Search - Ivan [1] Moody, Daniel Reuss, Red Byrd :: Ivan Moody: Passion and Resurrection

Utmost sacred music

Mark Swinton | 02/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When listening to the music of Ivan Moody, comparisons with John Tavener often arise. It should not be a surprise, therefore, to learn that Moody is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, and like Tavener he seeks to explore his faith by translating it into music however he can."Passion and Resurrection" is a fine example of the results this exploration has thus far yielded. In one respect, it is like the Passions of J. S. Bach, providing a dramatic musical setting of the Biblical Narrative surrounding Christ's death and Resurrection. Yet the work is more than an oratorio for the entertainment of audiences: Moody adapts the relevant musical material of the Passiontide season with extreme simplicity, using a small string ensemble and a set of bells to accompany three vocal soloists and a choir in such a way that makes the work appear perfectly legitimate for liturgical performance. (I cannot resist drawing a comparison at this point: during Holy Week 2001, the Academy of St. Olave's Church in York will perform Tavener's "The Protecting Veil." The event is billed both as a concert and as a meditation for Passiontide; the music amply serves the requirements of both kinds of performance.)The reason for a four-star rating is that, in view of the above, this disc may not appeal to everyone hoping to discover a stunning "new music" performance. This is a great insight into Ivan Moody the Orthodox Christian, but some may argue that his limited development of the chant reveals almost nothing about Ivan Moody the composer. My own view is that the disc is very sublime: the music is intense and communicates the text in an often moving way, but it never overwhelms the listener, being calm and gentle as it is powerful. This is not a disc to listen to for entertainment, nor for the sake of artistic appreciation. It is rather a pure meditation - the sort of thing to listen to if you contemplate the sacred in music or wish to pray in the surroundings of your own home with music to enhance your worship and guide you.This is entirely due to the gentle reverence imparted throughout by the performers. Red Byrd provide the soloists: Suzie Le Blanc is a compelling Mother of God with her pure and unsullied voice; John Potter makes a wonderfully calm Evangelist; Richard Wistreich carries the role of Christ and secondary narrator with dignity. Cappella Amsterdam supply the richly textured but musically simple choruses (particularly evocative of Tavener); completing the line-up are six instrumentalists who accompany with appropriate gentleness and dark-hued sonorities.Certainly not one for those who prefer Mahler symphonies or Mozart masses for an evening's listening (in which case, this will seem dull, boring and even unbearable). If you can prepare yourself to listen to it all the way through at once, however, you will perhaps feel spiritually replete - as never before - at the end."