CE 2011 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music [A] Wed, May 13th 2020

[MrGongGong]

Of whom did Beecham say, 'I trod in some once'.

The most over-quoted nonsense from captain cloth ears

[Finzi4ever]

Coe Fen could have been written as long ago as the 1950s, when Ken Naylor taught at the Leys School in Cambridge, but it wasn't published till the 1990s. It can't really be held up as a 'great recent hymn tune' any more. (If indeed it ever could - ducks quickly!)

And 'duck' you should!

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[mw963]

The most over-quoted nonsense from captain cloth ears

If he were still around I'm sure he'd speak very highly of you too.

[DracoM]

I fear today's CE reinforced for me the feeling that this was rarely likely to do more than showcase [a] aspiring composers sounding as if they were competing to be pretty close to unsingable, and/or [b] choirs who either are BBC Singers or their soundalikes.

Genuinely do not think much or even any of the material would ever likely to be part of ongoing in-church repertoire for DoMs.

I know I will get crushed for posting this, but honestly..............it is what I think.

[MrGongGong]

If he were still around I'm sure he'd speak very highly of you too.

Beecham is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with "Classical" music
a hideous snob who was more in love with his own "wit" and a tedious bully of those more talented than him

We are better off without him and his elk

[Triforium]

Beecham is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with "Classical" music
a hideous snob who was more in love with his own "wit" and a tedious bully of those more talented than him

We are better off without him and his elk

Agreed, what a pill.....

[DracoM]

How close is this to Choral Evensong and its issues?

[mw963]

Agreed, what a pill.....

I think that's one of the most useful and enlightening contributions I've ever seen on a serious forum (not).

I'm not sure whether I'd get a sensible calm response from either MrGongGong or Triforium, and Beecham was somewhat before my time, but I do honestly wonder what he did to rattle your cages quite so effectively.

Perhaps I'll leave it there (pace DracoM), other than to observe (and this is just a hunch of course) that Beecham's legacy - rightly or wrongly - will probably be longer-lived than a couple of strong "opinions" expressed on a website.

[ardcarp]

One must see Beecham in the context of his times. Some of his Mozart recordings (while of course nowhere near HIPP, and using a big orchestra) had a lightness of touch that was miraculous for their time, and he was no slouch with tempi either.

[Triforium]

Oh dear, dear, dear. I was simply adding some levity by alluding to the source of his family's fortune.

[ardcarp]

Oh well. We've got to talk about something while we're being dished up recycled CEs !!
It would be great if on The Choir, forumistas felt able to post about favourite choral broadcasts/recordings/websites other than CE? (I'm as guilty as anyone for not doing so. Must try harder. )