Francis Pott: At First Light & Word Commotio & Matthew Berry

• Francis Pott (b. 1957): At First Light:
• 1 At First Light: I. Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine 09:22
• 2 At First Light: II. Generatio praeterit et generatio advenit 03:22
• 3 At First Light: III. Daybreak 04:32
• 4 At First Light: IV. Laudibus in sanctis Dominum celebrate supremum 09:01
• 5 At First Light: V. This Day Has Ended 07:06
• 6 At First Light: VI. We Follow the Dead to Their Graves 02:36
• 7 At First Light: VII. God of Compassion Who Dwells on High 05:45
• Word:
• 8 Word: I. Prelude 01:18
• 9 Word: II. In the Beginning Was the Word, and the Word Was with God 01:22
• 10 Word: III. In the Beginning Was the Word. What Word? 03:11
• 11 Word: IV. What Has Come into Being in Him Was Life 00:49
• 12 Word: V. I Have Seen the Sun Break Through 07:00
• 13 Word: VI. He Was in the World, and the World Came into Being Through Him 01:24
• 14 Word: VII. And to One God Says, Come to Me by Numbers and Figures 03:34
• 15 Word: VIII. You Must Put Your Knowledge Off and Come to Me with Your Mind Bare 02:31
• 16 Word: IX. But to All Who Received Him, Who Believed in His Name 00:58
• 17 Word: X. It's a Long Way Off 04:41
• 18 Word: XI. And the Word Became Flesh and Lived Among Us 01:06
• 19 Word: XII. Epilogue 03:22
• 20 Word: XIII. Enough That We Are on Our Way 03:32
• 21 Word: XIV. And the Word Became Flesh and Lived Among Us 02:41
• Total Runtime 01:19:13

Info for Francis Pott: At First Light & Word

At First Light for Chorus and Cello, Word for Chorus and Organ. Pott’s acclaimed musical voice is one of uncommon eloquence and seriousness of purpose, and his works have been performed and broadcast in over 40 countries. This recording presents world premiere recordings of two major pieces. At First Light is a 42-minute memorial work which takes the form of a series of slow meditations surrounding an exuberant motet, with wordless commentary from a lamenting cello. Word (37 min.), with its significant role for the organ and the inclusion of texts by the Welsh priest and poet R.S. Thomas, reveals Gospel contemplation in a postmodern world.

Joseph Spooner, cello (Tracks 1-3, 5-7)
Christian Wilson, organ (Tracks 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19-21)
Commotio (Tacks 1-7, 9-18, 20-21)
Matthew Berry, direction

Joseph Spooner
came to the cello indirectly, via a degree in Classics at Cambridge, and a doctorate in Greek papyrology at London and Florence universities. During subsequent postgraduate study at the Royal Academy of Music, he embraced traditional repertoire and developed a taste for contemporary and non-standard works. Since then, he has pursued a diverse career, principally as a soloist and chamber musician, and this work has taken him across the UK, from the Baltic to the Atlantic, and from the recording studio to concert platforms in Continental Europe, New York, Russia, Mexico and New Zealand. As a soloist, there have been performances of familiar and less familiar concertos (including Dvořák, Leighton, Korngold, Shostakovitch and Moeran); broadcasts from his recordings on BBC Radio 3 and Radio New Zealand; and recital series featuring the complete works for the cello by Bach, Beethoven, Bloch, and the Mighty Handful.

Joseph has worked extensively as a chamber musician; regular collaborators include David Owen Norris and Madeleine Mitchell. His work with contemporary-music ensembles (notably Continuum and New Music Players) has included performances at major festivals (among them Huddersfield), broadcasts (BBC Radio 3, Channel 4), several premieres, and recordings of works by Errollyn Wallen and Roger Smalley. Joseph’s deep delving into the cello repertoire has led to the rediscovery of unjustly neglected works. Audiences have greatly appreciated hearing this music, and critics have offered high praise for Joseph’s recordings, noting the initiative entailed and agreeing that these works – by composers as diverse as Alan Bush, Alexander Krein, Michael Balfe, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Edgar Bainton, Aaron Copland, George Dyson, and Percy Sherwood – were indeed worth rehabilitating.

Joseph was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2012, and in 2013 was made an honorary member of the International Felix Draeseke Society. He is proud to be the dedicatee of Alwynne Pritchard’s Danaides, Errollyn Wallen’s Spirit Symphony: Speed Dating for Two Orchestras, and Martin Read’s Troper Fragment. His instrument was made by Nicholas Vuillaume in c.1865

Matthew Berry
the conductor and joint founder of Commotio, studied music at University College Oxford, where he was organ scholar and then assistant organist. After conducting The Oxford Chamber Choir for two years as a student, he founded Commotio in 1999. Having finished his degree, he studied postgraduate choral direction with Patrick Russill for two years at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Berry’s expertise lies in the research and promotion of little-known contemporary choral repertoire, principally from Scandinavia, South Africa, the United States and Slovenia. In 19 years working with Commotio he has initiated many premieres including, most recently, the UK premiere of Rolande Falcinelli’s Messe de Sainte-Dominique. In February 2013, the Governing Body of the Royal Academy of Music elected Berry an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM). Berry returned to conduct Commotio in 2019–20 after a short sabbatical during which Bob Chilcott directed the choir.

Booklet for Francis Pott: At First Light & Word