-Paul Bowman, Rosemary Broadbent, David Fletcher, David Goymour, Adrian Inexperienced, Bruce Ramell, Derek Saunders, Noel Skinner; Phoenix Consort, Adam Whitmore; Convivium Information
Reviewed 14 September 2026

Music that arises from Christian contemplation on a disc bringing collectively music written by musicians who would by no means have thought of themselves skilled or ‘skilled’ composers to create a disc that by turns encourages contemplation and exploration

Choral Contemplations: Sacred Introits & Duets from the Phoenix Consort, conductor Adam Whitmore, on Convivium Information. The 19 items on the disc, written by 9 up to date composers, have a definite musical goal. Adrian Inexperienced, managing director of Convivium Information and one of many composers featured on the disc, explains, first quoting the Benedictine monk, Cyprian Smith:

“‘Every part which lies between’ poses a philosophical query and is the topic of being current in life and being ourselves. In some methods it’s the most pure factor on this planet to be current, however to do that as a artistic artist means letting go of all of the ideas and concepts and emotions which take up our psychological mindscape, in order that there could be area for music to come up from inside us which isn’t about our ego.”

Most of this music has been written by musicians who would by no means have thought of themselves skilled or ‘skilled’ composers. They’ve all ultimately been influenced by the instructing of Leon MacLaren who was a self-taught polymath. MacLaren established a Music Group, beneath the aegis of the philosophy faculty he based, The Faculty of Philosophy and Financial Science as it’s recognized in the present day. Leon MacLaren’s curiosity in music and sound prolonged to an exploration of methods of tuning and modes and their totally different results. His strategy to, and understanding of simply intonation, he termed the “Pure Octave”. It was a tuning system which all composers concerned on this mission have been launched to and studied. Three specifically, Bruce Ramell, David Goymour, and David Fletcher, have continued to develop Leon MacLaren’s concepts right here, and this may be heard in the way in which they’ve averted problematic tuning problems with simply intonation – music which they’ve termed ‘modist’.

Derek Saunders is a music trainer on the London Oratory Faculty and can be director of music at St Mary with St Alban Church in Teddington. Ask, Search, Knock, his setting of a textual content from St Matthew’s Gospel begins with sturdy choral traces and spare textures, with Saunders having an fascinating use of distinction between open harmonies and wealthy textures. Adrian Inexperienced is the managing director of Convivium Information and Convivium Singers, and a tenor lay clerk at Portsmouth Cathedral. O most merciful, his setting of a textual content by Reginald Heber (1783-1826), was initially written for males’s voices of Portsmouth Cathedral Choir. It’s a quiet, intimate piece with lush harmonies.

David Fletcher (1931-2024) skilled first as an image restorer and studied at Chelsea Artwork Faculty, earlier than returning to his old flame at Guildhall Faculty of Music & Drama. His setting of Set me as a Seal from the Music of Solomon begins in a fairly touching method. There are moments of power and moments of delicacy, with high quality phrase setting all through. The setting of Laurence Binyon’s well-known textual content, For the Fallen was initially written within the mid-Eighties for 2 voices and organ by Noel Skinner (1947-2019), who studied with Leslie England on the Royal Academy of Music. It’s right here introduced in a choral association by Matthew Coleridge that strikes from simply two sopranos to full romantic concord. I fairly needed extra concentrate on the textual content, however the ending was touching.

David Goymour labored as a journalist and studied philosophy, along with his music benefiting from the applying of the latter. O Oriens units one of many O Anthems with Goymour making a placing but helpful piece, shifting from a single line to strong choral textures. John-Paul Bowman studied on the Guildhall Faculty earlier than shifting into instructing alongside his composition. His setting of the textual content from St John’s Gospel, A brand new commandment, was written for his personal marriage ceremony in 2019. It mixes sturdy traces and vigorous counterpoint with spare textures. In Rama a voice is heard, David Fletcher’s setting of texts from the Gospel of St Matthew and Jeremiah is for higher voices, making a placing austere impact with a beautiful use of spare harmonies.

