In his autobiographical note for the CD booklet, South African John Joubert relates the history of his ancestors who had settled at the Cape since the 17th and 18th centuries respectively with his father coming from France whilst his mother was Dutch. Joubert relates his influence by the British way of life obviously as being born in 1927, everything was still very much under that country's yoke although the 1931 Statute of Westminster changed all that.
Joubert found musical encouragement from his mother who was also a professional pianist and this enabled him to win a scholarship in 1946 to study composition in England. After marriage in 1951, he devoted a substantial amount of his time to teaching although composition remained his prime interest.
The choral pieces on this disc are all modelled on the best English tradition but the spiritual aspect of the texts is always crafted with the utmost seriousness. The performances by the Louis Halsey Singers are fresh and consistent with the singing of consistently high quality. This is a fine disc for those who wish to discover more from this composer which also includes detailed annotations and excellent sound.
Copyright © 2010, Gerald Fenech