Choral Vespers Leeds Cathedral Wed, 26th Nov 2014

[DracoM]

Choral Vespers Leeds Cathedral



Order of Service:



Organ Prelude: Celui qui a des oreilles, qu'il écoute from Cinq méditations sur l'Apocalypse (Langlais)

Introit: Laetatus sum (Scarlatti)
Hymn: Caeli Deus sanctissime (Gregorian)
Psalms: 62, 67 (Saunders)
Canticle: Colossians 1.12-20 (Roberts; Bevenot)
Reading: Philippians 2.1-11
Magnificat primi toni (John Duggan) (first broadcast)
Homily: Fr Philip Moger
Anthem: Insanae et vanae curae (Haydn)
Marian antiphon: Salve regina (Gregorian)


Organ Voluntary: Visions prophétiques from Cinq méditations sur l'Apocalypse (Langlais)



Organist: Daniel Justin
Director of Music: Benjamin Saunders

[ardcarp]

There won't be a repeat of this one because of Advent from St John's on Sunday. It would be good if, in view of this, the BBC could extend their i-player coverage of Leeds.

[jean]

I love that Haydn. I hope they sound furious and excited. And sweetly calm where appropriate.

[Old Grumpy]

There won't be a repeat of this one because of Advent from St John's on Sunday. It would be good if, in view of this, the BBC could extend their i-player coverage of Leeds.

I think i-player content is now available for 30 days anyway, isn't it?

OG

[DracoM]

Reminder: today 3.30 p.m.

[jean]

If the announcer was going to use the classical pronunciation for insanae and vanae, why didn't she use it for curae as well?

[Finzi4ever]

If the announcer was going to use the classical pronunciation for insanae and vanae, why didn't she use it for curae as well?

... rather felt like it came as a bit of a surprise to her; better French though.

[DracoM]

Katie Derham was the presenter.

Musically undemanding of the forces on view, but sung with some gusto and confidence - the trebles more forthright than some somewhat reticent men.

Choral Vespers on R3 has very often been a tricky mix of Latin and vernacular, and have to say, I'm not quite sure why it should be so formulated. Matter of choice by the clergy? Probably doesn't matter all that much, but having English words sing to chants one has come to associate over years with Latin can be a tad disconcerting, tho' of course, it does mean that a congregation can join in more readily. I'm afraid that for me that service did nothing to discourage the suspicion that the Catholic Church embraces musical banality.

What we heard was comfortingly cosy. Catholic Churches have by no means cornered the market in that, of course, but somehow one expects more from a profession that has such a magnificent tradition. The waves of liturgical revolution in the RC Church tend to invite analogies of babies and bathwater, I fear. Sorry, but it wasn't until the final Langlais piece that I felt any quickening of the musical pulse at all. Why no MacMillan, for example?

All that said, of course, and I fully acknowledge this, the music is NOT the main focus of any service. It is the religious significance it holds for the attending and listening congregations

[mw963]

I only came in half way through (in the car) but my immediate reaction was "Girls Choir". I see in fact that it was boys and girls, but to me they sounded VERY like a girls choir.

Must catch up on iplayer, but I got the impression that some tiredness was creeping in in parts of the Haydn. I found the key change soon after the Haydn somewhat distressing. But I DID enjoy what I heard of the singing.

But - unlike DracoM - I thought the Langlais was simply ghastly (although undoubtedly well played). Another disappointing (for me) end to a Choral Evensong, when the one organ slot of the week is ruined by an utterly ugly piece.

I know, I know, strong words. But we get so little organ it's a shame it so often has to be so esoteric, and appealing only to the true cognoscenti.....

[ardcarp]

...but fear not, mw963, Bach's Chorale Prelude on Wachet Auf was broadcast to millions in a recent episode of Hollyoaks . No, I haven't lost ,my marbles. It was used as (admittedly very faint) background music to an 'outside the church' scene.
Before I lose all street-cred on this Forum, I have to stress it was one of my g-kids who was watching at the time, and piped up, "They're playing one of your tunes [sic] Grandad!"

Anyway, we only have to wait until next Sunday to hear it full frontal from St John's.

Returning to Leeds, they certainly sang with commitment. CE is occasionally criticised (not by me) for being 'a concert'. This was emphatically not, and we eavesdropped on Choral Vespers as they always do it. I sympathise with this observation:

I found the key change soon after the Haydn somewhat distressing.

...but it is quite common, even at such elevated places as Westminster Cathedral, for a note to be plucked from thin air by a priest; and in general weird key juxtapositions don't seem to worry the RCs as much as Anglicans who like to plan, for instance, Responses and Psalm Chants in related keys.

As far as musical content is concerned, the fauxbourdon setting of the Mag was innovative, also the antiphon to the Canticle..

As for the organ Finale, well, Langlais was a devout Catholic, and that piece had a rhetoric, maybe not a comfortable one to some people's ears, but one designed to confirm the faith via a large musical instrument in a big acoustic. We got that.

And what a marvel of brevity was the Homily.

[Magnificat]

Another disappointing (for me) end to a Choral Evensong, when the one organ slot of the week is ruined by an utterly ugly piece.

I know, I know, strong words. But we get so little organ it's a shame it so often has to be so esoteric, and appealing only to the true cognoscenti.....

mw963,

I agree with your sentiments about ugly organ pieces.

There is nothing worse, for example, than a lovely meditative service being followed by a loud and completely inappropriate voluntary.

I've heard it so many times.

You would think that what is an appropriate choice of music would be obvious to any DoM but for some reason cathedral organists seem to totally lose the plot on occasion.

The same applies to Choral Vespers surely.

VCC.

[ardcarp]

Didn't you enjoy the Langlais at the beginning of the service? Quite a nice way to begin a broadcast, especially as it is entitled (in English) He who has ears, let him hear'.

For organ buffs, here's the beast at Leeds:

http://www.dioceseofleedsmusic.org.uk/organs/leeds_cathedral.php

[mw963]

I will try and download the broadcast, I would admit (in polite company) to some bits of Langlais being less awful than others, and I entirely understand that what to me is an incomprehensible cacophony is not only written with complete sincerity and expertise but also hugely enjoyable to those listeners who have managed to progress further into modern(ish) music than I have.

Goodness though, I'm sounding like Sybil Fawlty with her description of Brahms as a racket. Actually his symphonic works also aren't my favourites, but for entirely different reasons.

[jean]

Choral Vespers on R3 has very often been a tricky mix of Latin and vernacular...

Why tricky?

having English words sing to chants one has come to associate over years with Latin can be a tad disconcerting...

The Anglicans Englished the 'O' Antiphons a long time ago - you will hear them again this Sunday

...the suspicion that the Catholic Church embraces musical banality.

Reminds me I have a PM of yours I meant to reply to.

[ardcarp]

what to me is an incomprehensible cacophony is not only written with complete sincerity......

I'd just like to mention a most memorable 'event' at Exeter Cathedral a few years ago. Andrew Millington (the titulaire) was keen to play Messiaen's La Nativite du Seigneur in a recital setting, but felt that all 9 movements played on the trot might be a bit much for the audience. (We are Devon Dumplings after all.) So he engaged some singers (me included) to perform appropriate motets between each movement. These (speaking from memory) ranged from Palestrina to Poulenc and were related to the titles of La Nativite. It all worked extremely well, the more familiar harmonic language of he choral music allowing the ears of the listener to relax and, I believe, accept Messiaen's more challenging yet highly colourful musical palette.