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Press Comments on the Music of Ivan Moody
+ + +
"In Passion and Resurrection
Moody creates…a surprising power and beauty. Moody's work kept returning to the
mystery of the divine made flesh. It was fitting that we'd been able to marvel
at his treatment of that message."
*
"[Lamentation of the Virgin] Schon allein der
Variantreichtum in der Vertonung des Klagelauts "awe" faszinierte. Wie Balsam wirkt das zarte "Erbarme dich unser"
nach der schrillen Klage."
*
"Mariposa
*
"The sound of the pieces…is immediately
familiar and yet still quite personal. The second song, Endechas
a la muerte de Guillén Peraza, is a keening, utterly memorable lament that has
the sound of an ancient, cross-cultural, art-folk music hybrid."
*
"Ivan Moody’s four Endechas
y Canciones…sound to me to have carried Gesualdo a few twisty miles further along the mannerist
road. Very sexy stuff indeed! […] The collection concludes with Ivan Moody’s
touching and beautiful Canticum Canticorum."
*
"And Moody’s resonant ‘Canticum Canticorum I’, with
which the album concludes, is just simply beautiful."
Glenn McDonald, The
War against Silence, http://www.furia.com/twas/twas0105.html
*
"Moody set the entire Akathistos Hymn, a feat that has not been
attempted since the middle ages. ..listening to the
slowly unfolding work became a new and deeply satisfying experience. [His]
handling of gentle dissonances for key words showed imagination. […] The effect
was hair-raising. […] Something new, substantial and
profound."
Sunday Oregonian,
*
"The
Meeting in the Garden […] mostrou como é possível escrever bela música
religiosa nos dias de hoje. O compositor […] regressa às mais arcaicas raízes
da música de igreja com uma pureza e uma sensação de novidade desconcertantes.
A narrativa do encontro de Jesus ressuscitado com a Virgem Maria é dada com uma
limpidez e uam eficácia que nos faz sentir como os fiéis de tempos remotos,
ouvindo uma história com o espanto de crianças."
*
"The music of Ivan Moody's Passion
and Resurrection is given such a compelling performance on this recording
that there are times when it touches sublimity. […]
The entire drama of the Passion is here given a freshened meaning, at least to
Western Europeans, because the certainty of the Resurrection imparts something
warm, even ecstatic, to grief. […] The effect, I may say, is very powerful
indeed. […] The choruses are ineffably beautiful even when there is an edge of
reproach or a dazzle of death-defying gratitude about them. It is hard to
explain how music which is not understated but never shoutingly
draws attention to itself or waves rowdy rhetorical flags nevertheless conveys,
over the span of an hour of more, an overwhelming sense of completion, of
things felt and understood with a rare, strange wholeness."
Choir and
*
"…a major addition to the literature.
[…] Moody's setting [of the Akathistos Hymn]
combines traditional Byzantine melodic lines - in monophonic chant over a
drone- with polyphony that grows more complex as the work progresses,
culminating in occasional stunning 10- and 12- part passages. The harmonies are
lush and dark in Russian style, though periodically the shadows disperse as in a
cloudbreak and the sound brightens. The effect over
the whole hymn is of a slow revelation of light and warmth over an ancient
musical ground."
*
"Ivan Moody's Words of the Angel
- beautifully conceived, and in this poised, pure performance, truly
ethereal."
Classic FM Magazine, November 2001,
*
"Ivan Moody's Words of the Angel,
written specially for Trio Mediaeval, and making superb use of their voices,
adds a nice touch of something slightly different before the end. "
"A cult disc in the
making?"
Gramophone, January 2002,
*
"...the disc is spellbinding. [...] It
is a tribute to Moody's piece, a Resurrection motet with vivid effects of
dazzling light, that it can follow these without anticlimax. An
exceptional coupling, finely and atmospherically recorded."
International Record Review, February 2002,
*
"...e un
lavoro del contemporaneo Ivan Moody (classe 1964), Parole degli Angeli.
Anche in questo caso, l'accostamento tra antico e moderno non provoca
fratture, ma sottende piuttosto l'idea di non considerare il passato solo come
expressione museale, bensì come stimolo per la creatività contemporanea."
