CE St Martin-in-the-Fields, London [L] 8.5.24 @ 3 p.m.

[DracoM]

CE St Martin-in-the-Fields, London [L]
The Eve of the Ascension

Order of Service:

Introit: Lift up your heads, O ye gates (Mathias)
Responses: Esther Bersweden
Psalms 15, 24 (Greenhow, Barnby)
First Lesson: 2 Samuel 23 vv.1-5
Canticles: Evening Service (Lucy Walker) (world premiere)
Second Lesson: Colossians 2 v.20 – 3 v.4
Anthem: King of glory (Howells)

Voluntary: Paean (Howells)
St Martin's Voices
Polina Sosnina (Associate Organist)
Andrew Earis (Director of Music)

[DracoM]

Today @ 3 p.m.

[Cashew]

On first hearing, I appreciated Lucy Walker's canticles. The anthem was far from the best of Howells though... and I do like Howells' music. Indeed, the voluntary is great and I enjoyed the energy of the playing.

[Magister Chori]

Indeed, the voluntary is great and I enjoyed the energy of the playing.

Also played quite close to HH's printed - and always neglected for this particular piece - tempi.

[oddoneout]

The Sunday repeat is being shown on the schedule as Live, with no mention of having already been broadcast - someone at the Beeb just cut and pasted Wednesday's info?

[DracoM]

Yes, I noticed that and was puzzled too!

[DracoM]

Concert not a service.

[Vox Humana]

I thought it was all very professionally delivered. The team certainly earned their money. Did I enjoy it? Yes and no. The performances were all musical and I found them mostly satisfying. I was very taken with Lucy Walker's canticles, which seemed to me to occupy a soundscape somewhere between Howells and Dyson in F - and were none the worse for that. I would love to hear them again, preferably sung by a larger choir. And therein lies my problem. The St Martin's Voices sounded like quite a small group - I'm guessing an octet, surely not much bigger? There's nothing wrong with this at all, but that it's a very different listening experience to that of a full cathedral choir. I don't think one can expect to listen in the same way. I much prefer the full charabanc, but that's my problem. I do think, though, that the Howells suffered. Personally, I think it's a very good piece, but it was written for a full choir and surely needs one for its full effect. Here's NCO singing it and I think it comes off more satisfyingly, even with an organ less than ideal for the Romantic repertoire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHiqTQ5BrYQ

[subcontrabass]

The St Martin's Voices sounded like quite a small group - I'm guessing an octet, surely not much bigger? There's nothing wrong with this at all, but that it's a very different listening experience to that of a full cathedral choir. I don't think one can expect to listen in the same way. I much prefer the full charabanc, but that's my problem.

Photographs on their webpage show 8-10 singers: https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.o...artins-voices/

[Vox Humana]

Photographs on their webpage show 8-10 singers: https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.o...artins-voices/

Yes, I noticed that. Is there any word on the ground as to how many took part in the broadcast?

There are other London churches that employ an octet of singers, aren't there?

[Caussade]

[QUOTE=Vox Humana;n1307579]
Yes, I noticed that. Is there any word on the ground as to how many took part in the broadcast?

There are other London churches that employ an octet of singers, aren't there?

Yes. St Paul's Knightsbridge and Bart's (although they may augment that for broadcasts). Quite a few have a quintet or quartet only. St Bride's, All Saints Margaret St and the Oratory are pretty unusual in having (generally) a fully professional choir in double figures; there are some larger ensembles but they run on different models, maybe with choral scholars in the mix.