....and so back to Clare College, folks! Well, it was a good sound with the sort of top line we all (seem to) approve of, and with very able young ATBs. Maybe there was a little tentativeness here and there. I'd like to hear the choir again in two terms' time What did people think of the Bax? Much as I love it, I'm not sure it was the ideal piece for this sort of 'lessons and carols' service. 'Too long and too complicated' might be an immediate response, though I must say I admire Clare's braveness for having a crack at it. For anyone who's sung it, the effect is of a calm and straightforward beginning; then you become aware, as the piece progresses, that the parts around you are becoming increasingly manic in their attempt to cope with some angular, stratospheric lines and increasingly chromatic harmonies. It's quite psychedelic really! The danger is to lose the wood for the trees, and I feel it takes a very experienced choir to make musical sense of it. One of the best performances I heard was by Schola Cantorum under Jeremy Summerly where the whole (large) choir seemed to think and breathe as one.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. What did other people think about the service as a whole?
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. What did other people think about the service as a whole?
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