CE Westminster Abbey 28th September 2016

[DracoM]

CE Westminster Abbey

Eve of the Feast of St Michael and All Angels
Celebrating the first broadcast of Choral Evensong from the Abbey on 7 October 1926


Order of Service:


Introit: Plebs Angelica (Tippett)
Responses: Rose
Psalms 34, 91 (Bevan, Alcock)
First Lesson: 2 Kings 6: 8-17
Canticles: Second Service (Gibbons)
Second Lesson: Matthew 18: 1-10
Anthem: Faire is the heaven (Harris)
Hymn: Ye watchers and ye holy ones (Lasst uns erfreuen)

Organ Voluntary: Toccata: Uriel, with the fire of God (Neil Cox)


Sub-Organist: Daniel Cook
Organist and Master of the Choristers: James O'Donnell

[ardcarp]

So pleased to see Plebs Angelica on the menu. A great piece, all too rarely done.

[Gabriel Jackson]

So pleased to see Plebs Angelica on the menu. A great piece, all too rarely done.

And when it is done, most people (but NOT James O'Donnell) do it too quickly

[DracoM]

Today @ 3.30 p.m.

[DracoM]

Nicely under-stated clerics.
Some very decent solo singing, liked the psalms particularly, and even tho' Tippett is not my thing, I thought they sang Plebs Angelica much more than adequately.
Must be a fiend of a place to engineer.
Trebs a bit reticent?

[ardcarp]

I enjoyed 'Plebs' very much. Here is a translation of the (unusual for an Anglican anthem?) text:

Angelic host,
Phalanx and squadron of the Prince-Archangels,
Uranian power,
Strength of the gracious word.

Spirits that have dominion, Cherubim,
Divine tribunal of the air,
And Seraphim with flaming hair.

And you, O Michael, Prince of Heaven,
And Gabriel, by whom the word was given.

And Raphael, born in the house of Life,
Bring us among the folk of Paradise.

It is not (in my experience) very rewarding to attend CE at the Abbey, especially if bunged onto the chairs East of the choir. So it was good to hear them over the airwaves. As always, powerful back-desks and (in the Psalms) a powerful organ.

[DracoM]

I said I liked the Psalms, yes, but I did wonder if the organ was a tad over-mighty only because of the engineering, or that's how it is in WAbbey. Ardcarp is instructive - thx. and Ardcarp is right, touch of back-desk syndrome in the capital?

[light_calibre_baritone]

I said I liked the Psalms, yes, but I did wonder if the organ was a tad over-mighty only because of the engineering, or that's how it is in WAbbey. Ardcarp is instructive - thx. and Ardcarp is right, touch of back-desk syndrome in the capital?

Back-desk syndrome? Too loud you mean.. Or just trained, confident voices? It's clearly what the boss wants or you'd get something else...

[DracoM]

Not infrequently, when we get CE from a major choir in the capital, the back desks are indeed well-trained, highly pro, and sing with great gusto. The lads - usually but not exclusively - in front of them tend to get lost in the mix from time to time. Fine voices in all parts, but the blend is sometimes equivocal - IMO. It may well be that that is what 'the boss' wants.

Thassorl