24 Ore Domenica,
*
"Highlights for me included (...)
Moody's contribution, which sits at exactly the right place in the spiritual
journey of the CD."
Early Music News, November 2001
*
"Moody’s expert vocal writing soars
frequently and thrillingly into the singers’ highest registers."
Iclassics.com review of Words of the Angel, available online at: http://www.iclassics.com/iclassics/feature.jsp?featureId=479
*
"The 14th century ‘Tournai’
Mass, consisting of a Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus,
Agnus Dei, and Ite missa est, is the first known complete polyphonic mass to come
down to us. Its sections were probably written by different composers, and it's
a stunning, fascinating look into early polyphony. This performance is combined
with other pieces from the same period, as well as a five-minute piece by
contemporary composer Ivan Moody, which--though clearly from six centuries
later--blends to make this a gorgeous whole. If you like Anonymous 4, you're in
for a real treat here. The three Scandinavian women who make up Trio Mediaeval
have astonishingly beautiful voices, with individual timbres that nonetheless
mingle seamlessly, whether in simple, chantlike
moments or in the high-flying Moody piece. And they sing with feeling, depth,
and, well, soul. This is a magnificent disc, not to be missed." --Robert
Levine
Editorial Reviews at Amazon.com (www.amazon.com)
*
"…Words of the Angel by Ivan
Moody. It’s a haunting and intensely
expressive piece that fits this program surprisingly well, its sharp harmonies
and otherworldly aura nicely paralleling the mood and texture of the ancient
music."
Editorial reviews at Barnes and Noble.com (http://music.barnesandnoble.com)
*
"Words is
a tour de force of sinuous chant and unadorned contrapuntal statements,
alternating with a broad and occasionally dissonant brush of soaring and
cascading polyphonies."
Online Review by Lou Wigdor
(Lou’s Reviews: http://www.filbert.com/pvfs/LousReviews/0302.htm)
*
The sheer vocal dynamics of the title track
– composed especially for Trio Mediaeval by Ivan Moody – would make Leonardo da
Vinci’s jaw drop."
David Lynch, Austin Chronicle
(http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2002-04-05/music_phases4.html)
*
“At the other end of the program, the Moody
title piece "Words of the Angel" (1998) seems to have been included
to remind us that all the music here might best be perceived as modern objects,
not to be mistaken for historical recreation. This orthodox prayer, which was
composed specifically for them, has no other kin remotely like it in the set
and yet this lone performance unambiguously places Trio Mediaeval on their own
ground, safely outside any problem of authenticity. It is far and away the most
potent moment on the recording with its (recent) close harmonies and dramatic
spire-like punctuations.”
Steve Taylor, hollowear.com http://www.hollowear.com/reviews/ecm-medeival.html
*
The Word’s the thing: Ivan Moody’s Passion
and Resurrection
In his 1992 oratorio, Passion and
Resurrection, performed Friday night in St. Mary’s Cathedral by the
Portland-based choral ensemble Cappella Romana,
British composer Ivan Moody (who conducted) carries on a fitting heritage: some
of the earliest settings of the passion of Christ emerged from fifteenth
century
But Moody’s tonal world, like that of his teacher, composer Sir John Tavener, is much closer to that of the Greek and Slavic
churches, especially that of Russian Orthodoxy, where the unaccompanied choral
tradition is strongest and collective faith in Christian mysteries at its most
potent. In fact, Moody’s Passion does more than just echo the music of
the Orthodox church, it paints images with all the
compressed message and gesture of Russian icons. Appropriately, and brilliantly,
Moody’s oratorio is divided into eight such icons, from Incarnation (Ikon I) to The Resurrection (Ikon
VIII). And as with the most spiritually and artistically effective religious
art, the starkest image can speak the richest of meanings. Therein lies the foundation of this oratorio’s moving beauty and
power: Moody’s adroit shaping of the material, and Cappella Romana¹s sensitive
interpretation of it.
