There is no doubt that Keith Tippett left behind a huge musical legacy when he died last year, having released his first album in 1970 and continuing to experiment throughout his life, often in the company of his wife Julie (nee Driscoll). This posthumous release captures the first and only performance of “The Monk Watches the Eagle”, a cantata for two saxophone quartets, the BBC Singers, and Julie, recorded in Norwich Cathedral. The vocal soloists are detailed in the digipak, which also provides the libretto, written by Julie, which relates to the last thoughts and reflections of a monk during his final hours before passing over from his present incarnation.

My maternal grandfather was the founder and conductor of Brixham Orpheus Male Voice Choir, while my mother was a trained soprano, so growing up I listened to a great deal of choral music, and it is something I appreciate to this day. While Tippett will always be associated with experimental music, here he has kept that somewhat under restraint, so although the music being performed is indeed different to what would normally be heard in a cathedral, it also does not always seem out of place. OK, so possibly the saxophone rampage at the beginning of section 5 (the CD has been broken into 7 sections) is a little out of the ordinary, and the time signature and melody may seem difficult for the BBC Singers to get their heads around, but they do a tremendous job of it. There are also times when they drop into styles which can be best described as classic Art Zoyd, yet it works.

It can seem a little wordy at times, but for the most part this is an incredible performance of a wonderful piece of music. The experimental jazz combines with the choral tradition into something which is quite remarkable, and immensely enjoyable. This is an album which needs playing all the way through, with close attention, to get the best from it, but the result is definitely worth the effort.

Rating: 9/10

Links:
https://discus-music.co.uk/