Choral Evening Prayer 27th July 2011

[DracoM]

Choral Evening Prayer
Buckfast Abbey, Devon during the 2011 Exon Singers' Festival



Order of Service:


Introit: The Lord is my light (Gary Davison) (first broadcast)
Responses: Plainsong
Office hymn: Creator of the earth and sky (Deus creator)
Psalms: 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 (Plainsong)
First Lesson: Romans 8: 35, 37-39
Anthem: Strengthen ye, the weak hands (Harris)
Second Lesson: Matthew 14: 13-21
Homily: The Rt Revd David Charlesworth, Abbot of Buckfast
Canticle: Magnificat (Gary Davison) (first performance)
Lord's Prayer (Gabriel Jackson)
Motet: Ave Maria (Bruckner)
Hymn: O Love divine, how sweet thou art! (Cornwall)



Organ Voluntary: Fugue sur le Carillon de la Cathédrale de Soissons (Duruflé)




Organist: Jeffrey Makinson
Director of Music: Matthew Owens

[DracoM]

Some explanations: apologies for such early posting but I am away next weekend.
As I understand it:

[a] this is Matthew Owens last broadcast appearance with the Exon Singers, and
[b] Gary Davison has been featured composer with the Exons this season.

[DracoM]

bump

[gainasbass]

Thanks for your postings DracoM. I hope that the Exons recruit an able successor to MO, who has been a first rate Director over the last several years. Together with JM (both with Manchester connections!) the 'dynamic duo' have been an unqualified success.

Looking forward to hearing the service, and particularly Gary Davison's commissions. I also note that the Forum's own GJ's Lord's Prayer is featured.

[DracoM]

Oh dear, dear! A somewhat naked and blatant sales pitch to start with to spoil the atmosphere built by the Davison introit. Good grief!

[Lizzie]

Wonderful service as always from Buckfast. I love the Exon sound and that acoustic seems to suit them so well. MO will be much missed but I'm sure a worthy successor will be on the way. Is MO moving on...? I've loved the Harris for many years and the Duruflé voluntary is also a great favourite of mine. Feeling rather poorly at present but this service made me feel much better. Thank you all so much and all the best Matthew! All bws. Liz

[Anna]

As Draco says, a sales pitch during CE brings to mind throwing the moneylenders out of the Temple ...

However, I must say I really enjoyed it and like Lizzie said, it lifts one up. Hoping there will be more comments on the content which to me was more or less perfect.

[Lizzie]

As Draco says, a sales pitch during CE brings to mind throwing the moneylenders out of the Temple ...

However, I must say I really enjoyed it and like Lizzie said, it lifts one up. Hoping there will be more comments on the content which to me was more or less perfect.

Spot on Anna! Liz

[DracoM]

I like the crystalline sound and meticulous balance of the Exon singers - yes, the sops were just a trifle tested at the very top, but no fuss, very little vibrato so that the sound is clean and integrated.

Musically, nothing discomforting - in fact I was maybe just a teeny bit disappointed that the Davison material was as 'easy listening' as it was, but it fitted well with the plainchant, and formed a good match for the Bruckner, so nice homogeneous repertoire in a lovely acoustic. Actually, the Lord's Prayer was almost my favourite section, certainly caught the ear.

[decantor]

As a rule, my enjoyment of CE hinges on how many of the required boxes are ticked: viz. a spacious acoustic, a congenial music list, good quality of execution, a choir including children, no homily, and a genuine CE (not Vespers or a concoction). Such are my prejudices.

Though only half my boxes were ticked today, I still give the service 10/10. The singing was mighty fine throughout – a winning cantilena in every item, a selfless deference to each musical style, no fuss or show-biz, an appropriate send-off for MO. Jackson’s Paternoster sat beautifully in its context, while the Harris contrasted nicely with it; Davison has surely added usefully to the repertoire with reverential pieces that offer something to all listeners, and the Bruckner summarised the uplifting nature of all that preceded it. And, despite the much-despised ‘sales pitch’, Buckfast does seem to bring to its proceedings a special monastic gravitas that calms the soul.

Yup, I liked it. My thanks to the Exons and all concerned.

[Lizzie]

As a rule, my enjoyment of CE hinges on how many of the required boxes are ticked: viz. a spacious acoustic, a congenial music list, good quality of execution, a choir including children, no homily, and a genuine CE (not Vespers or a concoction). Such are my prejudices.

Though only half my boxes were ticked today, I still give the service 10/10. The singing was mighty fine throughout – a winning cantilena in every item, a selfless deference to each musical style, no fuss or show-biz, an appropriate send-off for MO. Jackson’s Paternoster sat beautifully in its context, while the Harris contrasted nicely with it; Davison has surely added usefully to the repertoire with reverential pieces that offer something to all listeners, and the Bruckner summarised the uplifting nature of all that preceded it. And, despite the much-despised ‘sales pitch’, Buckfast does seem to bring to its proceedings a special monastic gravitas that calms the soul.

Yup, I liked it. My thanks to the Exons and all concerned.

A friend of mine recently visited Buckfast whilst on holiday and went to a normal Sunday service. She came away full of peace yet completely uplifted. So much so that I believe she went back for a second helping and came away deeply refreshed. Says it all really ...

[gainasbass]

I agree with everything said in this post; and the Exons were superb. It has certainly proved to be a fitting last broadcast for MO and the Exons in this CE slot.

In a service where all of the music was brilliantly chosen and performed it is unfair to single out any item, but IMO one would find it most diffult to hear in any other place (save perhaps at Wells!) the psalms for the day sung with greater devotion and accuracy to the plainsong of the Gregorian tones.

Altogether a most uplifting service (but I must confess that I would have preferred to have heard the Exons in the context of a traditional CE broadcast!).

[Lizzie]

I agree with everything said in this post; and the Exons were superb. It has certainly proved to be a fitting last broadcast for MO and the Exons in this CE slot.

In a service where all of the music was brilliantly chosen and performed it is unfair to single out any item, but IMO one would find it most diffult to hear in any other place (save perhaps at Wells!) the psalms for the day sung with greater devotion and accuracy to the plainsong of the Gregorian tones.

Altogether a most uplifting service (but I must confess that I would have preferred to have heard the Exons in the context of a traditional CE broadcast!).

I find the sound of Psalms being sung to Plainsong chant, deeply moving. We used to hear them like that at Sunday Eucharist but, seem to have gone back to full Choir. I miss it chaps! Again, wonderful service. Thank you!