CE Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Wed, 20th June 2018 [L]

[Finzi4ever]

I think there must be something in the Isis water that has an effect on Psalmody. As for The Twelve, I just love the piece and thought the treb duettists did a great job. Singing the 2nd part in tune ain't easy...and he did.

I blame the Cherwell, myself (ORE STABIT FORTIS ARARE PLACETO RESTAT), Higgi psalmody at NCO was also quirky - not sure now though, but Magdalen is more conventional. Yes, weren't those trebles good?!

[vinteuil]

I blame the Cherwell, myself (ORE STABIT FORTIS ARARE PLACETO RESTAT), Higgi psalmody at NCO was also quirky - not sure now though, but Magdalen is more conventional. Yes, weren't those trebles good?!

... surely that shd be "ore stabit fortis arare placet ore stat"?


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[mopsus]

Well, I'm a huge fan of what Stephen Darlington has done on record eg the Eton Choirbook sequence, BUT that was all done in Merton College Chapel.

I think the advantages of Merton for recording are not just the acoustic (and, possibly, now the organ - until 2014 Merton had an undistinguished instrument by Walker), but also the fact that it is away from main roads. The nearest road is a cobbled street that few vehicles venture along.

[underthecountertenor]

I think the advantages of Merton for recording are not just the acoustic (and, possibly, now the organ - until 2014 Merton had an undistinguished instrument by Walker), but also the fact that it is away from main roads. The nearest road is a cobbled street that few vehicles venture along.

Unless I’m going senile, the Cathedral is even further away from main roads: there’s this massive great quad between it and St Aldates. So the advantages of Merton over the home venue are surely just acoustic and (now) organ?

[mopsus]

I've just looked at a map, and Merton Chapel is further from the High than Christ Church Cathedral is from St Aldate's. It's also a question of how much noises such as ambulance sirens are audible in the building. I haven't spent enough time in Christ Church Cathedral to know whether they penetrate in there; certainly you can't hear them in Merton, which is separated from the High by a dense mass of other college buildings.

[underthecountertenor]

I've just looked at a map, and Merton Chapel is further from the High than Christ Church Cathedral is from St Aldate's. It's also a question of how much noises such as ambulance sirens are audible in the building. I haven't spent enough time in Christ Church Cathedral to know whether they penetrate in there; certainly you can't hear them in Merton, which is separated from the High by a dense mass of other college buildings.

My dim recollection is that nothing penetrated, but I may be misremembering, and of course sirens are very different now....

[underthecountertenor]

(And I suppose there is also the matter of that bloody great bell, especially at 9.05 pm)

[VodkaDilc]

I've just looked at a map, and Merton Chapel is further from the High than Christ Church Cathedral is from St Aldate's. It's also a question of how much noises such as ambulance sirens are audible in the building. I haven't spent enough time in Christ Church Cathedral to know whether they penetrate in there; certainly you can't hear them in Merton, which is separated from the High by a dense mass of other college buildings.

This makes me think that the siren which we heard very clearly in the central section of the Walton was not heard on the radio.

It was a wonderful experience for those of us lucky to live within driving distance of Christ Church. Stephen Darlington has got the choir to an amazing level; I hope his successor can maintain it. Interestingly a clutch (?) of organists arrived soon after I was seated, including Daniel Hyde; it's nice to know that they were there to support their colleague at the end of his distinguished time at the cathedral.

[Miles Coverdale]

When I was in the choir there we recorded unaccompanied repertoire in the Abbey at Dorchester-on-Thames and the one disc I remember having accompanied music (of Walton) was done in Leominster Priory (possibly because it was near the base of Nimbus Records). The reasons for not using the cathedral include the comparative lack of acoustic and problems with background noise, but also that closing the cathedral for a day would have deprived the college of a fair amount of income, I imagine.

[mopsus]

Yes, Christ Church was one of the first Colleges to charge for admission, and was doing so already in the 1980s at least.

[jonfan]

Endorse all the plaudits mentioned above. Almost convinced that’s the way to sing psalms by the end of their performance. Stunning throughout and The Twelve treble soloists - fantastic, a performance to treasure. The engineering was spot on, noticeably a rich detailed sound in the voluntary. Beautiful service, thank you.
Surely not a ‘clutch’ of organists but something like a ‘rank’ or a ‘coupler’ ?

[Pulcinella]

Surely not a ‘clutch’ of organists but something like a ‘rank’ or a ‘coupler’ ?

A Swell?

[terratogen]

A Swell?

Isn't it a 'cipher'?

[VodkaDilc]

Surely not a ‘clutch’ of organists but something like a ‘rank’ or a ‘coupler’ ?

A cornopean?

[Finzi4ever]

... surely that shd be "ore stabit fortis arare placet ore stat"?
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both versions exist in different locations