Choral Evening Prayer fr Buckfast Abbey [R] Wed, 16th Feb 2022

[DracoM]

Choral Evening Prayer [R] Wed, 16th Feb 2022
from Buckfast Abbey
Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Recorded 7 December 2021.


Order of Service:


Preces: Matthew Martin
First Reading: 2 Chronicles 5: 1-14
Psalm 84 (Grayston Ives)
Second Reading: John 17: 20-26
Office Hymn: The church of God a kingdom is (Wingham)
Canticles: Collegium Magdalenae Oxoniense (Leighton)
Great Litany (John Harper)
Lord’s Prayer (Sheppard)
Anthem: A New Song (James Macmillan)

Voluntary: Seven Sketches (Sortie) (Whitlock)

Matthew Martin (Precentor)

Kyoko Canaway, Tammas Slater, and Martin Baker (Organists)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014grh

[ardcarp]

This was recorded on the same day as their live broadcast from Buckfast in Decenber, I think. A BBC two-for-one. It seems to be an increasingly-used practice. Fairly tiring for the choir, I should think.

[cat]

It was the day before I think. That seems to be the usual practice when they put one in the can.

[ardcarp]

Thanks, cat.

[Keraulophone]

The final 50" or so of A New Song consists of block chords on the organ crescendoing to a huge climax. We can predict with confidence that the new Ruffatti organ will go loud enough!

[mw963]

The final 50" or so of A New Song consists of block chords on the organ crescendoing to a huge climax. We can predict with confidence that the new Ruffatti organ will go loud enough!

But will the listener be allowed to hear the full dynamic range, or will that climax be "controlled"? We shall see......

Because there are so few Cathedral Evensongs now on Radio 3 I've largely lost the habit of tuning in, but we did go through a phase of rather clumsy dynamics control about five years ago, particularly on the organ voluntaries, but the few I've heard more recently have been a bit better in that respect.....

[DracoM]

Reminder - if one were needed - today @ 4 p.m.

[ardcarp]

I just let the sound wash over me, not bothering what came when! G&C sang very well I thought and the acoustic of the Abbey just seemed to blend everything into a mystical state for meditation. I was hoping they wouldn't miss out the Leighton Nunc, and yes, it came at the end. Lovely.

I didn't think the MacMillan added much. I remember singing it when it first arrived on the scene. The somewhat naive 'tune' plus typewriter organ patterns left me a little bemused. But that's just a personal thing. G&C choir and organists did a grand and seamless job!

Any views on the Harper Great Litany?

[DracoM]

Hear! Hear! on Macmillan - tediously predictable and dull.