Ceremony of Carols

[Roger Judd]

I wonder whether other members of this forum heard yesterday's Beyond Belief (Monday, R4 4.30pm)? An interesting discussion about Britten's Ceremony of Carols with Lucy Winkett, Michael Berkeley and Anna Lapwood. Two minus points - 1. No complete performance and 2. the recorded performers weren't credited. A good 30 minutes-worth, I thought.
Happy Christmas to all, when it comes.
RJ

[gradus]

I agree it was an interesting programme about one of Britten's greatest pieces.

[jonfan]

Fascinating discussion with 3 people coming from different disciplines who can express themselves so clearly and succinctly. A disgrace the choir is not credited and a cracking performance it is too. My money is on Westminster Cathedral conducted by David Hill?

[Miles Coverdale]

My money is on Westminster Cathedral conducted by David Hill?

Yes, I'm sure it's that recording.

[ardcarp]

I haven't heard the programme yet, but the Westminster Cathedral/Hill recording is one of my faves. Probably what Britten would have liked? Also the old St John's College Cambridge/Guest LP is wonderful too...with Marissa Robles, I think. According to an inside source, St John's had to do the recording twice, as Britten himself heard some 'errors' from the first session. Can anyone corroborate that?

Whilst I've always been a big fan of NCO and Higginbottom, their version has the right 'sound' but somehow doesn't capture the spirit of the piece.

[Miles Coverdale]

A Cermony of Carols has long been a favourite Christmas piece of mine, not least because it has such a variety of moods, from the introspective to the boisterous. In particular, the medieval poetry forms a necessary antidote to the cloying Victorian sentimentality that pervades so much Christmas music.

[ardcarp]

the cloying Victorian sentimentality that pervades so much Christmas music

Some has that quality, I grant, and many recent composers indulge in the same soppy 'nice chords no rhythm' practices! But surely lots of true Old English Carols have the rustic boisterousness that you are after. One only has to look through The Oxford Book of Carols to find both English and Continental examples with some pazzaz. If anyone watched the Lucy Worsley TV programme about carols, whatever shortcomings it may have had, it made the point that carols, not having biblical texts, were banned from being sung in church and belonged in a secular realm, Wassailing, etc. (I gather While Shepherds Watched was one carol allowed within the hallowed walls as it is an approximate paraphrase of the biblical account.)

Absolutely agree about the Britten. His set of Choral Variations on A Boy was Born takes things a stage further and into the realms of extremely difficult choral technique. Heaven knows what 'The Wireless (AKA BBC) Singers', for whom it was written, made of it! The Holst Singers directed by Steohen Layton made a pretty good recording, a while ago now:

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA66825

[Lordgeous]

Its a masterpiece, as is the later Missa Brevis. And yes, Westminster's is my favourite too.

[Nick Armstrong]

I wonder whether other members of this forum heard yesterday's Beyond Belief (Monday, R4 4.30pm)? An interesting discussion about Britten's Ceremony of Carols with Lucy Winkett, Michael Berkeley and Anna Lapwood. Two minus points - 1. No complete performance and 2. the recorded performers weren't credited. A good 30 minutes-worth, I thought.
Happy Christmas to all, when it comes.
RJ

Thanks for the alert, I enjoyed it and learnt things.

Can’t believe I didn’t know (or had forgotten ) that Michael Berkeley is a life peer…

Season’s greetings!

[antongould]

Yes I very much enjoyed it ……..,