CE Guild Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon April 23rd 2014

[DracoM]

CE Guild Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon
450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare



Order of Service:



Introit: Haec dies (Byrd)
Responses: Smith
Psalm: 114 (Tonus peregrinus)
Office Hymn: Love’s redeeming work is done (Savannah)
First Lesson: Song of Solomon 3
Canticles: Second Service (Gibbons)
Second Lesson: Matthew 28: 16-end
Anthems: Hear the voice of the Bard (Pete M. Wyer); Since by man came death; Then shall be brought to pass; O death, where is thy sting?, But thanks be to God (Handel)
Hymn: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem (St Fulbert)



Orchestral Voluntary: A tempo ordinario, e staccato & Allegro from the Organ Concerto in B flat, Op. 4 No. 2, HWV 290 (Handel)


With Orchestra of the Swan (Artistic Director: David Curtis)
Orchestra of the Swan Chamber Choir (Director: John Liggins)

[DracoM]

Puzzled: Shakespeare now a canonised saint to have a CE dedicated to him? Hmm. Am I being picky?
And this is in pretty well all respects a concert with bits of religion stuck on: FIVE anthems + orchestral vol. Hmm.

Not pleased.

[Gabriel Jackson]

Puzzled: Shakespeare now a canonised saint to have a CE dedicated to him? Hmm. Am I being picky?
And this is in pretty well all respects a concert with bits of religion stuck on: FIVE anthems + orchestral vol. Hmm.

Not pleased.

Including a setting of (presumably) Blake's "Hear the voice of the Bard" seems more like a feeble pun than any serious attempt to commemorate Shakespeare.

[Contre Bombarde]

Puzzled: Shakespeare now a canonised saint to have a CE dedicated to him? Hmm. Am I being picky?
And this is in pretty well all respects a concert with bits of religion stuck on: FIVE anthems + orchestral vol. Hmm.

Not pleased.

Well, don't listen to it then. I sure that no-one will miss your critique too much for just one week.

The service schedule looks completely standard to me with the exception that there is an anthem presumably about England's greatest poet and playwright on the anniversary of his birth (and death) days plus some seasonally appropriate excerpts from Messiah.

This glorious building, which I know well from my younger days, was used by Shakespeare when he attended the adjacent grammar school and is therefore completely appropriate to the occasion.

The orchestral accompaniment and voluntary is unavoidable because the chapel is in the throes of having a new organ installed. The old and unremarkable instrument with much extension work has been removed and some very careful building and restoration work is in progress on the Grade 1 listed tower before the new organ, by Geoffrey Coffin, can be put in place.

My parents live near Stratford and are members of the Friends of the Guild Chapel - http://www.stratfordguildchapel-friends.org.uk/ the website of which is linked for anyone wishing to learn about the chapel. They tell me that the orchestra is a top-notch professional outfit and that John Liggins is a former lay clerk at Coventry Cathedral with much subsequent experience.

Tomorrow morning's BBC R4 service comes from the same venue.

[DracoM]

Thanks for your courteous recommendation.

I know and admire the church, I love Shakespeare, I like quite a lot of the music, so a live concert in that venue to celebrate Shak - excellent idea of course, and I'm delighted it's offering gainful employment for top notch instrumentalists and singers. All that.

But, forgive me, this is Choral Evensong.

[light_calibre_baritone]

So is a Viennese orchestral mass inappropriate?

Is performing a Messiah excerpt with orchestra inappropriate?

Would a consort of viols be deemed crass for an Elizabethan work?

Would a selection of readings for Holy Week be a waste of time instead of a sermon?

Would a trumpet in RVW's 'Lord thou hast been...' be a step too far?

[Gabriel Jackson]

The service schedule looks completely standard to me with the exception that there is an anthem presumably about England's greatest poet and playwright on the anniversary of his birth (and death)

That poem is not about Shakespeare!

[gainasbass]

Re #4, I for one look forward to reading DracoM's "critique" after this transmission, and hope that he will oblige (as usual!).

Turning to the venue (The Guild Chapel), it is, indeed, a lovely building, its reputation also enhanced by its association with the adjoining Grammar School which Shakespeare is known to have attended. It is, therefore, most appropriate for it to be used to commemorate the Bard's birth (and death) anniversary. What I would like to know, however, is whether sufficient research was undertaken in order to establish that CE would not be affected by the incomplete works to the tower which in turn has delayed the installation of the new organ (necessitating the use of seating for the storage of pipes thereby potentially reducing congregational attendance).

As an alternative, the nearby (large) Parish Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity contains the Bard's tomb, and has many associations with the Shakespeare family - it is also the place of his Christening (?). I don't know whether the Church authorities were consulted on this CE; it has a choir which enjoys a high standard (and organists) more than capable of presenting a broadcast CE. Such forces would have satisfied the traditionalists, and a subsequent commemorative broadcast from the Chapel by the Swan musicians could have taken place on completion of the tower and organ work.

Having said all this, I am looking forward to next Wednesday's innovative broadcast and am reliably informed that we will not be disappointed by the result obtained by the Chamber Choir and Orchestra of the Swan.

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[DracoM]

Crumbs! Didn't anybody listen?

[Gabriel Jackson]

Crumbs! Didn't anybody listen?

Did you?

[mopsus]

I'm not one of those who can't stand instruments other than the organ at evensong. But accompanying the hymns with an orchestra just sounded wrong. Couldn't they have got in a chamber organ, in what sounded like quite a small and confined space? I'm quite happy hearing the Gibbons with strings (the broadcast a few years ago which used a brass ensemble was less happy), but it was taken very slowly, missing the 'funky Gibbons' effect in the Gloria of the Nunc.

[DracoM]

Agree, mopsus: Gibbons was a dirge, but instruments rather than organ made an interesting change.
Sorry, but if I never hear that derivative, long, and meandering anthem again, it'll be too soon.
Instrumentalists better than the singers. Felt sound balance favoured the instruments, BUT OTOH would it not have been a tight squeeze there for the number of people who would have had to be taking part, thus far from easy to get balance?