When Sleep Comes: Evening Meditations for Voices & Saxophone Tenebrae, Christian Forshaw & Nigel Short

• Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625), Christian Forshaw: Drop, Drop Slow Tears (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw):
• 1Gibbons, Forshaw: Drop, Drop Slow Tears (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw)03:45
• Christian Forshaw: In paradisum:
• 2Forshaw: In paradisum03:42
• Nigel Short (b. 1965): O vos imitatores (Arr. for Soprano, Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Nigel Short):
• 3Short: O vos imitatores (Arr. for Soprano, Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Nigel Short)05:14
• Traditional, Christian Forshaw: Te lucis ante terminum (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw):
• 4Traditional, Forshaw: Te lucis ante terminum (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw)02:36
• Thomas Tallis (1505 - 1585): Sancte Deus:
• 5Tallis: Sancte Deus05:50
• Traditional, Christian Forshaw: Psalm 121 (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw):
• 6Traditional, Forshaw: Psalm 121 (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw)03:20
• O nata lux (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw):
• 7Tallis, Forshaw: O nata lux (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw)03:16
• Christian Forshaw (): Renouncement:
• 8Forshaw: Renouncement07:03
• Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 - 1611): Reproaches:
• 9Victoria: Reproaches07:40
• Owain Park (b. 1993): Night Prayer:
• 10Park: Night Prayer03:28
• Thomas Tallis, Christian Forshaw: Te lucis ante terminum (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw):
• 11Tallis, Forshaw: Te lucis ante terminum (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw)03:53
• Henry Francis Lyte (1793 - 1847), Christian Forshaw: Abide With Me (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw):
• 12Lyte, Forshaw: Abide With Me (Arr. for Saxophone and Vocal Ensemble by Christian Forshaw)04:07
• Antoine Brumel (1460 - 1512): Lamentations:
• 13Brumel: Lamentations08:28
• Total Runtime01:02:22

Info for When Sleep Comes: Evening Meditations for Voices & Saxophone

The combination of ancient and modern in many art forms has cast something of a spell over modern audiences. I very much enjoyed listening to former collaborations between voices and saxophone, and was mesmerised by how well the two go together. This programme—which has been in the making for some time now—very much celebrates and explores the amalgamation of two distinct styles of choral music writing.

In Christian Forshaw, we have a modern minimalist composer (and saxophonist) whose music evokes a sense of calm and contemplation, occasionally interrupted by powerful emotional outbursts as and when expressed in the texts he sets. On this recording we have set out to explore settings by Renaissance masters such as Thomas Tallis and Orlando Gibbons, and see how they can be blended with modern harmonies and the use of more complex rhythmic patterns. Alongside re-workings of motets and other sacred works there are also some new compositions, all designed to emphasise the beauty and soothing nature of the original settings.

Adding an extra layer of poignancy is the fact that this recording was created during the Covid-19 pandemic, when musicians across the world were facing previously unimagined challenges. It was an absolute joy to be back in the 'studio' (in this case, the beautiful acoustic of All Hallows Gospel Oak), and I hope you will take as much comfort in listening to this music as we did in recording it.

The juxtaposition of saxophone and voices has been central to my work as a composer, arranger and performer for almost 30 years. The way sound can morph from one to the other in an almost imperceptible way has fascinated musicians from all genres for over a century. Johnny Hodges & Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto and Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble have all brought their own unique approaches to this combination of forces.

My own concept of sound derived from my days as a chorister. That aesthetic has always been central to the way I approach the saxophone, aiming to phrase and resonate like a singer. I enjoy the way there is so much common ground between the two, but that they are also able to depart from each other and explore their own uniqueness.

The repertoire in this collection spans a number of centuries, but there is very much common ground in the way each piece invites the listener to a place of stillness and reflection. The arrangements at times ask the saxophone to sit within the ensemble as another voice, but at other times call it to rise out of the texture in a more soloistic way.

Nigel Short and I first worked together in 2007 for a tour of my second album Renouncement, and again in 2012 for Songs of Solace. We spoke back then about the possibility of a collaboration with Tenebrae, and it has been a delight to finally bring that dream to life with this album.

Tenebrae
Christian Forshaw, saxophone
Nigel Short, direction

Christian Forshaw /strong>
Christian spent his childhood in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. He moved to London when he was 19 to study at the Guildhall School. In his late teens he had the privilege of working with Moondog, aka Louis Hardin. This experience had a profound effect on Christian’s understanding of the way contemporary music could work, without boundaries or preconceptions. He later went on to work with Michael Nyman, performing with the Michael Nyman Band and also working as part of the production team on a number of his film scores.

