Easter Day CE Abbey Church of St Alban April 1st 2018 (L)

[jean]

They broadcast the 8am one though!

It was sung by the Abbey Singers and Lay Clerks, it says here. The Lay Clerks must have had a hard day.

[underthecountertenor]

They broadcast the 8am one though!

It was sung by the Abbey Singers and Lay Clerks, it says here. The Lay Clerks must have had a hard day.

They did, as did the music staff. Tom Winpenny conducted the 8.10, then played for both the 10 am (voluntary: Fête by Langlais) and the evensong broadcast, with the small matter of the Vierne 5 finale referred to above.

[jean]

I did wonder why the Abbey Singers didn’t have tenors and basses of their own!

[underthecountertenor]

I did wonder why the Abbey Singers didn’t have tenors and basses of their own!

In fact they do: ex-choristers. Lay clerks were added in the interests of balance.

[Finzi4ever]

Relatives of mine were there and confirmed how full it was - agreed. Hence my murmur of surprise at the impression gained on R3.

..but possibly explaining the very dry resonance?

[DracoM]

Well, I've been there in a big congregation and the choir sounded wonderful and resonant - notably not in this CE.
Don't want to downplay the choir's achievement - it just sounded much drier than I was expecting.

[Andrew353w]

The girls leave their choir at the same age as the boys leave theirs. Then there is the option for all of joining the Abbey Singers (who sang with the lay clerks for the Easter Morning broadcast on Radio 4 yesterday).

I heard the Easter morning service from the Abbey on Radio 4-lovely!..... I might be biased though; my sister-in-law read the Epistle!

[underthecountertenor]

I heard the Easter morning service from the Abbey on Radio 4-lovely!..... I might be biased though; my sister-in-law read the Epistle!

And wonderfully well she read it too. I understand that she too had been extremely busy, not least with the vigil service the night before!

[chitreb]

For me the choir sounded better and more confident in the big pieces (Stanford and Leighton) than in the more exposed singing.