A belated report on a marvellous visit to King's Chapel for Evensong last Sunday (10th July) - the final service of the Long Vac term. Howells's St Paul's Mag, Holst's Nunc Dimittis, Leighton's responses and as the psalm, the Jubilate Deo from Howells's Coll Reg. All great, the choir in great voice apart from (question of taste, perhaps, this: because Stephen Cleobury is obviously ok with it) the same overstrident tenor/s who marred (for me) the Christmas Eve service. I privately hope that the service marks the graduation of the choral scholar/s in question (I think I know who it is) and that from September on, there can be a more blended sound throughout.
But the wonderful discovery for us was the music that opened the service, coming from silence as if in some numinous celestial distance: James Macmillan's "A New Song". No doubt choral regulars are familiar with it (I see it's been recorded by John's among others). Really wonderful introit, which completely hooked a member of my family in France, a youngster unfamiliar with church music, and more into The Beatles, Daft Punk and Pink Floyd than anything else, who confessed to 'frissons' and a tear or two in the eye, and remained spellbound thoughout.
Rarely fails to deliver, does King's
But the wonderful discovery for us was the music that opened the service, coming from silence as if in some numinous celestial distance: James Macmillan's "A New Song". No doubt choral regulars are familiar with it (I see it's been recorded by John's among others). Really wonderful introit, which completely hooked a member of my family in France, a youngster unfamiliar with church music, and more into The Beatles, Daft Punk and Pink Floyd than anything else, who confessed to 'frissons' and a tear or two in the eye, and remained spellbound thoughout.
Rarely fails to deliver, does King's
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