This is a collaboration between composer David W Solomons and tenor cum one-man choir Matthew Curtis (aka "choraltracks") esrtwhile member of the group Chanticleer. The first two tracks are Evensong Canticles (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis) for six part choir (men's voice and mixed voice versions) based on melodies from Solomons' setting of a chapter from Winnie the Pooh. (The original "Poohratorio" with A A Milne's words is due for publication in 2031 when Milne comes into the public domain). The composition follows the old tradition of setting church music to popular songs, although the system is reversed here since the original Poohratorio will - potentially - become known somewhat later! The Ohrwurmgesang (and the English translation by the composer - The Earwig Song) is based on a section from Wilhelm Busch's comic poem "Balduin Bählamm, der verhinderte Dichter" (Baldwin Baahlamb, the thwarted poet). The poet seeks inspiration from nature but nature thwarts him in the form of an earwig, which crawls innocently into his ear and distracts him somewhat, and a bird which sings so sweetly but makes a mess of his creative work. The Ballad of Green Broom (provided in versions for mixed choir and for men's voices) is an arrangement of the well-known folksong about a boy who goes out to do his appointed job - cutting broom - and comes across a lady "in bloom" who offers her hand in marriage. "There is none is so good as the lad who sells broom" - as a fellow singer who also sang this with me years ago remarked "Good at what? I wonder...." Les Cloches (with English translation version by David W Solomons) takes the piano part of the original Debussy song and makes it into a choral accompaniment for the tenor solo. This showcases Matthew's talents to the full both as choral singer and as tenor soloist. Psalm 70 is a contrasting setting of the words of the Psalm (in English) in which the intensity of some of the verses in slow triple time is set off by a joyful and quick seven-time for the central section and for the lesser doxology. The Keeper is a well-known English folk song. We are grateful - on behalf of the deer - that the keeper never manages to hit any of them! The version are for women's choir, mixed choir and men's choir. In his versatility Matthew succeeds in all versions! Wine and Water is a setting - complete with whooshes and splashes - of G K Chesterton's satirical poem which highlights Noah's predilection for wine and muses over the use of wine - or rather water! - in Christian life. Zwischen Berg und tiefem tiefem Tal is a German folk song (or nursery rhyme) about another hunter who fails to catch his quarry - in this case they are two hares which he shoots at, but fails to kill, and which then hop off. Perhaps the hunter here should join forces with the keeper above ... "Ding Dong Merrily on high" is a re-imagining of the old Christmas Carol (originally arranged by Charles Wood). In this arrangement more play is given to the bells and the syncopation allows for greater fun and flexibility. Modal Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Benedictus, Agnus Dei) was originally written for men's voices for the Oxford group Liedertafel. This is the higher version for mixed voices. The modes are mixolydian, dorian, lydian, aeolian and various jazzy modes. The Bell-Ringing is an old West-Country folk song, made popular in the 60s by the Yetties. It concerns a competition between the bell ringers (campanologists) of the various churches in the area of Northlew in Devon. In this version the choir takes turns singing the song and singing various bell-peals (similar to the arrangement of Les Cloches but more light-hearted). Litany to the Holy Spirit is a setting of the whole of Robert Herrick's poem by that name (as opposed to other well-known settings which only use a few verses). The whole poem deserves to be set in its entirety since the full story can be told and Herrick's feelings come out all the more. This performance by Matthew is very moving. Hiawatha and his mittens is a quasi canon in a nonatonic mode which I have provisonally called the Hiawatha scale! The poem is a parody by Rev George Stong of the Longfellow poem on Hiawatha and indicates the best way to make mittens for maximum warmth. Watch for the hypnotic effects of the nonatonic harmony when the words go "inside outside inside outside...." Green grow the rushes oh is an arrangement of a well know folk song with religious overtones. Although it is fun, the composer decided that a cut would be worth making to avoid tiring the audience (Let's not make them listen to the lot!) Heaven's Dance is based on a poem by Audrey Vaughan, a Catholic poet based in Macclesfield. She is imagining angels dancing and telling of their heavenly experiences. Matthew's performance here is particularly effective especially at the point where the piano stops and the choir goes into dreamy harmonies. The message of Christmas was written during the composer's evangelical period back in 1975. It is very different from the other compositions on this CD, being somewhat gospel-like in tone, and it is great youthful fun. Two versions are provided here - one with high voices and one with both high and low voices. We hope you enjoy this collection of music so expertly performed by Matthew Curtis. To some extent it summarises David Solomons' choral output in terms of its wide variety of styles, although there is, of course, much more to come.