CE Temple Church, London Wed, 14th June 2017

[DracoM]

CE Temple Church, London
Eve of Corpus Christi


Order of Service:


Introit: Thee we adore, O living Saviour (Te adoro devote)
Responses: Leighton
Psalms 110, 111 (Hopkins, Ferguson)
First Lesson: Exodus 16: 2-15
Canticles: Second Service (Leighton)
Second Lesson: John 6: 22-35
Anthem: Lo, the full final Sacrifice (Finzi)
Corpus Christi Carol (Britten)


Organ Voluntary: Benedictus (Missa de Gloria - Leighton)


Greg Morris, Organist
Roger Sayer, Director of Music

[EdgeleyRob]

Marvellous listing.
That Ken Leighton Organ Mass is extraordinary,you can hear Greg Morris playing it in the Naxos library.

[ardcarp]

Marvellous singing too! This is a full bodied, full throated choir. The very 'professional' voices of the men were matched by a front row that sounded as if any individual could easily have sung his part as a solo. But it was not all full tilt; there were many beautifully gentle and expressive moments, especially so in the Leighton Glorias and in, of course, the Finzi. Big congrats to Roger Sayer for his most musical direction and for bringing this historic choir to a new level of excellence!

[choralmike]

I was in the congregation and was very impressed by the full-bodied sound which the trebles made. Strangely enough a few evenings earlier I was chatting with another Choral Evensong afficionado who was talking about the fragility of sound of the treble voice. In contrast, this was a very 'forward', focussed and confident sound, as the canticles and anthem exemplify. Interestingly, a gentleman of the choir intoned the responses; perhaps they had heard about the exchange on here a few weeks ago about the variable quality of Precentors!

I wonder what George Thalben-Ball would have made of the service?

[BasilHarwood]

Interestingly, a gentleman of the choir intoned the responses; perhaps they had heard about the exchange on here a few weeks ago about the variable quality of Precentors!

It has nothing to do with this forum!

[choralmike]

It has nothing to do with this forum!

So are the comments following the broadcast from Winchester on 26 April a figment of my imagination? Or are you saying that you personally wish to disassociate yourself from those comments?

[ardcarp]

Strangely enough a few evenings earlier I was chatting with another Choral Evensong afficionado who was talking about the fragility of sound of the treble voice. In contrast, this was a very 'forward', focussed and confident sound, as the canticles and anthem exemplify

This current batch of trebles at The Temple is described by by Roger S. as "fearless". I think that came over!

[BasilHarwood]

So are the comments following the broadcast from Winchester on 26 April a figment of my imagination? Or are you saying that you personally wish to disassociate yourself from those comments?

Do you think the Temple Church read those comments and thought "Oooh, Winch got some stick, we'd better use one of the chaps to intone the V&Rs because otherwise we'll be a laughing stock on the internet."?

[Y Mab Afradlon]

[QUOTE][Do you think the Temple Church read those comments and thought "Oooh, Winch got some stick, we'd better use one of the chaps to intone the V&Rs because otherwise we'll be a laughing stock on the internet."?QUOTE]

This is the best comment yet on this .......... tiresome subject. Why would such an institution care what appears as comments on this page? Positive or negative.

[DracoM]

Now that is a very big sing, nowhere to hide! And they stepped up to the marks, from sensitive ppp to full throttle, and navigated big paragraphs.
Team Temple seems re-vivified entirely under DoM Sayer.

And after all that, to tackle the deceptive Britten. Lovely stuff. Rich top, and kept the steady rhythm without rushing. The final and very testing ppp was excellent.

Odd to relate, for me, the best recording of the Corpus Christi Carol is weirdly by Jeff Buckley!!

Excellent vol too which played so finely with themes we had just heard!

Thx all round.

[choralmike]

Do you think the Temple Church read those comments and thought "Oooh, Winch got some stick, we'd better use one of the chaps to intone the V&Rs because otherwise we'll be a laughing stock on the internet."?

No, I don't think that the Temple Church would have been influenced by what has been written on these pages about the variable quality of Precentors who intone in the Versicles and Responses in cathedrals and what the possible solutions might be. I made a tongue-in-cheek remark following the comments back in April. I presume that although by tradition it is usually the presiding member of the clergy who intones, there is no rule which governs this, whereas in cathedrals there is the expectation that it is the duty of the Precentor.

[Dafydd y G.W.]

I made a tongue-in-cheek remark following the comments back in April.

.

The irony seemed obvious to me, but some people are a bit literal minded!

[DracoM]

I think many responding on these Choir threads would be surprised at just how many performers, parents, teachers etc DO read these comments.

[BBMmk2]

I must've overlooked this. BBM Jnr was called to The Bar here, two years ago!

[Caussade]

I think many responding on these Choir threads would be surprised at just how many performers, parents, teachers etc DO read these comments.

Sure, any number of people might read them, but certainly not to get advice on how to go about their professional business. It's often a question of dropping in with some popcorn from time to time to see whether the usual suspects are going to start tub-thumping - one or two posters here have attained a sort of comic notoriety.