CE St John’s College, Cambridge 30th April 2014

[Gabriel Jackson]

AND apparently with harp and percussion.

That is what it's scored for

[Oldcrofter]

Just wait till we arrive at St Pancras on 14th May - six first performances of new works - there'll be severe apoplexy and harrumphing on this board !

[ardcarp]

....the irony board, you mean?

[lovechoralmusic]

I'm sure that God will be at the very centre of it all....

I don't understand what's wrong with using instruments for evensong. Is it a concert if the organ part is particularly difficult?? Or if the choir sing a loudly or in a virtuosic way?? Perhaps all CEs which are broadcast should be plainsong throughout then just to make sure that God is at the very centre of it all.

[lovechoralmusic]

It could be a good opportunity for John's to show that they can actually sing this kind of tricky stuff musically and not just shout through it..

[Vox Humana]

Well remembered, mopsus. In fact, all three movements of the Bernstein were offered by Gloucester (under Nethsingha) for CE on April 29, 2007. The first movement was the introit, the other two constituted the anthem (according to my records). Oddly enough, the canticles on that day were also Leighton's Second.

I remember that. I also happened to be at Evensong on the previous day when they did a "practice run", as it were, of the Bernstein. The performance then was even better than in the broadcast. Quite stunning.

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m

[Gabriel Jackson]

I think percussion/harp/organ reduction is a bit naff. Would rather do it with massive choir and orchestra in concert hall or not at all.

Is it a reduction or an alternative scoring? Its composer presumably didn't think a massive choir and orchestra in a concert hall was the only way to perform it!

[lovechoralmusic]

I think percussion/harp/organ reduction is a bit naff. Would rather do it with massive choir and orchestra in concert hall or not at all.

Is it 'naff' to sing many works of Stanford and Parry (to name but a couple) in chapel with just an organ rather than with the full orchestra then?? Considering the composer made the reduction himself because he wanted it to be less of a concert extravaganza and more as an aid to worship I do think your comment is rather blinkered. If you are someone who would prefer to sing with a massed choral society which will make no attempt at musical phrasing or subtlety then be my guest. Performed with such large forces, I see why critics often complain that the work is just too over-the-top and 'Disnifying' religious music. If you prefer that kind of effect then fine.. I'm looking forward to a more sensitive interpretation which will bring out its deeper religious qualities which, I see, are clearly lost on some.

[Oldcrofter]

Indeed, Ardcarp (msg 18) - lots of dashing away with the irony and probably not smoothing (or soothing) irony either

[mopsus]

*(&**&$%$(*!! I thought they had sorted these sorts of problems out. Let's hope the Sunday repeat and 'Listen Again' version is complete.

[mw963]

For those of us who are never going to like Leighton's music, the technical failure is rather a treat in fact....

I wouldn't mind if it lasted through the Bernstein too - we had to do the Chichester Psalms at school and I've always detested them ever since.

Sorry for my poor musical taste.

What is annoying is that a lot of these technical problems are due to using (as I understand it) digital signals down what are effectively phone lines. A great shame they didn't stick to the BT vision link/Sony PCM F1 system that rarely failed in the 1980s, or the satellite system that rarely failed in the early 1990s. They call it progress I believe....

[mw963]

Goodness, they're even more ghastly than I remember.....

[Lento]

[QUOTE=mw963;396952A great shame they didn't stick to the BT vision link/Sony PCM F1 system that rarely failed in the 1980s, or the satellite system that rarely failed in the early 1990s.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I'd been wondering about this for ages, and had assumed it was a satellite problem, in my ignorance! A pity they didn't manage to fit in another very quick apology at the end, plus a mention as to whether the full service would be broadcast without gremlins on Sunday.

[teamsaint]

I enjoyed the Chichester psalms. Couldn't really comment on the performance as it was on car radio on a spin down the M27, though the Alto soloist sounded good and the singing overall seemed to suit the work well.

Are the Canticles (which I think got lost in the technical hitch) by Kenneth Leighton? His second symphony is wonderful, IMO.Ought to hear more of his music.


EDIT: Reading DracoM's post below, the synching did indeed sound well off in the early stages...