CE: Chester Cathedral 13.11.24 @ 3 p.m. [L]

[DracoM]

CE: Chester Cathedral 13.11.24 @ 3 p.m. [L]
Live from Chester Cathedral to mark the 450th anniversary of the death of composer Robert White.
Order of Service:

Introit: O Christ, who are the light and day (White)
Responses: Tomkins
Office hymn: O Holy Spirit, Lord of grace (Tallis’s Ordinal)
Psalms 69, 70 (Stanford, Stewart, Stanford)
First Lesson: Leviticus 26 vv3-13
Canticles: Seventh Service (Tomkins)
Second Lesson: Titus 2 vv1-10
Anthem: The Lamentations of Jeremiah (Part 1) (White)
Hymn: Glory to thee, my God, this night (Tallis’s Canon)
Voluntary: Fantasia in C, FVB 103 (Byrd)


Philip Rushforth (Organist and Master of the Choristers)
Alexander Lanigan-Palotai (Sub-Organist)
Daniel Mathieson (Assistant Organist)

[smittims]

Splendid choice of music. As a member of the Chester Diocese I'll be listening. The cathedral, of mellow sandstone and with a distinctive tower visible for miles across the Cheshire plain, is right in the middle of the city , surrounded by shops and next to the Roman walls.

[DracoM]

Fine, fine singng, and, indeed, choice of music.
Real tribute to Chester.

[jonfan]

A sublime service with the beautiful sound of the choir stunningly caught by the engineering, emphasising the vast space. The anthem was divine and for me time stood still. There was a pure, focussed sound from the top line with attractive and distintive timbres from the lower voices.

[Petrushka]

A sublime service with the beautiful sound of the choir stunningly caught by the engineering, emphasising the vast space. The anthem was divine and for me time stood still. There was a pure, focussed sound from the top line with attractive and distintive timbres from the lower voices.

I couldn't agree more in all respects.

[Finzi4ever]

So good to hear. Feels like a long time since we heard Chester - things are clearly going very well there and glorious Tudorbethan repertoire. Thank you, Philip R inter alios.

[cat]

Good to hear Tomkin's Seventh getting an outing, as it's only been reconstructed and published relatively recently.

[Finzi4ever]

Good to hear Tomkin's Seventh getting an outing, as it's only been reconstructed and published relatively recently.

[Petrushka]

I can't remember, in my ignorance, coming across Robert White before, as it's not my usual listening, but the music in this Service was so beautiful that I looked for recordings. There isn't very much and it boiled down to one by the Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips and another by Gallicantus/Gabriel Crouch. In the end, I've ordered both!

Any views from those more knowledgeable?

[Pulcinella]

I can't remember, in my ignorance, coming across Robert White before, as it's not my usual listening, but the music in this Service was so beautiful that I looked for recordings. There isn't very much and it boiled down to one by the Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips and another by Gallicantus/Gabriel Crouch. In the end, I've ordered both!

Any views from those more knowledgeable?

Apart from the Tallis Scholars White CD, I have two others featuring music by White (I don't know the Gallicantus).

The White Lamentations feature on this splendid Naxos collection:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7954961--lamentations

Four of his motets are on this, which now looks to be download only:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8455936--messe-puer-natus-est

[Vox Humana]

This one is worth searching out.

https://www.discogs.com/release/7035703-Robert-White-10-Henrys-Eight-The-Greatest-Glory-Of-Our-Muses

There is also a CD by Voces Sacrae under Judy Martin, which is well worth having if you can find it.

https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/white-0

[DracoM]

Big plus and thanks for info from respondents. Thx.

[Simon Biazeck]

Heavenly. Robert White’s Lamentations sounded so committed, and come the pleas of “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return unto the Lord thy God” I was completely broken – deeply moving. Chester is privileged to have a jewel of so great a price at its heart.

[Finzi4ever]

Heavenly. Robert White’s Lamentations sounded so committed, and come the pleas of “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return unto the Lord thy God” I was completely broken – deeply moving. Chester is privileged to have a jewel of so great a price at its heart.

[DracoM]