The Sixteen - Live in Concert

[ardcarp]

Tonight! Lovely mixed programme of English choral music from 16th cent to present day. Especially looking forward to Tippett's Dance Clarion Air which I haven't heard/sung for a long time.

Live from the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Harry Christophers conducts The Sixteen in English choral music

Harris: Faire is the heaven
Weelkes: When David heard
Rubbra: There is a spirit
James MacMillan: The Gallant Weaver
Harris: Bring us, O Lord God
Ramsey: When David heard
Howells: Take him, earth, for cherishing
Britten: Hymn to St. Cecilia
Tomkins: When David heard
Rubbra: Eternitie
Pearsall: Lay a garland
Tippett: Dance, clarion air
East: When David heard
Ivor Gurney: Since I believe in God the Father Almighty

[DracoM]

Gosh, I wish they'd stop the sporadic clapping in between every piece.

[antongould]

Looking forward to this on iplayer ......mayhem hereabouts at present

[DracoM]

Do: balm to the hurt mind, mate!

[EdgeleyRob]

Do: balm to the hurt mind, mate!

I wish I'd made the effort to be there,listening on the wireless cured my Sunday night depression.
Bonus Prokofiev Cello Sonata playing now.

[jean]

Gosh, I wish they'd stop the sporadic clapping in between every piece.

I was there and it wasn't me, honestly!

I had the impression that Harry Christophers welcomed it, until I saw the bit in the programme which asked people only to clap after the grouped pieces. But then again, they were very odd groups. And I didn't find the applause as intrusive as I would have if the pieces had been more closely related.

A marvellous programme, though. My three favourite pieces of post-Baroque choral music. The Pearsall alone would have got me to Manchester in person.

[ardcarp]

As it happened, I had a rare Sunday evening off; so what a great way to spend it listening without interruption to this amazing group, able to tackle music of all sorts with such musicality (I do agree that on the radio, the applause would have been better after every few items...but a minor problem.) The Ivor Gurney was a discovery for me as were the Ramsay and East settings of When David Heard. The acoustics sounded kind to them. How was it in the flesh, Jean? So often small groups are more at home in church/cathedral rather than concert-hall. I actually had moist eyes after Take Him Earth. A beautiful performance.

On a personal note, I had the privilege of singing Dance Clarion Air in the presence of Tippett, c 1966.

[mercia]

did Gurney write much choral ?

[ardcarp]

...not as far as I know; it's only the songs (and his poetry) he is generally known for, some very short but very beautiful. I can never hear Is my Team Still Ploughing without a tear welling up. I wonder if Pabmusic is out there? He's very knowledgeable about this period.

[jean]

...The acoustics sounded kind to them. How was it in the flesh, Jean? So often small groups are more at home in church/cathedral rather than concert-hall.

I find there is a kind of edge to the top of the sound with choral singing in the Bridgewater, almost a distortion, that I don't care for - but other people don't complain of it, so maybe it's just my ears. It's hard to make something like Faire is the heaven sound ethereal enough in a concert hall, and I don't think they succeeded in that. I don't ever go to the Bridgewater for orchestral concerts (that would be too disloyal!) so I've no idea what it's like for orchestral sound.

I was less familiar with the Ramsay and East settings of When David Heard than the Weelkes and Tomkins, but I had heard them all as part of a marvellous programme Gallicantus made around the death of Prince Henry a couple of years ago. The programme here made light of the Prince Henry connexion. The Tomkins still wins, I think.

The Rubbra was the discovery for me.

But the applause...if a conductor really wants to discourage it, he has to be firm, and not give in and acknowledge it as soon as it happens, which is what Christophers did. But the grouping of the pieces was odd - in the second half, we were supposed to wait until after the Britten, the Tomkins and the Rubbra, then applaud, but we only had to wait until after the Pearsall before we were allowed to applaud again.

I will say that the audience were most scrupulous in waiting for Christophers to lower his arms before they started, though.

.

[mercia]

the applause did give the radio announcer time to tell us what was coming up next - I expect there are still listeners out there who don't have access to a computer

[ardcarp]

The Tomkins still wins, I think.

Yes, every time.

It's hard to make something like Faire is the heaven sound ethereal enough in a concert hall

Following our chat on another thread, I couldn't possibly comment.

[BBMmk2]

Great variety as usual, from possibly my favourite choir. I have seen them four times, in past five years.

[jean]

Following our chat on another thread...

As yet incomplete?

[Pulcinella]

I find there is a kind of edge to the top of the sound with choral singing in the Bridgewater, almost a distortion, that I don't care for - but other people don't complain of it, so maybe it's just my ears. It's hard to make something like Faire is the heaven sound ethereal enough in a concert hall, and I don't think they succeeded in that. I don't ever go to the Bridgewater for orchestral concerts (that would be too disloyal!) so I've no idea what it's like for orchestral sound.
.

I don't think just your ears, Jean.
I'm afraid I switched off during the third item, though I was particularly interested in hearing the Rubbra pieces, as I found the general sound over the radio harsh in the way you describe; also, to my ears, it sounded as though a top voice from the dreaded BBC Singers had infiltrated, and was producing a very dominating unbalanced effect. Perhaps the groups have some personnel in common?

My loss, though, to judge from some of the other comments, and the Howells is indeed a gem that can occasionally reduce me to tears.