The Wishing Tree was an exquisite concert in both programming and execution, and a privilege to attend. The Gesualdo Six is to my mind one of the best vocal groups in the world, not just in terms of their accomplished and sensitive singing, but also in the rapport they have with one another and the audience. This extravagant conclusion is not based solely on this performance – we were lucky enough to have attended an intimate concert they gave with Songmakers Australia (themselves magnificent) in Tempo Rubato, a tiny venue in Brunswick, just before Covid hit, and then we streamed many of their programs during the Australian and UK lockdowns.
Their singing is expressive, ranging from the gentlest of whispers to full-blooded declamations, and they blend perfectly. The unanimity of vowels and consonants among the group is extraordinary. Phrases are brought to life by beautiful shaping of individual voices and the practised understanding of each voice for the others. Words are articulated into life. There is stunning precision in entries and cut-offs; even at their softest, the final consonants could be clearly heard. The Melbourne Recital Centre auditorium is made for this kind of music.
The concert opened with Tallis’ Te Lucis Ante Terminum (Before the close of day), beginning appropriately in the shadow at the rear of the stage. In the wonderful acoustic of the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall we were introduced to the perfect unison of Tallis’ plainchant, superlative tuning and phrasing, and rich resonance of sound. After simple stage movement into a quartet, the Byrd Ave Verum Corpus was sung with exquisite sensitivity and clarity of diction and ended with a profoundly pleading Miserere. No matter that we may have sung and heard this piece countless times before – this was an exemplary performance. In this and the following Afflicti pro peccatis nostris (Afflicted by our sins), also by Byrd, there were achingly long slow phrases, each vocal line sensuous and gorgeous, grounded by the deepest purple of Owain Park’s bass, but with no individual voices dominating. Have we ever heard such perfect tuning/intonation from an all-male ensemble?
Sheryngham’s Ah, Gentle Jesu was new to us, but every word was crystal clear and the dialogue between tenor and countertenor outstandingly executed.
Next were two lesser-known pieces by Josquin. Nymphes des bois (for five voices, CTTBB) is a great lament on the death of Ockeghem where Josquin, Perchon, Brumel and Compère are implored by name to mourn the great composer. The vocal lines are rich and emotion filled; you hear the weeping. Similarly, the lost love of Mille Regretz (CTTB) is musically coloured with great pining and sighing. The singing was blended to perfection, but each line sounded its anguish/despair/regret in turn – something you never fully experience in a recording. This was followed by Brumel’s Tous les Regretz, also for four voices (CTTB), expressing the pain of seeing the loved one. We were made freshly aware of the beauty of the perfectly performed ensemble breath at a phrase’s close. Harmonies sounded as a beautiful organ, but important solo lines allowed prominent expression.
The final set before interval comprised Tomkins’ When David heard (CTTBB) and Byrd’s Vigilate. David’s keening over the death Absolom’s death was heart-breaking, the voices building to a searing climax before concluding with the gentlest yet most impassioned mourning. There was utter balance and strength in the lamenting, and the power of “and wept …” was nigh to bringing one also to tears. Byrd’s Vigilate was unknown to us, but what a stirring and amazing piece, full of colour. The vivid setting of Jesus’ call in Mark’s gospel to “Watch” traversed raucous cocks crowing (“gallicantu”), the hush of quieter harmonies in “at evening”, and the slowing down at “dormientes” as sleeping is invoked. A subtle increase of tempo led us into the final loud declamations of “vigilate” as the listeners are urged to keep watch.
After interval, as he had done in the first half of the concert, The Gesualdo Six’s personable director, Owain Park, gave charming and accessible introductions to each bracket. The second half opened with three pieces depicting unrequited love: Potrò viver io più se senza luce by Luca Marenzio, Palestrina’s Io son ferito, ahi lasso and then Gesualdo’s Asciugate I begli occhi (in the first two Park joined Guy James as a second countertenor). These were impassioned, full of the chromaticism of pain and the tension of false relations.
The next bracket comprised two “swan” songs: Il Bianco e dolce Cigno of Arcadelt, and Gibbons’ The Silver Swan. Arcadelt’s swan died disconsolately in what Park told us was the best-loved madrigal of its time, at times reminiscent of Monteverdi. The Gibbons is well-known and loved in our own time, and it was so beautifully sung that a lady behind us leapt to her feet to applaud it! James’ countertenor voice carrying the main melody was perfectly pitched and effortless (it can be a difficult tessitura to keep in tune).
The final part of the concert left the Renaissance and introduced us to two pairs of contemporary works set to four poems whose authors sadly were not given in the program. The Wishing Tree by Joby Talbot (which Google tells us was commissioned by the BBC and King’s Singers to a poem by Kathleen Jamie) opened the first set and was a masterpiece of word painting, exploiting a full range of vocal colours, with scattered words thrown from one part to another. The Wind’s warning, a setting by Alison Willis of what is believed to be Ivor Gurney’s last poem, was an evocative mourning of lost time and lives until an acceptance at the end of “amply long” days. The voices conjured up the eerie sounds of blowing wind, with lots of gentle shshshes and a fine solo from Guy James.
This was followed by the last bracket. O Little Rose, O Dark Rose came from the “Father of Canadian Poetry”, Charles Roberts, set by Gerda Blok-Wilson. There was again some perfect unison singing in this lovely restful piece, which at times brought to mind Tavener. The group concluded on a hilarious note with Ligeti’s Lobster Quadrille,fabulously overdone, playing around kaleidoscopically with the Mock Turtle’s song in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Following rapturous and lengthy applause the group returned to the stage for an encore, the simple and exquisite O Nata lux of Tallis to send us out into the night.
Photo supplied.
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Kristina and Bruce Macrae reviewed “The Wishing Tree”, performed by The Gesualdo Six: Owain Park (director, bass); Guy James (countertenor); Joseph Wicks (tenor); Josh Cooter (tenor); Michael Craddock (baritone); Samuel Mitchell (bass), at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch hall on March 28, 2023.
