BREMF – Music Divine: Gibbons 400 -BREMF CoV, Cavillum Consort of Viols

I knew it was going to be good — but even so, this was such a treat. A feast of English Choral Music celebrating 400 years since the death of Orlando Gibbons and it brought back a flood of lovely memories. BREMF Consort of Voices consists of two dozen soloists that blend so well. The clean treble sound of the sopranos allows them to mimic the traditional English cathedral sound; the contraltos too sound like choral scholar altos; the tenors and basses managed to sound like young lay clerks, and all of these with the advantages of mature experience.

The programme began at the doors of the church with Gibbons’ stirring Palm Sunday anthem, Hosanna to the Son of David, crisp and rousing. It was followed by Thomas Weelkes’ version – and I can never decide which I prefer more. The viols then came to play with a very familiar hymn tune by Thomas Tallis that the choir repeated. The time-honoured combination of voice and soft strings was luxurious and very easy on the ear as we enjoyed the works of predecessors who inspired Gibbons and of composers he clearly inspired. Simon Madge’s elegant solo in The Turtle Dove showed how Vaughan Williams had followed in his tradition. The first half concluded with Blessed are all they, a psalm setting by Gibbons with the solo verses sung in the gentle alto of Bibi Lees, beautifully enhanced by the viols – could it get any more blissful?

BREMF Consort of Voices

Of course, after a break for chatting and a glass of wine if you wanted, we settled down for Purcell’s always popular Rejoice in the Lord alway. This, The Bell Anthem, started with its characteristic chiming scales sounding so much more convincing on the authentic viols than on the more usual organ. The well-balanced soloists, Cat Hogan-Jones, David Waterhouse and Matthew Bright faced us beside the viols while the choir sang from from behind us again, stretching the acoustic of the church to give a pleasing effect of grandeur. By now the pairing of the choir with the instruments was fully justified.

The concert continued with sumptuous settings of prayers and madrigals, including Purcell’s passionate eight-part Hear my prayer in which the choir was able to wring out the last drop of angst from the perfectly tuned dissonances. They were just as successful with the yearning suspensions in Pearsall’s Lay a Garland. The emotional impact was very strong, so the bright declamations of Gibbons’ cheerful anthem O clap your hands together made a happy conclusion to the programme, which ended with a final madrigal, Gibbons’ The silver swan.

Andrew Connal
St Paul’s Church,
16 October 2025

Rating:

BREMF Consort of Voices
James Elias director (director)

Cavillum Consort of Viols
Matthew Farrell treble viol I

Jacob Garside treble viol II/tenor viol I
Cai Waverley-Hudson tenor viol II
Theo Nisbett bass viol I
Robert Cavaye bass viol II

Programme
Orlando Gibbons 1583-1625 – Hosanna to the Son of David
Thomas Weelkes 1576-1623 – Hosanna to the Son of David
Thomas Tallis 1515-1585 – The God of love my shepherd is
Gibbons – Song 46: Drop, drop, slow tears
John Sheppard c.1515-1558 – Libera nos I
Gibbons – O Lord, in thy wrath
Gibbons – In nomine a 5 No. 1
Orazio Vecchi 1550-1605 – Il bianco e dolce cigno
Gibbons – Dainty fine bird
Ralph Vaughan Williams 1872-1958 – The Turtle Dove
Gibbons – Blessed are all they

Henry Purcell 1659-1695 Rejoice in the Lord alway
Gibbons – O Lord, I lift my heart to thee
Purcell – Hear my prayer
Gibbons – Song 1: Eternal Ruler of the ceaseless round
Gibbons – Fair ladies that to love captived are
Gibbons – What is our life?
Vaughan Williams – Come away, death
Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger c.1575-1628 – Four-note Pavan
Gibbons – Fair is the rose
Robert Pearsall 1795-1856 – Lay a Garland
Gibbons – O clap your hands together
Gibbons – The silver swan

BREMF Consort of Voices
Sopranos:
Cat Hogan-Jones
Harriet Hyatt
Hannah Loach
Pam Mason
Rebecca Rees
Cathy Rowland
Altos:
Maria Birch
Janet Gascoine
Bibi Lees
Silvia Reseghetti
Charlotte Tayler
Tenors:
Charlie Barrow
Nick Boston
Nicolas Chisholm
Peter Larcombe
David Waterhouse
Basses:
Matthew Bright
John Gillies
Tony Jay
Simon Madge
Matthew Ryan
Bill Vickery
Stephen Wilmot