CE Chichester Cathedral Wed, 1st Feb 2017

[Pulcinella]

Since you mention it, whilst I wouldn't disagree for a moment that RVW's speeds are quite unsuitable for modern, everyday, parish requirements (particularly if you have a congregation numbering under 20), I have in the past been required a couple of times to play hymns at these very slow speeds in a fairly large building with a resonant acoustic, crammed with a large congregation, and I have to admit that, once I'd got over the culture shock, the effect was absolutely magnificent.

Yes, it certainly can be magnificent (I am reminded of some services in Liverpool cathedral, though there the hymns tend to go at quite a lick). A danger of slow speeds is when you are processing (think Christmas Eve, and Once in royal), where the whole thing can easily get progressively slower and out of sync (not at King's, of course!). I was at the evening Candlemas Solemn Eucharist at York Minster on Thursday: we (congregation) started in the north transept, then followed the choir processing down the nave, and then back up the middle aisle into the Quire. We were singing Of the Father's love begotten, a little too slowly I thought, and the time lag from the front to the back didn't help us keep in time. But maybe the speed was based on the time it would take the procession to finish: even with seven verses (I think) there had to be some 'doodling' before the last verse while we shambled (!) into our places; but once there, and in the more confined space where we could hear each other sing, that last verse really worked at its stately speed.

[Nick Armstrong]

Yes; just love that tight ensemble from Chichester. Unanimous vowel sounds make for an excellent tonal blend. Psalmody particularly well disciplined. If I had one tiny quibble it was that the Sumsion in G Mag was a trifle fast. Not that they weren't nimble...they were...but there was no train to catch, i.e. a few minutes in hand at the end of the broadcast.

Listened today, yes really impressive. The Byrd was especially wonderful. And I didn't mind the fleet approach to the Sumsion, very far from being my favourite canticles but at the chosen tempo, at least the "Have a banana" organ riffs in the Nunc didn't sound too absurd....

Enjoyed playing a little game of "Who on earth wrote this?!" while I listened to the impressively-performed voluntary (I lost!)

[Finzi4ever]

Enjoyed playing a little game of "Who on earth wrote this?!" while I listened to the impressively-performed voluntary (I lost!)

Wonder if you considered Reger for the louder chromatic sections? A magnificent performance albeit on one of our smaller, more lightweight cathedral beasts. I do wish Manders had put in a decent tuba instead of the rather insipid (IMHO) Posaune which rather let the side down in the Healey Willan. If anyone missed the Nathan Laube performance of it on the restored H&H at King's in October, here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIwVPafaWk0

[Nick Armstrong]

Wonder if you considered Reger for the louder chromatic sections?

Yes, Reger was my answer!

[ardcarp]

I saw on the OP that it was by H-W so didn't have to guess. But a heavily Bach-influenced composer writing within the last 100 years ? Quite a few possible 'culprits'.

I do wish Manders had put in a decent tuba instead of the rather insipid (IMHO) Posaune

Yes, but the snag there is that something of the Tuba family requires high wind-pressure to sound half decent. That isn't really practical in a mechanical action instrument as the touch would be too heavy. And I guess Mander, in the interests of purity, wanted to avoid any pneumatic or electric 'assist' devices.

Oh dear, should this be in the 'Organ' department?