Dyson: Nebuchadnezzar, Woodland Suite, O Praise God in His Holiness, Confortare & Three Songs of Praise Mark Padmore, Neal Davies, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus & Richard Hickox

• Sir George Dyson (1883 - 1964): Nebuchadnezzar:
• 1 Dyson: Nebuchadnezzar: I. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold - To you it is commanded 12:31
• 2 Dyson: Nebuchadnezzar: II. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near - Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach 10:58
• 3 Dyson: Nebuchadnezzar: III. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury- …and they have no hurt - Then Shadrach, Meshach 17:38
• 4 Dyson: Nebuchadnezzar: IV. O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord - O let the earth bless the Lord 06:45
• Woodland Suite:
• 5 Dyson: Woodland Suite: I. At Evening Bell 02:23
• 6 Dyson: Woodland Suite: II. Silken Sails 01:19
• 7 Dyson: Woodland Suite: III. Moon-Fairy 02:07
• 8 Dyson: Woodland Suite: IV. Elfin Market 01:31
• O Praise God in His Holiness (Psalm 150):
• 9 Dyson: O Praise God in His Holiness (Psalm 150) 02:12
• Three Songs of Praise:
• 10 Dyson: Three Songs of Praise: I. Praise 02:00
• 11 Dyson: Three Songs of Praise: II. Lauds 04:27
• 12 Dyson: Three Songs of Praise: III. A Poet's Hymn 04:27
• 13 Dyson: Confortare 01:35
• Total Runtime 01:09:53

Info for Dyson: Nebuchadnezzar, Woodland Suite, O Praise God in His Holiness, Confortare & Three Songs of Praise

Chandos is pleased to announce the release of the premiere recording of Sir George Dyson's choral cantata Nebuchadnezzar. The music is dramatic, sumptuous and richly melodic, recalling the work of Vaughan Williams, Howells and Bliss. The text is based on the Book of Daniel and is set in four parts. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus are conducted by Richard Hickox with the tenor Mark Padmore and bass-baritone Neal Davies as soloists. This is Chandos Disc of the Month for October and includes as well two coronation anthems and the premiere recordings of Dyson's Woodland Suite and Three Songs of Praise.

"This is the first recording, and Dyson is lucky because it is outstanding. There are no comparisons to make, but can you imagine abetter tenor than Mark Padmore or a better bass than Neal Davies for this music? Do you know a chorus that would sing it better than the BBC Chorus? Is there a conductor who could make it more gripping than Mr Hickox does? No, it is quite wonderful… The Chandos sound is superb." (American Record Guide)

"It’s beautifully played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox, and the choral singing is particularly thrilling. The disc also includes a number of Dyson’s shorter pieces, most of them fairly slight, though the Three Songs of Praise – setting of English metaphysical poetry – are exquisite" (The Guardian)

"Enthusiasts for this composer need not hesitate – performances and recordings are first-rate." (International Record Review)

"Hickox’s reading is direct and dramatic, though he also indulges the more impressionistic moods at the piece’s heart, while the BBC Symphony Chorus provides wholesome body to the narrative. Two coronation anthems, a triptych of hymns and a pastoral suite for chamber orchestra complete this worthwhile disc." (Telegraph)

Mark Padmore, tenor
< Neal Davies, bass-baritone
< BBC Symphony Chorus & BBC Symphony Orchestra
< Richard Hickox, conductor

Mark Padmore
A highlight of Mark’s 2021/22 season was a residency at Wigmore Hall where he celebrated his relationship with pianists Till Fellner, Imogen Cooper, Mitsuko Uchida and Paul Lewis. He will return to the Wigmore Hall in the 2022/23 season to sing Vaughan Williams and Fauré with the Elias Quartet and James Baillieu, after performing the programme in Spain.

In addition to recitals with Kristian Bezuidenhout in Helsinki, Till Fellner in Zaragoza and Julius Drake in Amsterdam, Mark will be artist in residence at the Oxford Lieder Festival and will give a recital tour of Japan with Mitsuko Uchida.

He will also appear on stage in the title role of a new production of Monteverdi Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria conducted by Fabio Biondi, sing the world première of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s song cycle A constant obsession with the Nash Ensemble and give concerts with Sinfonieorchester Basel and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.

Mark’s most recent appearance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden was a new production of Britten’s Death in Venice, where his performance was described as a “tour de force” and “exquisite of voice, [presenting] Aschenbach’s physical and spiritual breakdown with extraordinary detail and insight”. Other opera roles have included the leading roles in Harrison Birtwistle The Corridor and The Cure at the Aldeburgh Festival; Captain Vere in Britten Billy Budd and Evangelist in a staging of St Matthew Passion both for the Glyndebourne Festival and the world première of Tansy Davies’ Cave with the London Sinfonietta.

In concert Mark performs with the world’s leading orchestras. He was Artist in Residence for the 2017/18 season with the Berlin Philharmonic and held a similar position with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2016/17. His work with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has involved projects exploring both Bach St John and St Matthew Passion and has attracted worldwide acclaim.

His extensive discography includes Beethoven Missa Solemnis and Haydn Die Schöpfung with Bernard Haitink and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra on BR Klassik and Lieder by Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart with Kristian Bezuidenhout for Harmonia Mundi. Other Harmonia Mundi recordings include Schubert cycles with Paul Lewis (Winterreise won the 2010 Gramophone magazine Vocal Award); Schumann Dichterliebe with Kristian Bezuidenhout (2011 Edison Klassiek Award) and Britten Serenade, Nocturne and Finzi Dies Natalis with the Britten Sinfonia (ECHO/Klassik 2013 award).

Mark was voted 2016 Vocalist of the Year by Musical America and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Kent University in 2014. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queens’ Birthday Honours List.

Mark is Artistic Director of the St. Endellion Summer Music Festival in Cornwall.

Neal Davies
studied at King’s College, London and the Royal Academy of Music, and won the Lieder Prize at the 1991 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. He has appeared with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra under Mariss Jansons, BBC Symphony Orchestra under Pierre Boulez, Cleveland and Philharmonia orchestras under Christoph von Dohnányi, Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Frans Brüggen, English Concert with Harry Bicket, Gabrieli Consort under Paul McCreesh, Hallé Orchestra with Sir Mark Elder, Concerto Koeln under Ivor Bolton, Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Adam Fischer, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra with Edward Gardner, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin with David Zinman, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Sir Andrew Davis, and the London Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras under Daniel Harding. He has been a regular guest of the Edinburgh Festival and BBC Proms.

Plans for 21/22 include a return to English National Opera as Don Alfonso Cosi fan tutte, Tiridate Radamisto with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and a recording of Utopia Ltd for Scottish Opera. On the concert platform Neal sings Ariodate/Serse with the English Concert in Carengie Hall New York, London, Madrid and Pamploma; The Creation with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Mozart Requiem in Tokyo cond. Jonathan Nott and The Messiah with Les Violons du Roy cond. Jonathan Cohen; Christmas Oratorio with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Stephen Layton and a European concert tour of Israel in Egypt with the Freiburger Barockorchester cond. René Jacobs.

This album contains no booklet.