Commotio (Oxford-based choir)
Founded in 1999, the Oxford-based choir Commotio performs contemporary choral music primarily from the 20th and 21st centuries showcasing works by younger or lesser-known composers. The name Commotio derives from the Latin for movement/excitement.
History[edit]
Commotio was formed in August 1999 to promote neglected contemporary choral repertoire. Performances have included the second UK performance of Alfred Schnittke’s mighty Requiem and other rarely heard works including Paul Hindemith’s Mass and Kenneth Leighton’s Mass for Double Choir, and the world premiere of Pierre Villette’s Inviolata. Commotio also promotes and performs the works of a younger generation of composers including, most recently, Richard Allain, Jake Runestad, David Bednall, and Thomas Hyde.
Their début CD of South African choral music was released in February 2006, followed by a CD for choir and cello in February 2008. A track from the latter disc, Richard Allain’s Ubi caritas, was chosen to feature on the Classic FM core playlist and appears in the compilation CD Smooth Classics – the Ultimate Collection. The choir recorded a disc of the music of James Whitbourn which was released on the Naxos label (8.572103) in February 2010. Their second Naxos CD, In the Heart of Things (8.572739), the choral works of Francis Pott, was released on the Naxos label in February 2012. In August 2013 Commotio featured as a gala choir at the Association of British Choral Directors’ Convention. Recent commissions include works by John Duggan, Richard Allain, Edward Cowie, and Francis Pott. In November 2013, the choir’s fifth CD The Rose in the Middle of Winter – Carols by Bob Chilcott was released in 2013.
Commotio’s latest recording, featuring jazz-inspired choral works by Bob Chilcott, was released in September 2017. On 4 December 2016, Commotio performed at the Parkinson’s UK Oxford Branch’s Christmas Concert and premiered, with Tom Poster and Clemmie Franks, a new carol by Bob Chilcott, The Angel Did Fly.
Matthew Berry, the conductor and joint-founder of the choir, studied music at University College, Oxford, where he was Organ Scholar and then Assistant Organist. He has studied organ under David Sanger, David Goode and Ian Curror. After conducting The Oxford Chamber Choir for two years as a student, he founded Commotio in 1999. Having finished his degree, he studied post-graduate choral direction with Patrick Russill for two years at the Royal Academy of Music in London. His expertise lies in the research and promotion of little-known contemporary choral repertoire, principally from Scandinavia, South Africa, the United States and Slovenia. In 17 years working with Commotio he has initiated many UK and World Premieres.
In February 2013, the Governing Body of the Royal Academy of Music elected Matthew as Associate of Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), an award to ‘former students who have made a significant contribution to the music profession’.
Performances[edit]
World premières[edit]
| Composer | Work |
|---|---|
| Richard Allain | In the Bleak Midwinter |
| Night * | |
| There is no Rose | |
| Bob Chilcott | In a Golden World |
| The Angel did Fly | |
| Ambrož Čopi[1] | Ave Maria * |
| Edward Cowie | Autumn (from Four Seasons) * |
| Winter (from Four Seasons)* | |
| John Duggan | As Kingfishers catch fire |
| As the rain* | |
| Break, Phant'sie, from thy cave of cloud | |
| De Brassica Est | |
| Futility * | |
| In memoriam (Easter 1915)* | |
| The singing will never be done * | |
| Anthem for doomed youth * | |
| Martin Eastwood | Ave Maria |
| See, the word is incarnate | |
| Henry Howard | Song for Lydia |
| Thomas Hyde[2] | As a lily among thorns * |
| O nata lux | |
| Sweet was the song | |
| Peter Klatzow | Two Songs from the /Xam |
| Stephen Montague | Poor Baby Jesus* |
| Francis Pott | As Joseph was a-walking |
| Balulalow | |
| Lament | |
| Mary's Carol | |
| Mass for 8 voices* | |
| There is no Rose | |
| Pierre Villette | Inviolata |
| James Whitbourn | ADA |
| He carried me away with the spirit * | |
| Mihyun Woo | Voices of a Landscape * |
Written for the choir *
European premières[edit]
| Composer | Work |
|---|---|
| Bob Chilcott | Ophelia, Caliban and Miranda |
| Jaakko Mäntyjärvi | O magnum mysterium |
| James Whitbourn | Luminosity |
UK premières[edit]
| Composer | Work |
|---|---|
| Ambrož Čopi | O lux beáta Caélitum |
| Exaudi Domine | |
| Omnes gentes, plaudite manibus | |
| Frank Ferko | Lord, let at last Thine angels come |
| Jon Mostad[3] | The Lord is my shepherd |
| Sing to the Lord | |
| Fredrik Sixten | Mariahymn |
| Tantum ergo | |
| Rudi Tas[4] | Miserere |
Other significant performances[edit]
| Composer | Work |
|---|---|
| Richard Allain | Cradle Song |
| Charles Ives | Psalm 90 |
| Peter Dickinson | Tiananmen 1989 |
| The Dry Heart | |
| Paul Hindemith | Mass |
| Peter Klatzow | Prayers and Dances of Praise from Africa |
| James Macmillan | Seven Last Words from the Cross |
| Knut Nystedt | Stabat Mater |
| Alfred Schnittke | Requiem |
Commercial recordings[edit]
| Published | Title | Label | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Towards the Light – Choral Works of Peter Klatzow | Herald | HAVPCD 316 |
| 2008 | Night – Music for Choir and Cello | Herald | HAVPCD 340 |
| 2010 | James Whitbourn – Luminosity | Naxos | 8.572103 |
| 2012 | In the Heart of Things – Choral Music of Francis Pott | Naxos | 8.572739 |
| 2013 | The Rose in the Middle of Winter – Bob Chilcott | Naxos | 8.573159 |
| 2017 | All Good Things - Bob Chilcott | Naxos | 8.573383 |
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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