In his late twenties Christian was appointed Professor of Saxophone at the Guildhall School. Around the same time he released his debut album Sanctuary which received an unprecedented amount of air play on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM, reaching No 1 positions in the Classical Charts. To date he has recorded six solo albums which explore his compositions, arrangements and distinctive playing. Christian’s music has been featured in a number of films, TV and radio scores, most recently for Ridley Scott’s film The Last Duel for 20th Century Fox. More recently Christian’s sound has been heavily featured on a number of releases on the Village Green label, working with composer Angèle David-Guilllou and the electronic group Snow Palms.

Christian has toured, recorded and performed with artists as diverse as Brian Eno, Damon Albarn and Hugh Jackman as well as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the majority of British orchestras.

Tenebrae
Described as 'phenomenal' (The Times) and 'devastatingly beautiful' (Gramophone), award-winning choir Tenebrae, under the direction of Nigel Short, is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles renowned for its passion and precision.

Tenebrae’s ever-increasing discography has brought about collaborations with Signum, Decca Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI Classics, LSO Live and Warner Classics. In 2012 Tenebrae were the first-ever ensemble to be multi-nominated in the same category for the BBC Music Magazine Awards, securing the accolade of Best Choral Performance for their recording of Victoria’s Requiem Mass, 1605. The following year the choir’s recording of Fauré’s Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestra was nominated for the Gramophone Awards, having been described as 'the very best Fauré Requiem on disc' (Gramophone) and 'the English choral tradition at its zenith' (Richard Morrison, Chief Music Critic, The Times). In 2014 the choir’s recording of Russian Orthodox music was launched on its own label, Bene Arte, receiving glowing reviews and reaching number 1 in the UK Specialist Classical Chart. In 2016 Tenebrae received its second BBC Music Magazine Award for a recording of Brahms and Bruckner Motets, the profits from the sale of which benefit Macmillan Cancer Support.

Tenebrae is a dedicated advocate for contemporary composers having worked with Judith Bingham, Ola Gjeilo, Alexander L’Estrange, Alexander Levine, Paweł Łukaszewski, Paul Mealor, Owain Park, Hilary Tann, Joby Talbot, Sir John Tavener and Will Todd. The choir is renowned for its highly acclaimed interpretations of choral music with repertoire ranging from hauntingly passionate works of the Renaissance through to contemporary choral masterpieces.

Tenebrae is regularly engaged with the world’s finest orchestras and has appeared at major national and international festivals including the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, Three Choirs Festival, Leipzig Gewandhaus (Germany) and Montreux Choral Festival (Switzerland).

Tenebrae and Nigel Short co-curate a Holy Week Festival at St John’s Smith Square, London, together with regular concerts throughout the UK, Europe and the USA. Alongside concert performances, the choir presents its inspirational workshop method, The Tenebrae Effect, designed to challenge and advance every participant by instilling skills essential to a Tenebrae performance.

‘Passion and Precision’ are Tenebrae’s core values. Through its continued dedication to performance of the highest quality, Tenebrae’s vision is to deliver dramatic programming, flawless performances and unforgettable experiences, allowing audiences around the world to be moved by the power and intimacy of the human voice.

Nigel Short
Award-winning conductor Nigel Short has built up an enviable reputation for his recording and live performance work with leading orchestras and ensembles across the world.

A singer of great acclaim, Nigel was a member of the renowned vocal ensemble The King’s Singers from 1994–2000. Upon leaving the group, he formed Tenebrae, a virtuosic choir that embraced his dedication to passion and precision. Under his direction Tenebrae has collaborated with internationally acclaimed orchestras and instrumentalists and now enjoys a reputation as one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles.

To date, Nigel has conducted the Aurora Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English Chamber Orchestra, English Concert, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish Ensemble. He has directed the London Symphony Orchestra alongside Tenebrae in a live recording of Fauré’s Requiem, which was nominated for the Gramophone Awards (2013), and since then, he has conducted the orchestra at St Paul’s Cathedral as part of the City of London Festival. Other orchestral recordings include Mozart’s Requiem and Ave verum corpus with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and two discs of music by Will Todd with the English Chamber Orchestra.

Nigel has vast recording experience having conducted for many of the world’s major labels including Decca Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI Classics, LSO Live, Signum and Warner Classics. As a Gramophone award-winning producer, Nigel works with many of the UK’s leading professional choirs and vocal ensembles including Alamire, Ex Cathedra, Gallicantus and The King’s Singers.

Booklet for When Sleep Comes: Evening Meditations for Voices & Saxophone