A Meditation on Christ's Nativity - Weds 21st Dec

[ardcarp]

...another 'archive' broadcast:


A Meditation on Christ's Nativity
Choral Evensong

An archive service from 2008 of music and readings offering a meditation on Christ's Nativity, with the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge. Music was the (then) first broadcast performance of 'Ex Maria Virgine' - a sequence of Christmas carols by John Tavener completed on Christmas Day 2005.

John Tavener: Ex Maria Virgine
(Verbum caro; Nowell! Nowell! Out of your sleep; Remember O thou man; Sweet was the song; Ave rex angelorum; There is no rose; Ding dong! merrily on high; Rocking; Unto us is born a Son)

Director of Music: Timothy Brown
Organist: Simon Thomas Jacobs.

[omega consort]

Well..........as everyone else is being quiet about this, or (more likely) heavily involved in Advent and Christmas services, I would just like to say how much I enjoyed this. The Tavener was new to me - The highlight was his treatment of Ding Dong! Merrily - very difficult to perform I would imagine. The choir were full-blooded and the singing spirited. Good to hear the St John's organ sounding well.

[DracoM]

'John's Organ' ? Recording was of Clare College Ch, so.......was it recorded in St John's?
Do you know something about this archive broadcast that the R3 schedule info-writers don't?

[jean]

Quite possibly.

BBC Radio 3’s Choral Evensong on Boxing Day at 3.30pm is a special archive edition from the chapel of St John’s College Cambridge with the choir of Clare College. This will be A Meditation on Christ's Nativity based around a sequence of Christmas carols, Ex Maria Virgine, by John Tavener.

(This appears to be the service we heard, on a previous outing.)

[DracoM]

Thx.
'Tho strange that they did not re-produce precise site info in current listings?

[underthecountertenor]

'John's Organ' ? Recording was of Clare College Ch, so.......was it recorded in St John's?
Do you know something about this archive broadcast that the R3 schedule info-writers don't?

My guess is that omega consort did know, but on the other hand the John's organ, once heard, can never be mistaken for any other, and certainly not Clare's!

[omega consort]

My guess is that omega consort did know, but on the other hand the John's organ, once heard, can never be mistaken for any other, and certainly not Clare's!

I didn't have any "inside information" - I am sure it was announced as being recorded in St Johns? Anyway - it certainly wasn't recorded in Clare as (a) they don't have an acoustic like that and (b) their organ doesn't have a 32" reed which, on this broadcast was used quite a bit!

[underthecountertenor]

I didn't have any "inside information" - I am sure it was announced as being recorded in St Johns? Anyway - it certainly wasn't recorded in Clare as (a) they don't have an acoustic like that and (b) their organ doesn't have a 32" reed which, on this broadcast was used quite a bit!

Apologies for the slight mis-speculation, and agreed!

[DracoM]

Erm..............ahem...see message 4 upthread!

[underthecountertenor]

Erm..............ahem...see message 4 upthread!

I was mis-speculating about omega consort's post which was followed his/her having heard the programme but preceded post 4. But it doesn't really matter.

[DracoM]

Fair enough............

[underthecountertenor]