CE Manchester Cathedral Wed, 21st Nov 2018 [R]

[DracoM]

CE Manchester Cathedral
BBC Philharmonic

Order of Service:


Introit: Never weather-beaten sail (Parry)
Responses: Smith
Psalm 122 [I was glad] (Parry)
First Lesson: Zechariah 8: 1-13
Canticles: Stanford in B flat
Second Lesson: Mark 13: 3-8
Anthem: Blest pair of sirens (Parry)
Hymn: O praise ye the Lord (Laudate Dominum)
Voluntary: Fantasia and Fugue in G (Parry)


BBC Philharmonic
Geoffrey Woollatt (Sub-Organist)
Christopher Stokes (Organist & Master of the Choristers)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001741

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[DracoM]

Did anybody listen?

[oddoneout]

I heard it in bits and pieces. The impression was of enthusiasm but sometimes a lack of finesse? Having the orchestra made for a somewhat different take on the familiar('I was glad' and Stanford), and together with the massed(vocal) forces - not listed in the schedule - this was evidently a 'big' CE.

[Keraulophone]

Did anybody listen?

Yes, but when it’s not my cup of Orange Pekoe, I’m cautious of commenting on a public forum, like a few other listeners, I suspect.

(I do love the music of Hubert Parry, though .)
.

[DracoM]

<< when it’s not my cup of Orange Pekoe, I’m cautious of commenting on a public forum, like a few other listeners, I suspect. >>



Make mine Lapsang.

[ardcarp]

I was quite intrigued. The introit seemed quite close miked on a small-ish (possibly mixed) cathedral-sized choir, which acquitted itself well. But how, I wondered, are they going to find the sheer wellie to do Blest Pair of Nylons (two 4-part choirs) with a symphony orchestra? It became obvious that larger forces were...er...at large, and the closing announcement explained what they were.* Full marks to Manchester for marking Parry's centenary in this [expensive?] way, even if the repertory was a bit predictable. Then again, I guess they had to choose music for which orchestral parts were readily available.

*For anyone who didn't hear it, the Cathedral voluntary choir plus singers from Chetham's School of Music joined in.

[DracoM]

The point about the miking / acoustic is well made: I genuinely wondered if it was totally in a service at all - OR whether the liturgical bits had been recorded quite separately, yes, maybe in the Cathedral, but at another session.......?

[mopsus]

The point about the miking / acoustic is well made: I genuinely wondered if it was totally in a service at all - OR whether the liturgical bits had been recorded quite separately, yes, maybe in the Cathedral, but at another session.......?

A friend of mine was at this service, so it was all done in one go (unless they re-recorded bits later, which I think they don't do for CE broadcasts).

[mopsus]

*For anyone who didn't hear it, the Cathedral voluntary choir plus singers from Chetham's School of Music joined in.

A little bit about the Voluntary Choir. Manchester Cathedral is unusual in that the Voluntary Choir sings Sunday Evensong every week. It used to be men and boys until at least the late 1990s, but at some point (I haven't been able to find out exactly when) it changed to a top line of women. This was partly because of recruitment problems, but also because there was a real lack of mixed-voice church choirs in the city. The only other C of E church in the centre is St Ann's, whose choir is (or used to be) unauditioned and sang evensong 10 times a year, with a limited range of half a dozen Communion settings for their Sunday morning service. I was told in the 1990s that there were only about five church choirs in the whole diocese that sang in four parts every Sunday! That was very unusual then, sadly perhaps less so now. The Voluntary Choir is about 25 strong, to judge by their photo.

http://www.manchestercathedral.org/music/the-voluntary-choir

[jonfan]

Not for the first time I enjoyed this service more the second time listening through headphones. More detailed attention to detail of the singing came through, especially in the anthem which was beautifully shaped. The top line lacked punch at the climaxes and didn’t quite blend as one voice. Quite a big sing though with a symphony orchestra to contend with and rich orchestration. Enjoyable to have the orchestral colour and the BBC Phil on sensitive form. The only annoying aspect to the engineering acoustic was the lurch from choir only to choir with orchestra. As an organist, who’s wrestled with Parry’s running bass line in the final verse of ‘O praise ye the Lord’, I think the solution is as here to employ a tuba.

[ardcarp]

As an organist, who’s wrestled with Parry’s running bass line in the final verse of ‘O praise ye the Lord’, I think the solution is as here to employ a tuba.

...or to take the last verse at two thirds the speed

[Vox Humana]

...or to take the last verse at two thirds the speed

In the humble parish church where I was a treble the organist used to do that. Probably because of that I have always thought that slowing down a bit makes far more impact than barging on at l'istesso tempo which (IIRC) is what Parry actually implies in the anthem.

[mopsus]

I have heard that there have been problems with the organ at Manchester - neatly side-stepped in this broadcast by using orchestral accompaniment. Anyone got any recent news on this?

[jonfan]

I have heard that there have been problems with the organ at Manchester - neatly side-stepped in this broadcast by using orchestral accompaniment. Anyone got any recent news on this?

Well it sounded splendid to me in the closing voluntary. It's a brand new Stoller organ; there was an excellent recital on Radio Three last year which occupied the prime 19.30 evening concert spot; rare for an organ recital.
Below some info on the instrument.

http://www.manchestercathedral.org/userfiles/file/Development/Manchester%20Cathedral%20-%20the%20manufacture%20of%20the%20Stoller%20Organ.pdf