Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Chapel of King's College, Cambridge

[mw963]

yes, it crossed my mind he was auditioning for Henry V. I hope Eve and the serpent felt suitably admonished.

That remark has given me the best giggle of Christmas thus far. Thank you for making me titter!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

SC's descents seem to be almost universally abhorred. Why does he put himself and us through it? I blame Philip Ledger, wrote a few descents of his own (which were rather good), so SC may have thought he was expected to do the same. But as DracoM says: Why?

I've just caught up with SC's 3rd attempt at composing a descant for Once in Royal. I had hoped for an improvement, but this one was the worst one I've ever heard. Dissonances can be good, or they can be due to incompetence. I had the impression of the latter. Either that, or he was intent on destroying the hymn itself.

[mw963]

What struck me about this year's technical balance was that we had much less of the hissing snakes problem on the congregational stuff. In some past years The Serpent appears to have possessed the enitre congregation on every s, and my hunch is that it was poorly set up artificial reverb that was at the heart of this problem.

If the balance this year *is* a bit more distant it may well be that the reverb was backed off too, explaining the reduction in sibilance.....

A better opportunity to assess the quality is available tomorrow on the repeart, there was - as always - evidence of the Radio 4 network limiter squashing the peaks, although again this problem is less severe than it was a few years ago. Great pity though that they don't still switch the network processing out for this live version of the service, as they used to until about 2006. The Radio 3 rebroadcast is - or should be - unprocessed on the digital platforms (but still processed on FM of course).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sound compression is much in evidence on Radio 3 at the present time. It was appallingly bad in a recent In Tune mix earlier in the week. The pumping effect reminded me of auto recording levels on cheap cassette recorders.

[DracoM]

What struck me about this year's technical balance was that we had much less of the hissing snakes problem on the congregational stuff. In some past years The Serpent appears to have possessed the enitre congregation on every s, and my hunch is that it was poorly set up artificial reverb that was at the heart of this problem.

If the balance this year *is* a bit more distant it may well be that the reverb was backed off too, explaining the reduction in sibilance.....

A better opportunity to assess the quality is available tomorrow on the repeart, there was - as always - evidence of the Radio 4 network limiter squashing the peaks, although again this problem is less severe than it was a few years ago. Great pity though that they don't still switch the network processing out for this live version of the service, as they used to until about 2006. The Radio 3 rebroadcast is - or should be - unprocessed on the digital platforms (but still processed on FM of course).

Echo all that. Thx for advice.

[gradus]

I was listening on the kitchen radio and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, camp over-enunciated solos included.

[cloughie]

I was listening on the kitchen radio and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, camp over-enunciated solos included.

The soloists sounded as though Michael Ball was their mentor!

[W.Kearns]

I so appreciated the interpretation and excellent reading of the 1st lesson - well done that chorister.

[Vox Humana]

I so appreciated the interpretation and excellent reading of the 1st lesson - well done that chorister.

Absolutely. Whoever said that AV/BCP language doesn't connect with the youngsters of today? It was no problem for this one!

Descants: yes, absolutely. I was struck (for the umpteenth time) by how perceptive and well-judged is DVW's descant for "Sing, choirs of angels". It's hardly self-effacing, but it hits the spot because it never usurps attention from the tune, which still remains centre stage. Isn't this is the key? At no point should a descant ever be shouting "See how clever I am!" A descant should never be more than a counter melody that heightens our experience of the main tune.

Niggles apart, I did very much enjoy the service. Well done, all -- and extra brownie points for the soloist in A spotless rose for his exemplary diction, especially in the TV version.

[mw963]

Sound compression is much in evidence on Radio 3 at the present time. It was appallingly bad in a recent In Tune mix earlier in the week. The pumping effect reminded me of auto recording levels on cheap cassette recorders.

I assume from that that you're listening on FM rather than via one of the digital sources. I do literally only listen to Radio 3 for Choral Evensong, but it *should* be the case that DSat, DTT (Freeview) and DAB are uncompressed. Certainly the only thing one hears on CE via satellite is the odd bit of manual (ie by the engineer) gain riding, but normally this is done by people who know what they're doing (not always, but generally).

[Hornspieler]

For me, the choristers excelled themselves in a demanding and lengthy programme.

I have never heard better over the years.

Thank goodness they did not offer us that ghastly Peter Cornelius baritone solo, to the detriment of "How Brightly Gleams the Morning Star"

Just one more gripe:-

Can't we get rid of those awful descants?

The boys have enough hard work without those inappropriate howlings!

[ardcarp]

Having just heard the whole thing on I-player this Christmas Morn, I'd just like to say I really enjoyed it and thought the choristers and choral scholars did wonderfully well. Even Cleobury's penchant for ever driving things onwards seemed moderated this year (apart from 3 Ships, possibly). I also thought the 'new' items were great pieces...the minimalist tendency being thankfully absent. The only thing I thought oddly placed was the single Bach chorale verse immediately before the speedy fleet.

I wonder what the autumn-recorded TV carol service will be like?

[DracoM]

Alert and nimble organ work throughout.

I just wept for those choristers thinking back to the sheer trek of that last six weeks of endless rehearsals, TV takes, re-takes, voice balance, recordings, and actual services those kids have to lead in - nowhere to hide. No matter how 'pro' we may think of them as being, the sheer physical wear and tear is considerable, and if you then have repetition upon repetition of screechingly high, IMO largely unidiomatic, athletic descants intended to excite the heart of congregations, even the most willing and resilient might just fold. KCC is year after year backed into a corner by proliferating contracts, commitments - even KC needs the money - and I can see no way out under the present regime.

Carol Eliseus was for me the only one I felt likely to find its way into other foundations' schedules. Which others would stand the test?

'The Lamb', 'Jesus Christ the Apple Tree' seem to me to be the only two truly memorable additions in recent decades. Other candidates? Some of the Estonian and Scandinavian repertoire might make an entry? partic in big acoustics? And I'd go back to the exquisite Warlock 'Bethlehem Down' ever time - not easy, but memorable and entirely of the genre.

[ardcarp]

I just wept for those choristers thinking back to the sheer trek of that last six weeks of endless rehearsals, TV takes, re-takes, voice balance, recordings, and actual services those kids have to lead in - nowhere to hide. No matter how 'pro' we may think of them as being, thddition to the sheer physical wear and tear is considerable, and if you then have repetition upon repetition of screechingly high, IMO largely unidiomatic, athletic descants intended to excite the heart of congregations, even the most willing and resilient might just fold.

I have a feeling they take it in their stride. Busy places such as St Paul's and Wabbey with their civic, royal and other commitments in addition to the daily round are probably more hard-pressed.

[Nick Armstrong]

I just wept for those choristers thinking back to the sheer trek of that last six weeks of endless rehearsals, TV takes, re-takes, voice balance, recordings, and actual services those kids have to lead in - nowhere to hide. No matter how 'pro' we may think of them as being, the sheer physical wear and tear is considerable, and if you then have repetition upon repetition of screechingly high, IMO largely unidiomatic, athletic descants intended to excite the heart of congregations, even the most willing and resilient might just fold.

And they fitted in a brief tour to Athens 10 days ago.....!