"In the beginning was the Word," chants Moody’s Evangelist, sung with
tender intensity by tenor Scott Tuomi, and the Word -
be it in English, Greek or Slavonic - is what makes this work run. In strictly
modal plainchant recitatives, Tuomi told the familiar
story - Last Supper, Agony in the Garden, Trial, Crucifixion and
Resurrection--interspersed with harmonically jeweled
choral responses from the ensemble, setting a mesmeric
mood that left the curious impression of having watched a play rather than
listened to music. This is where Moody’s faith supersedes his art. Like the oklad or silver plaque placed over an icon’s image,
Moody’s submission to orthodoxy frames and disciplines the gorgeously colored scenes within. Even his orchestral resources are
kept in check. To the traditional string quartet grouping of violins, viola and
cello were added contrabass and chimes, providing subdued accompaniment; the
brief yet delicately descriptive orchestral interludes were like prayer made
visible as well as audible. Even Christ seemed subsumed in the Word: the
wonderful bass John Vergin sang with quiet,
submissive nobility. Soprano LeaAnne DenBeste, in her chaste solos as the Mother of God, meshed
perfectly with Moody’s iconic vision of world-altering action frozen at the
moment of highest dramatic import. Amid all these rocky peaks and solemn
valleys, there was one blooming garden. Tuomi’s aria, "Give me this Stranger, Who has no place
to lay His head," accompanied by the choir and soprano soloist, came off
not so much as an appeal to selfless compassion than as a kind of cosmic canzona d’amore.
Grant Menzies,
Critic of the
*
Moving 'Passion' lovingly voiced
Cappella Romana's
transporting delivery drew on the spare Byzantine style.
Purer, sweeter, more austere and impersonal
than Baroque composer Heinrich Schutz, who makes Bach
sound like an overwrought Romantic, is the music of the Byzantine liturgy. Ivan
Moody drew on that glorious tradition for his deeply moving "Passion and
Resurrection," heard Friday at St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church in
Sung gorgeously by the Portland, Oregon-based Cappella Romana,
led by Moody, the performance set a high-water mark at the start of the fourth
Eclectic Orange Festival sponsored by the Philharmonic Society. The concert was
presented by the church.
This is a vocal tradition uncommon in the Western concert hall and takes some
getting used to. A narrator chants the story of Christ's Passion and
resurrection, staying within a very narrow dynamic, expressive and melodic
range. The choir sings hymns and antiphons, mostly a cappella, often in unison.
When it breaks into harmony, the effect is like jeweled
light flooding the space.
Moody added a small string ensemble to provide occasional, discreet
accompaniment. A string bass, however, sounded pedal notes throughout the work,
except at the moment of Christ's death. Its absence then was shocking.
Absence is the critical characteristic of this style: absence of display, ego,
of anything that draws attention from the involving narrative. Following the
practice of the Greek Orthodox Church, however, the composer sets off sections
of the work, which he calls "Ikons," with
chimed notes. That and the symbolic three-fold repetitions of certain lines
remind us that this is not meant as entertainment.
Indeed, "Passion and Resurrection" is very close to being a church
service, and that may have accounted for the respectful rather than
overwhelming applause at the end. You don't applaud a Mass at which you have
been transported.
The 16 singers were exemplary in breath and dynamic control, creating timeless,
endless melody by starting every new line at exactly the same dynamic and color as the one they had just finished. Tenor Leslie Green
was the gentle, marathon Evangelist. Bass John Vergin
was the warm, authoritative Christ. LeaAnne DenBeste sang the Mother of God with aching purity.
Moody's a cappella In You, All Creation Rejoices, also in Byzantine
style, was the encore.
Chris Pasles,
*
[Ivan Moody’s] three Canticum
Canticorum motets are masterly in using the
modern to evoke the past. Chords are prismatically
sung and the sound quality and engineering are pristine.
(review of "INVOCATION" by musica intima, on Atma 2284 ***** [5 stars]))
*
"It’s truly beautiful work, and a rare understanding
of the choral instrument. Some of your music reminds me of the Rachmaninov Vespers."
