CE from St Paul's Cathedral, SATURDAY 10 April 2021, 5 p.m. [L]

[jonfan]

A very moving service, beautifully prepared in a very short time. There were thrilling moments in the Brahms and Jackson which seemed to storm heaven itself. What a terrific group of trebles afraid of nothing and using the acoustic to full effect. The tender moments were equally moving, eg the gloriously slow Parry moving seamlessly into the Jackson. The Harris voluntary is new to me, it just left one hanging into space. Very good, clear sound in what must be a challenge to get right.
Thank you for a very fitting memorial.

[Nick Armstrong]

A very moving service, beautifully prepared in a very short time. There were thrilling moments in the Brahms and Jackson which seemed to storm heaven itself. What a terrific group of trebles afraid of nothing and using the acoustic to full effect. The tender moments were equally moving, eg the gloriously slow Parry moving seamlessly into the Jackson. The Harris voluntary is new to me, it just left one hanging into space. Very good, clear sound in what must be a challenge to get right.
Thank you for a very fitting memorial.

I would echo every word of your comment

[Ein Heldenleben]

A very moving service, beautifully prepared in a very short time. There were thrilling moments in the Brahms and Jackson which seemed to storm heaven itself. What a terrific group of trebles afraid of nothing and using the acoustic to full effect. The tender moments were equally moving, eg the gloriously slow Parry moving seamlessly into the Jackson. The Harris voluntary is new to me, it just left one hanging into space. Very good, clear sound in what must be a challenge to get right.
Thank you for a very fitting memorial.

Yes beautifully sung and played with a wonderful choice of music .Also a fine sound balance done under exceptional circumstances.

[eighthobstruction]

....really tremendous voices....hooray for sound engineer/designer...

[Keraulophone]

A very moving service, beautifully prepared in a very short time. There were thrilling moments in the Brahms and Jackson which seemed to storm heaven itself. What a terrific group of trebles afraid of nothing and using the acoustic to full effect. The tender moments were equally moving, eg the gloriously slow Parry moving seamlessly into the Jackson. The Harris voluntary is new to me, it just left one hanging into space. Very good, clear sound in what must be a challenge to get right.
Thank you for a very fitting memorial.

Re-echoed here. Parry and Harris so apt.
.

[jonfan]

....really tremendous voices....hooray for sound engineer/designer...

The producer is Ben Collingwood, who is involved with many CE's. His twitter account has many titbits of information and pictures.

https://twitter.com/CollersB?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[Keraulophone]

Was there a (short ad hoc?) service introduced by Dr Sam Wells of St Martin-in-the-Fields and produced by Philip Bilson (series producer of worship output on BBC radio) towards the end of Petroc’s ‘sequence of music’ last night, ending around about 11.30pm last night? I can’t be sure, as the day rolled into sleep, and it’s not yet available on Sounds, but what I can recall was appropriately moving. Listening to R3 at such times, one imagines that little more than ‘two or three are gathered together’ over the airwaves.

[jonfan]

Was there a (short ad hoc?) service introduced by Dr Sam Wells of St Martin-in-the-Fields and produced by Philip Bilson (series producer of worship output on BBC radio) towards the end of Petroc’s ‘sequence of music’ last night, ending around about 11.30pm last night? I can’t be sure, as the day rolled into sleep, and it’s not yet available on Sounds, but what I can recall was appropriately moving. Listening to R3 at such times, one imagines that little more than ‘two or three are gathered together’ over the airwaves.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000vjcv

In your dreams K you must have switched channels. On Radio 4. Very moving and always thoughtful from SW!

[Keraulophone]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000vjcv
In your dreams K you must have switched channels. On Radio 4.

Thanks for solving that little mystery for me, jf.

[Magister Chori]

A truly nice service, even in the cavernous, unfriendly acoustic of St Paul's.

Quite strange to have two different settings (Stanford's Justorum animae and Marchant's The souls of the righteous) of the same text in the same service...

[Serial_Apologist]

From a note by Martin Ennis for the Wabbey recording on Hyperion:

Though the music’s tone is generally buoyant, some of the word-setting is reminiscent of Stravinsky’s ‘alienating’ practices, found most notably in the Symphony of Psalms.

Alienating!!!

‘Be thankful unto him’, for example, is set not as a hymn of praise, but in a whisper over a long organ chord. History doesn’t record the Duke’s reaction.

Was Mr Ennis confusing himself with Holst's Hymn of Jesus, which does contain a passage of whispered praying, or have I not been listening to the Symphony of Psalms closely enough?

[ardcarp]

unfriendly acoustic of St Paul's

Some would say glorious. For a DoM who knows how to use it...e.g. using spacious phrasing and not rushing on to one thing before the last has died out..it can surely be used to advantage. It's certainly tricky to manage, but I wouldn't use the word 'unfriendly', which I'd reserve for a dry-as-dust acoustic which gives no help whatsoever to the voice.

[cat]

Some would say glorious. For a DoM who knows how to use it...e.g. using spacious phrasing and not rushing on to one thing before the last has died out..it can surely be used to advantage. It's certainly tricky to manage, but I wouldn't use the word 'unfriendly', which I'd reserve for a dry-as-dust acoustic which gives no help whatsoever to the voice.

Probably the only place where I'd much rather listen to the choir on the radio than in person. For example verse anthems from the time it was built certainly don't sound glorious when one is sat in the nave, more like unintelligible. I gather there have been changes over the years so I'm not blaming Wren.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Probably the only place where I'd much rather listen to the choir on the radio than in person. For example verse anthems from the time it was built certainly don't sound glorious when one is sat in the nave, more like unintelligible. I gather there have been changes over the years so I'm not blaming Wren.

The last Choral Evensong I attended ( which was 10 years ago ) was on a weekday there. I may be misremembering but for some reason the choir were much further up the nave towards the West Portico - we were therefore closer and there was less echo. Also the tourists managed to keep quiet and they stopped people walking around. It was a much more satisfactory experience than CE at Westminster Abbey.
Top places include Christ Church Oxford , Exeter Cathedral where they let you sit in the choir . And Oriel College (I think ) where we were all invited for a post service Sherry !

[jonfan]

At CEs I love to sit as close to the choir as possible, though my partner hates it, as I like to see how these great choral conductors operate. My two favourites were in Cambridge, the first at St John’s where there was a joint service with Clare. I was able to see Andrew Nethsingha and Graham Ross at close quarters, though almost became members of the university as we couldn’t find the exit after the service!
The best was at Trinity where I could see how Stephen Layton’s stubby pencil creates the fifth best choir in the world, but also the Dean invited the congregation for drinks afterwards.