CE: Eton Choral Course at Eton College [A] 17.iii.21

[DracoM]

CE: Eton Choral Course at Eton College
During the 2017 Eton Choral Course [A]

First broadcast 14 March 2018


Order of Service:


Introit: Adoro te devote (Cecilia McDowall)
Responses: Ralph Allwood
Psalms 73, 74 (Lang, Brooksbank, Parratt)
First Lesson: Jeremiah 13: 20-27
Office Hymn: O kind creator bow thine ear (plainsong)
Canticles: Service for Trebles (Weelkes)
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 1:17 – 2 :3
Anthem: Media Vita (Sheppard)
Hymn: Ah, holy Jesus (Herzliebster Jesu)

Voluntary: Voluntary in A minor (Benjamin Cosyn)


Robert Scamardella (Organist)
Ralph Allwood (Director of Music)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09v6427

[Vox Humana]

Some yummy repertoire there. I hope they had time to fit it all in. Media vita is a seriously long piece.

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[Finzi4ever]

Sorry to say, not one of the ECC's finest hours (and there have been many). Not sure whether it was a lack of experience or confidence in the young singers, and I haven't delved back to see what board members felt about it 3 years ago, but it felt unsure of itself and this came through partly in intonation and a lack of direction. The balance didn't feel good either, with what seems like a large number of singers all rather distant and equivocal. The organ, playing almost exclusively on flutes (even in the psalms), seemed to eclipse them.

[Vox Humana]

I haven't delved back to see what board members felt about it 3 years ago

Not a lot!

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?18474-CE-Chapel-of-Eton-College-tx-Wed-March-14th-2018

[DracoM]

So clergy in my ear, organ in the chapel, choir way out somewhere beyond Slough.
Crikey.
Fine music, no men singing - or that's what it sounded like - surely one of the least well-recorded CEs for sometime.
Such a shame. The In Media Vita - or as GM called it 'In Medea Vita' - needed all parts to be heard and far more dictinct.

Oh dear.

[Finzi4ever]

It would be churlish to suggest that a very distant recording might have been considered wise on the day to let the warm acoustic do its best. Well spotted, DM, on the stressed second syllable of the anthem: I'm not sure any of us would want 'her' life, though jetting off in a sun chariot sounds quite fun. Pity there was no Euripides in the Dorian/Phrygian mode to go with it.

[ardcarp]

I'm afraid I lost interest before half-time in this CE. Despite having posted about Eton College Chapel organ on The Organ sub-thread, it sounded to me as if a chamber organ was being used. The 'flutey' sound in particular had a very prominent bass as picked up by the sound engineers.

It feels churlish to be critical of young singers; but I wonder if anyone who was taking part four years ago has anything to add?

[DracoM]

Yes, good Q!