The Choir 15 May 2011 - Guildford ?

[Frances_iom]

Aled announced that next week he is off to Guildford - IMO the worst cathedral acoustics in the British Isles - so wonder what he will feature

[muticus]

Gosh, even worse than Coventry??

[ardcarp]

Surely he's not...gulp...going to ....gasp...worshaip at the.....shrine of St St St St B-b-b-b-b-arry..total swoon.......

[ardcarp]

OMG...

Aled Jones is joined by guests Barry Rose and Katherine Dienes-Williams, to discuss the 50th anniversary of the consecration of Guildford Cathedral. Jeremy Backhouse also chats with Aled about the Vivace Chorus, and their forthcoming performance of Mahler's 8th symphony.

[Miles Coverdale]

Aled announced that next week he is off to Guildford - IMO the worst cathedral acoustics in the British Isles - so wonder what he will feature

When I was a lay clerk there a number of years ago, one of my colleagues told me of the existence of a recording made by by a few singers in the cathedral shortly after it was completed and before the sound-absorbing acoustic plaster was put on. Apparently the acoustic was huge. I never heard the tape and don't know where it might be now.

[Frances_iom]

When I was a lay clerk there a number of years ago, one of my colleagues told me of the existence of a recording made by by a few singers in the cathedral shortly after it was completed and before the sound-absorbing acoustic plaster was put on. Apparently the acoustic was huge. I never heard the tape and don't know where it might be now.

many years ago the Guildford Phil organised its choral concerts at the Cathedral - being a season ticket holder I went to IIRC Elgar's the Kingdom (that or the the Apostles) - I left at the interval not knowing if it had been sung in English or serbo-croat - unless you were within 5m of the choir it was a total mush and nothing could be distinguished - after that I never went to a concert there again.

[ardcarp]

Ah well, the bits about the cathedral went quite well, BR being reasonably self-effacing. The Patrick Hadley (one time organist at Caius, despite wooden leg) piece was interesting...and it's certainly good to hear stuff that is not well-known. Not hugely keen on 'cross-over' in church music and the Will Todd piece came over to me as 'effect' rather than substance.

[DracoM]

Wasn't Will Todd the presiding sprit of invention over a yesteryear CE from the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music?

Guildford is a nightmare to sing in. Choir I sang with did a guest weekend there doing services and it was terrifying - exactly as the new DoM described. We needed binoculars to see each other, and the trebles suffered from agoraphobia. We had just the three chances to get it right - CE Sat, Mattins and CE Sun - and we didn't.

Interestingly IMO the final Stephen Farr item - Philip Moore piece - made the choir sound far, far better than anyone else we heard, I thought. Now, Mr Farr might have had a story or two to tell!!

[decantor]

Will Todd contrived the music for a jazz CE from St M-in-the-Fs last October.

In summer 1969 I took twenty boys from the Kent choir I was working with to sing in an RSCM Festival at Guildford. The idea was to give them the experience of a massed choir. Some hope. We never did discover if the other 200 kids were singing the same music as us, or even were singing at all. Nice day out, though - picnic on the hill etc.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Stephen Farr's choir was "far, far better" than the others on display, but it was certainly a richer, warmer sound.

[DracoM]

By comparison ony, decantor, by comparison! Know what I mean....?

[Keraulophone]

Now, Mr Farr might have had a story or two to tell!!

He does, but I couldn't possibly comment.

A shame his great talent is out to grass in the wilds of Knightsbridge and Worcester College, Oxon, beautiful as its gardens are... but now more relaxed, I suspect.

[Lizzie]

He does, but I couldn't possibly comment.

A shame his great talent is out to grass in the wilds of Knightsbridge and Worcester College, Oxon, beautiful as its gardens are... but now more relaxed, I suspect.

Rather far from being out to grass I suspect you'd find, with respect! Bws. Liz

[Keraulophone]

Rather far from being out to grass I suspect you'd find, with respect! Bws. Liz

Well, yes of course Liz; I was getting a little carried away with memories of Worcester College garden, and should have kept the grazing image to myself!