Fanfare

British composer Simon Mold (b. 1957) has a history as both a treble soloist and a chorister in the Peterborough and Leicester Cathedral Choirs. Most of his compositions are vocal or choral. Passiontide is a Lenten cantata, described in a subtitle as “scenes from the Gospels’ account of the Passion of Christ, with reflective meditations.” The music is steeped in the British choral and vocal tradition as it was before Benjamin Britten. The style recalls Finzi, Holst, and even Stainer. Any given 15 minutes are attractive, but my attention began to wander after that because of the lack of variety in mood and color.

Looking back to Bach, there is undeniable potential for great drama in the events covered by Passiontide, which include the Last Supper, the trial before Pontius Pilate, and Jesus’s Crucifixion and death. In different eras, composers have found ways to communicate the drama effectively. I waited for such moments to occur here, but they never did. Mold’s music is pleasant, at times soothing, but rarely gripping.

There are five choral hymns in Passiontide, which are beautifully sung by the nine-voice Knighton Consort. The four soloists, three of them men, are variable. Baritone Stephen Cooper as Jesus sounds leathery at times, and the same is true of tenor Philip Leech. Helen Bailey, who sings the role of Mary but also serves as a soprano soloist with choir in The Reproaches and the Voice of the Cross, offers a gleaming and well-produced voice. Jeremy Leaman’s dark bass-baritone is well cast as Pilate.

The recorded sound is basically fine, except that occasionally Leech’s lighter singing is covered. The booklet contains a helpful program note by Christopher Barton.

—Henry Fogel