Cary Boyce, composer,
*
Meditative
Zeitensprünge
Winterthurer Vokalensemble
und Frauen-Choralschola St. Gallen
gestalteten geistliche Musik vom Feinsten
In der Kathedrale
führten musikalische Zeitreisen zu musikalischer
Zeitlosigkeit. Und zeigten die ungebrochene Kraft ferner geistlicher Musik als
Anregerin für moderne Auseinandersetzung.
Es mochte symbolisch wirken, dass der
englische Komponist Ivan
Moody sich als
Sänger einreihte ins Winterthurer Vokalensemble, nur heraustretend, um sein diesem Chor
gewidmetes Werk «Isconsolada» zu dirigieren. Moody, dessen musikalische Wurzeln stark von der Orthodoxie geprägt sind,
reiht sich auch mit dieser
Uraufführung respektvoll in
die grosse und nach wie vor unerschöpfliche
Tradition geistlicher Musik
ein.
«Isconsolada» (sardisch: die Untröstliche)
ist Musik, die stehend wirkt, die unaufdringlich, aber einprägsam Jahrhunderte zusammenfasst und auf bewusst engem Raum grosse
Emotionsbreite «zusammenpacken»
will. Die Sekundreibungen zu
Beginn sind
aus der Feder
eines Zeitgenossen, erinnern aber gleichzeitig
an «atonale» Stimmexperimente
der Renaissance.
Die
Tradition geachtet
Ausbrüche
gibt es wenige,
dann aber - subtil gesetzt - von spannender Wirkung. Die griechischen und sardischen Texte fassen konzis
und prägnant Erbe zusammen: östliches und westliches. «Isconsolada»
macht Appetit auf einen Tonsetzer, der einer überreichen
Tradition mit Achtung etwas abgewinnen kann, um ihr dann
wiederum etwas gegenüberzustellen.
[...]
Martin Preisser,
*
Akáthistos Hymn
The Byzantine Akáthistos
Hymn probably dates from the early 6th century and comprises 24 stanzas, one
for each letter of the Greek alphabet. Moody's is believed to be the first
complete setting of the hymn, a meditation on the Virgin Mary, since medieval
times.
Moody has combined authentic Byzantine
melodies with some he has composed himself, suited to this English translation
of the hymn. His use of voicings, influenced by Russian Orthodox choral traditions,
gives a 'chestier' quality to the music than we normally expect from
contemporary 'Holy Minimalists' such as Tavener, with
whom Moody studied, or even from plainsong. The ancient Byzantine modes
(codified in the 8th century but extant for several centuries before), the
intervals, the occurrence at crucial points of expressively flattened pitches,
the graceful arc of the phrases and the use of pedal tones or drone effects:
all strongly evoke Indian music - though their real roots probably lie in
Persian tradition.
Somewhat ironically, the strictures of
the Church authorities against making music too attractive, and thus taking the
worshippers' thoughts away from the devotional purpose of the liturgy, produced
music of such purity and radiance that, to modern sensibilities at least, the
beauty of the sound is a sensuous pleasure which is its own justification,
regardless of the intention of the text. Moody's realization is sinfully
lovely. Cappella Romana specializes in the Slavic and
Byzantine traditions, so the excellence of this performance is no surprise: the
soloist is the aptly named bass-baritone John Vergin.
As if 96 gorgeous minutes of the Akáthistos Hymn were not value for money, the album is
rounded off with a shimmering performance of O Tebe
Raduetsya, Moody's 1990 setting of another hymn
to the Virgin, this time from the Russian Orthodox tradition.
Barry Witherden
Gramophone, Awards Issue,
*
...”Words of the Angel”. In Ivan Moody’s setting of passages from the
Orthodox Easter Liturgy, haunting, spiky dissonances suggest a joy born of
unspeakable sorrow.
Marion Lignana
Rosenberg
Newsday.com,
*
When we arrive at Ivan Moody’s A Lion’s
Sleep, however, we appreciate certain clues to its 21st century
origin while remaining solidly in a medieval harmonic and textually expressive
idiom. It’s an ingenious and memorable
piece that we’re sure to hear in the Trio’s upcoming concert programs.