Rosemary Broadbent learn Music at Oxford College and has spent her profession in music schooling, most lately as a tutor on the Junior RNCM. Commissioned in 2002, And he arose units textual content from St Luke to fairly sturdy impact. My beloved spake, David Fletcher’s setting of textual content from The Music of Solomon comes from a bigger cantata The Music of Songs primarily based on the Biblical textual content which premiered in 1997. There’s a good versatile stream to the phrase setting with fascinating use of query and reply resulting in a stirring conclusion.

Peter Blumsom (1942—2026), recognized professionally as Pete Dello, was an English singer-songwriter who was fashionable throughout the Sixties and Seventies, most notably as lead singer of the band Honeybus. What’s man? his setting of a textual content tailored from Psalm 8 was commissioned for a big Christian Commerce Union convention held at Westminster Abbey. The unique model included guitar accompaniment so in later years, Noel Skinner penned a piano accompaniment which allowed for performances by kids at St James Faculties within the Nineteen Nineties. Blumson shows an actual melodic reward within the track which with its flowing piano comes over as a complicated worship track.

Bruce Ramell turned to instructing in his 30s, combining music and arithmetic, up as headmaster of a London prep faculty. To Cecilia, his setting of an nameless Seventeenth-century textual content, was composed in 2022 as a part of the Modists’ Songbook (a mission to provide quite a few items of music to extol the distinctive traits of particular modes). It proves to be fairly a touching part-song. Adrian Inexperienced’s The Absorbeat, setting a prayer historically attributed to St Francis, was commissioned in 2020, to rejoice the 800th anniversary of St Francis of Assisi founding the Third Order in 1221. It begins with a placing use of excessive voices resulting in the complete choir alternating wealthy concord with spare traces, progressively turning into fairly curiously multilayered.

Adam Whitmore

Derek Saunders’ Be nonetheless, and know that I’m God, a setting of Psalm 46, was written in 2020, throughout the Covid disaster and makes a strking use of single voices in chant-like melody over buzzing. Noel Skinner’s The earth is the Lord’s units textual content from Psalm 24. This piece was found after he died and is unlikely to have been carried out previous to this recording. Written for higher voices it creates a placing, upfront impression. Adrian Inexperienced knew the phrases from James 1:17-20 from faculty and his setting, Each good reward, was written in 2025 after the demise of the headteacher from his time in school. It begins with a solo voice in a versatile, chant-like melody earlier than the choir joins, with Inexperienced creating fascinating textures from the combination of choir and solo chant.

Ramell’s setting of the O Anthem, O Adonai comes from the Modists’ Songbook mission. It begins in touching, hymn-like vogue earlier than creating actual power. John-Paul Bowman’s Dum Medium Silentium was written in 2011 whereas Bowman was at college. Finding out the works of Vytautas Miškinis, whose setting of the identical Latin textual content is kind of full of life, he was impressed to jot down a chunk that used silence. It does certainly begin virtually from nothing, combining sustained traces alongside brief rhythmic motifs and creating into a considerable piece with intense, expressive harmonies, but at all times quiet.

Setting textual content from Psalm 81, David Fletcher’s Sing we merrily dates from 2021 and there may be an appealingly vigorous neo-Medieval really feel to the music. The disc ends with Lighten our darkness, David Goymour’s setting of the Third Acquire, for Help in opposition to all Perils from Evensong. It begins with a placing use of higher voices, creating one thing fairly touching, earlier than the complete choir is available in restrained method.

Adam Whitmore initially based the Phoenix Consort at Durham Univerity. It consists of younger artists, and has expanded to a UK-wide community of thrilling younger choral musicians. Right here they carry a beautiful choral tone and sympathy for the composers’ intentions to a collection of works that need to be higher recognized.

In a technique, this disc makes a beautiful contemplative hear, the music shouldn’t be demanding but actually repays shut consideration. However the disc can be helpful within the sense that the music right here would offer loads of appropriate repertoire for beginner choirs.

Choral Contemplations – Sacred Introits & Duets
Phoenix Consort
Adam Whitmore (conductor)
Recorded St John’s, Higher Norwood, London, 20-21 February 2026
CONVIVIUM RECORDS CR130 1CD [50:30]