Christmas with the BBC Singers Dec 13

[jean]

No, wait - don't turn off yet!

I have just been sent this by someone I've sung with:

I thought you would be interested to know that I and several other blind and partially sighted singers have had the opportunity to take part in a project with members of the BBC Singers. A piece was written specially for us by Melanie Pappenheim. The piece is Greasy Joan, a setting of a poem by Shakespeare. This evening the BBC Singers' Christmas concert will take place at Milton Court London and we will be performing our piece in the foyer just before their main concert. The concert will be broadcast live on Radio 3 and Greasy Joan will be broadcast during the concert interval at around 8.20.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084vwp3

[vinteuil]

.
... sorry, don't think this will stop me turning off

[ardcarp]

Thanks Jean, I'll listen out for that. I've mentioned this elsewhere, but the show starts off with the demanding but IMHO superb choral variations A Boy Was Born by Britten. Look forward also to Finchley Chioldren singing A Ceremony of Carols...done last night also by The Temple choristers.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks jean.

Milton Court is located at the Barbican Centre, for those interested.

[Stanley Stewart]

Thanks, jean. Count me in!

[ardcarp]

Milton Court is located at the Barbican Centre

...and is part of an annexe to the Guildhall School of Music incorporating state-of-the-art drama studios inter alia. The acoustics are 'infinitely adjustable' so I hope they have them on a good setting for choral music tonight. My last visit there was for a piano recital, and you could hear everything with astonishing clarity. I gather the whole thing was funded by building upwards and getting (literally) sky high rents/prices from the upper storeys.

[ardcarp]

Just heard the opening announcement, and Oh Dear. The BBCS are joining with the Finchley Children's group to do the 4-part arrangement of Ceremony. Ben would not like to be hearing what I am hearing as I write............

Just joined vinteuil with the off switch. The BBCS rutting was just too much.

[DracoM]

Turned off. Sounded like WI meets Britten. After the Temple last night, this was clumsy and awful.

[ardcarp]

Can anyone who stuck it to the end explain what happened to the listed programme? I've been luxuriating in a CD of Byrd consort music, but dipping into R3 in the hope of hearing A Boy was Born. At my last dip (2130) the concert was over. Did I miss it? Or did they bin it?

PS For anyone who'd like to hear this extraordinary piece there are two versions available from Hyperion. One is with The Holst Singers (Layton) and St Pau's choristers, the other from Matthew Best's singers with Westminster Cathedral choristers.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

.
... sorry, don't think this will stop me turning off

If it were any other choir. . .

[jean]

Well, I hope some of you did manage to tune in for the interval item.

That was why I started this thread, rather than in the hope of collecting some more disparaging comments.

[Gabriel Jackson]

Can anyone who stuck it to the end explain what happened to the listed programme? I've been luxuriating in a CD of Byrd consort music, but dipping into R3 in the hope of hearing A Boy was Born. At my last dip (2130) the concert was over. Did I miss it? Or did they bin it?

Neither. It wasn't on the programme http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/exzxj5#b084vwp3

[Pulcinella]

Neither. It wasn't on the programme http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/exzxj5#b084vwp3

Well it was and still is, according to the schedule:

Christmas with the BBC Singers
Live from Milton Court, London
Presented by Fiona Talkington

Britten: A Boy was Born
A Ceremony of Carols, Op 28
A Hymn to the Virgin

Rutter: Angels' Carol
Chilcott: My Perfect Stranger
Howard: Romance Of The Epiphany
Britten: A New Year Carol
Chilcott: On Christmas Night
James Lord Pierpont: Jingle Bells arr. Chilcott

Tanya Houghton, harp
Richard Pearce, piano
Finchley Childrens Music Group
BBC Singers
Bob Chilcott, conductor

[Gabriel Jackson]

Well it was and still is, according to the schedule:

Christmas with the BBC Singers
Live from Milton Court, London
Presented by Fiona Talkington

Britten: A Boy was Born
A Ceremony of Carols, Op 28
A Hymn to the Virgin

Rutter: Angels' Carol
Chilcott: My Perfect Stranger
Howard: Romance Of The Epiphany
Britten: A New Year Carol
Chilcott: On Christmas Night
James Lord Pierpont: Jingle Bells arr. Chilcott

Tanya Houghton, harp
Richard Pearce, piano
Finchley Childrens Music Group
BBC Singers
Bob Chilcott, conductor

That's a mistake, isn't it?

[DracoM]

Well, if it's a mistake, it's a pretty damned big one! Bit like the concert itself.