David Vernier
ClassicToday.com, February 2004 (http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=7342)
*
Akáthistos Hymn
That the Orthodox church
in
The name Akáthistos
(“not sittingˆ) refers to a performance of the hymn in the sixth century in
thanks for Mary’s divine intervention for the raising of the siege of
Constantinople, and given standing; the 24 sections (one for each letter of the
Greek alphabet) comprise a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary. There is a great
deal of text to set - no one has done this complete since the Middle Ages - and
even with Moody´s efficient word-setting, the work
lasts around 100 minutes. This is in fact his largest work to date, longer even
than Passion & Resurrection (recorded by Cappella Amsterdam on
Hyperion in 1996).
As the composer pointed out in a recent
interview, the text is so full of imagery that the challenge was almost one of
restraint, to conceive the whole span of the work as a whole; the interplay of
Byzantine chant, Russian Medieval music and Moody’s own characteristic voice
provides the necessary variety. As the text is less obviously narrative than
that of Passion & Resurrection, the dramatic impulse here is
subservient to the liturgical, with the majority of the 24 Ikos
including an individual hymn of praise, each line beginning, “Hail”. And there
are no instruments or soloists this time, except a single baritone.
Moody draws a wide variety of moods from often-simple
harmony, aided by a careful interplay of major and minor modes, where a single
accidental can change the whole character of a line. The stylistic integrity of
the musical narrative allows sudden moments of illumination, like “Hail, for
thou dost illumine multitudes with thy knowledge” in Ikos
9, to register with real force; and the appearance of a single E major chord
seems revelatory after an hour of tonal areas based around C and D. Along the
way there are moments of great richness (Ikos 11), and
serenity (Kontakion 7). Throughout, Moody has
succeeded in creating an organically developing whole, aided both by a sense of
continuous harmonic evolution and increasing rhythmic complexity; all is
brought to a climax with writing for ten-part double choir in Ikos 23. What seems like a calm ending then dissolves into
an ecstatically lush setting of “O mother worthy of all praise”, before the
final Kontakion reprise. Two moments did seem to lie
outside the normal parameters in Kontakion 4, where a
hint of the Anglican cathedral tradition emerges - plus a chant theme
coincidentally similar to John Barry’s Bond theme music for You Only Live
Twice!
Portland-based choir Cappella Romana was founded in 1991 by the conductor and
musicologist Alexander Lingas to explore the centuries of Orthodox sacred
music. They tackle The Akáthistos Hymn with
confidence and commitment, undaunted by the composer’s unending melodies and
the four-octave range of the work. That there are minor flaws is principally a
result of the ensemble’s small size (21 voices), for maintaining the
architecturally long lines requires either iron lungs or more voices. The sound
itself is certainly full, but stronger low basses would have been useful; a
slight tendency to flatness, and occasional American vowels
(as in the word “thoughts” in Ikos 1) among
the English can grate, especially from baritone soloist John Vergin. While this is a fine first reading, I suspect there
is even more than Lingas and his team find in the score - a greater sense of
dynamic range and drama, and a less metrical pulse. That the performance rarely
seems spiritually ecstatic owes something to the recorded sound, which is clear
rather than atmospheric - you can’t smell the incense! Nevertheless, this comes
strongly recommended.
Francis Knights
International Record Review, March 2004
*
“Particularly outstanding are Ivan Moody’s Troparion of Kassiani
and A Lion’s Sleep which, in powerfully expressive music combining great
simplicity with piercingly appropriate responses to certain crucial words in
each text, convey the inconsolable anguish of St Mary Magdalene and the Blessed
Virgin as they contemplate the body of the crucified Christ.”
