CE Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London [R] 22.i.20

[DracoM]

CE Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London [R]
Rodolfus Choir
(recorded 17th September)


Order of Service:


Prelude: Chorale Prelude on ‘Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern’ (Reger)
Introit: Here is the little door (Howells)
Responses: Shephard
Psalms 108, 109 (Atkins, Turle)
First Lesson: 1 Kings 19: 9b-18
Office hymn: O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (Was lebet was schwebet)
Canticles: Stanford in G
Second Lesson: Mark 9: 2-13
Anthem: The Shepherd's Farewell (Berlioz)
Hymn: Brightest and best of the sons of the morning (Epiphany)
Voluntary: Alleluyas (Simon Preston)

Joseph Wicks (Organist)
Ralph Allwood (Director of Music)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dj12

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[jonfan]

A programme of Epiphany lollipops. The choir took some time to settle into the service I felt, not quite unanimous consonants in the Howells but performed sensitively with the text always to the fore. Workmanlike declamation in the psalms, with glorious solos in the Magnificat and Nunc. By the time the singers had reached the Berlioz they were well into their stride and this was sung with feeling and beautifully tuned.
A large group of singers with more vibrato than we are used to on CE but joyfully declaimed as befits the season. Brilliant organ Alleluyas! crowned the service. Thank you.

[DracoM]

Vol was frankly the only thing worth listening to.
The anthem was lugubrious and funereal in pace.

VERY disappointing.

[ardcarp]

A large group of singers with more vibrato than we are used to

Looking at the Rodolfus website suggests the choir's members are 25 and under. There sounded to be some more 'mature' voices in the mix to my ears.
I enjoyed the repertoire (even if I've heard the Berlioz too often over a lifetime) and I was especially glad to hear Stanford in G, my favourite of his canticle settings. However, I've got a 'thing' about the speed and articulation of the 'spinning wheel' in the Mag. The organ RH is marked staccato by Stanford, and if that requires going a tad slower than Minim=80 then so be it. Otherwise it's more a spin-drier. And there's no need to loose any of the esprit of the lovely soprano solo.

[mw963]

I only heard from the Canticles onwards but thought the singing was lovely. Curiously enough I was considerably less "offended" by the vibrato here (which seemed to me pleasantly controlled and low level) than what we had a few weeks ago from the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad VIncula.

The only thing I didn't enjoy - sorry DracoM - was the voluntary, although that I must stress had nothing to do with the excellent playing thereof.

Must download the first half.

[DracoM]

Rpt today.

[Finzi4ever]

Shephard Responses - really???

[DracoM]

I post what the BBC posts, Sorry.

[Finzi4ever]

Indeed you do - it wasn't a criticism in any way, merely odd that since it was another recording and not live that nobody that end noticed the change.