Elizabeth Roche
Telegraph,
*
Les voix
pures et vibrantes du Trio Mediaeval explorent les
sources de la musique chrétienne et appellent leurs profondes résonances chez
les compositeurs de notre époque. Leur précédent enregistrement chez ECM (Words of the Angel,
ECM 1753) insérait une pièce d'Ivan Moody écrite en
1998 au coeur d'une oeuvre médiévale. Cette fois, c'est la messe Alma Redemptoris Mater de Leonel
Power (c.1370 - 1445) qui éveille l'inspiration des compositeurs contemporains
sollicités pour composer des pièces autour de la thématique mariale, usant de
la belle simplicité du plain-chant comme des couleurs de la polyphonie plus
tardive. Ainsi, nous survolons les nuages au-dessus de l'Ukraine d'Oleh Harkavyy ou de l'Angleterre
d'Andrew Smith tout imprégnées des racines de la musique médiévale, succombant
à l'éclat des compositions de Gavin Bryars qui subliment la lumière vocale du soprano
solo. La complicité qui lie le Trio Mediaeval à
Ivan Moody depuis plusieurs années se devine dans la
riche délicatesse d'A Lion's Sleep où la voix
soliste s'élève telle une épure pour rejoindre la tenue des deux autres dans un
même élan, étincelant de ferveur, se retire et revient plus intense encore,
plus vivante et lumineuse. Ce très bel album, offrande d'une bienfaisante
fraîcheur, invite à la plus douce des méditations.
Isabelle
Françaix, Bruxelles, le 30 avril 2004, Ramifications http://www.ramifications.be/Nouveautes/sacre.htm
*
Soir, dit-elle is only the second release
from Trio Mediaeval, but these three Scandinavian women are already widely
regarded as A4’s logical successors. Individually, they probably have even more
distinctive and flexible voices—soprano Anna Maria Friman
can really nail a high note when required—but TM’s
most salient strengths are those of the American group: a flawless vocal blend,
a profound musical intelligence, and a deep spiritual connection to the texts. Soir, dit-elle
intersperses the four sections of a fifteenth-century mass (“Alma redemptoris mater”) by the English composer Leonel Power with new works written for Trio Mediaeval by Oleh Haravyy, Gavin Bryars, Andrew Smith, and Ivan Moody. The effect of the
program is spellbinding, as the Trio moves effortlessly back and forth across
the span of 600 years without ever breaking the musical mood. All of the new
music is exemplary, but the two pieces by Moody, The Troparion of Kassiani
and A Lion’s Sleep, which set ninth-
and tenth-century texts that give voice to the two Maries
associated with Christ (His mother and Mary Magdalene), are especially
wonderful.
Andrew
Quint, AVguide.com
http://www.avguide.com/film_music/music/musicreviews/tas148/148_classical_caps.jsp
*
The most telling journey is in the nine minutes of Ivan Moody's A Lion's
Sleep. This is Mary's Lament, as told by St Simeon Metaphrastes
and translated by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The British composer is unerring
in his response to images of great poetic power.
William Dart, The
*
Aufregend, überraschend und zeitweilig
richtig virtuos Ivan Moodys The Troparion of Kassiani.
Eine Steigerung all dessen ist
sein sehr fantasievolles A Lion's Sleep.
*
Lamentation of
the Virgin
(Singer Pur CD Oehms
Classics OC354)
Ivan Moodys wunderbare "Klage der Jungfrau
Maria, die unter dem Kreuz den Tod und das Leiden ihres Sohnes
beweint", ist die 1995
entstandene Vertonung eines tatsächlich ergreifenden Textes aus den Carmina Burana, jener berühmten
Benediktbeurer Handschrift.
Moody, 1964 geboren und Schüler
John Taveners, schrieb dazu eine Musik,
die von fast mittelalterlich anmutenden
weiten Bögen und großen Linien geprägt
ist, auch an die große Mehrstimmigkeit der Renaissance fühlt man sich immer wieder
erinnert. Trotzdem findet Moody zu
einem eigenständigen, individuellen und letztlich faszinierenden Ton.
Oswald Beaujean, Bayern 4 Klassik (Klassikportal des Bayerischen Rundfunks), October
2004
http://www.br-online.de/kultur-szene/klassik/pages/cdtipps/cd20041021.html
*
“London-born Ivan
Moody contributes a ravishing, mediaeval-tinged Sanctus, as ethereally lovely –
and at points as stunningly wild – as his compositions for Trio Mediaeval”
Robert Levine,
review of And On Earth, Peace: A Chanticleer Mass, http://www.amazon.com
*
Return to Homepage
+ + +
Last revised 13.06.2007
© 2004 Ivan Moody