King's College Cambridge Lessons and Carols (both L and R) 24/25th xii 22 / Rads 3 /4

[Pulcinella]

Interesting, as this year I thought the readers on the TV version were very good. Heads up, minimal reference to the print needed, and intelligent delivery of the words.

Maybe they DID get to rehearse!

[oddoneout]

Maybe they DID get to rehearse!

I shall be interested to hear this afternoon - whenever the broadcast starts - currently it's showing as 13-22 on the schedule...

[cat]

Readers needn't look up at the congregation at all in my opinion. They aren't preaching their own mind or lecturing or reciting scripture from inside their head - these are meant to be readings from the holy bible, so even if a reader has committed the text to memory they still ought to demonstrably read it from the book in front of them.

The Hacomblen lectern in the aisle makes this easy, as you can't see over it. I'm not sure whether this is used for the radio service or whether they read from the stalls as they do on TV.

[DracoM]

Nice concert.

[Peanut]

It was indeed a fine concert.

The readers do rehearse... with the chapel staff and with for the BBC. And yes - the Hacomblen lectern is used, installed with its own discreet red light; the readers are asked not to begin reading before the red light - operated from the BBC van like the other separate red light at the west end which begins the service - is switched on, to give the congregation time to settle in their seats.

For what it's worth, I wasn't so convinced with the singing as others on this forum - though I appreciate I'm undoubtedly writing about a world-class choir. And was that the first time a 'commission' wasn't actually an original composition but an arrangement? I was also very sorry to see that Cleobury wasn't recognised in any way in the list of music - be it in an arrangement or descant. I still think his original descant and arrangement (not the later modified version dating from the mid '90s which went over the top) of O come all ye faithful tops the lot... spine-tingling.

[DracoM]

'Concert' tends to imply that it was OK - but, ahem - but as a 'service'?
I watched / listened to the Live-Streamed Carol Service from St Alban's / DoM Andrew Lucas. To and for a REAL community rather than 'audience', . Fine, fine singing, some brill organ work by Tom Winpenny, and a candlelit congregation of hundreds, and it was involving, serious and admirably DOM-ed.

I always feel very sorry for KCC at Christmas - never off stage, always haloed, regularly instanced as some kind of unparalleled global criterion. They are indeed mighty pros, and their work day in day out is very fine but there are other teams, deeply embedded in real communities who are not just audiences and who have at least the same right to serious congrats and thanks.

I KNOW this will attract criticism, but only now after X+ years with much singing of my own and annually listening to choirs and places where they sing do I feel emboldened to say it.

[smittims]

I think Uncle Ralph would agree with you. He frequently stressed the importance of music in local communities: what an old friend of mine called 'general practitioners' of music.

[jonfan]

I think Draco part of the answer is in your reply; many fine sung services are streamed live from cathedrals and colleges and gradually these are becoming better known. KCC will be at the forefront because of history and as long as it was as fine as the Christmas Eve broadcast I’m happy. The television version was spoilt by an inappropriate inclusion of the VW Fantasia, a concert piece and not for a service.

[Simon Biazeck]

I think Draco part of the answer is in your reply; many fine sung services are streamed live from cathedrals and colleges and gradually these are becoming better known. KCC will be be at the forefront because of history and as long as it was as fine as the Christmas Eve broadcast I’m happy. The television version was spoilt by an inappropriate inclusion of the VW Fantasia, a concert piece and not for a service.

[oddoneout]

I think Draco part of the answer is in your reply; many fine sung services are streamed live from cathedrals and colleges and gradually these are becoming better known. KCC will be be at the forefront because of history and as long as it was as fine as the Christmas Eve broadcast I’m happy. The television version was spoilt by an inappropriate inclusion of the VW Fantasia, a concert piece and not for a service.

I was puzzled by that. I do wonder if there is now beginning to be some difference of opinion as to whether it's a service, or a celebration of Christmas. The general schedule blurb says one thing but the detail is headed as "Order of Service".
The cellist's face-pulling was most disconcerting, so I stopped watching and just listened. Having listened to the "proper" version now as well, a couple of things struck me. I think the quality of the readings was much better in the TV version, but it seemed as if there were some glitches in terms of the coordination between choir and organ, which I was relieved didn't seem to have happened in the radio version. As others have mentioned the sound quality of the radio broadcasts was excellent. Having the descants floating above, but complementing not drowning, the melody line was such a pleasure.

[Rolmill]

I think the quality of the readings was much better in the TV version, but it seemed as if there were some glitches in terms of the coordination between choir and organ, which I was relieved didn't seem to have happened in the radio version.

Agree re the readings (retakes allowed on TV as not live?). Interesting point re organ/choir coordination, as I felt that the Sans Day carol wasn't very together in the radio service (organist seemed to want to go slightly faster than the choir throughout) but didn't notice this in the TV version. I did wish that "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day" had been taken a little faster though (same with the St John's broadcast Advent service).

Minor quibbles aside, I enjoyed both KCC offerings very much and thought the treble sound was excellent.

[jonfan]

https://twitter.com/CollersB/status/1607003836740141059/photo/3

There's more freedom in placing microphones to their best advantage in the radio broadcast and it showed this year. Spot mikes were used to focus closely on the choir during their items as the above link to a picture shows. Then they were reduced in the hymns to great effect as noted at #25. Straight to CD quality I think as St John's does with their radio broadcasts. Some of the best engineering achieved in this challenging location IMHO.

[PeterboroughDiapason]

I'm quite surprised at the negativity here about these broadcasts. I thought the TV Carols was fantastic: tone, engagement, phrasing, tempi, atmosphere, readings, restrained conducting: nothing rushed or overblown. It wasn't a service - I'd have called it a meditation and, as such, the VW was fine, though a surprising inclusion, perhaps.

I also thought the radio broadcast was excellent. I didn't enjoy it quite so much but I think that was because my hearing is defective these days and I found the radio sound less easy to listen to (that's a comment on me not the broadcast).

I also thought the organ - and the playing - sounded very fine in both.

[Caussade]

[QUOTE=Rolmill;903156]Agree re the readings (retakes allowed on TV as not live?). Interesting point re organ/choir coordination, as I felt that the Sans Day carol wasn't very together in the radio service (organist seemed to want to go slightly faster than the choir throughout) but didn't notice this in the TV version. I did wish that "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day" had been taken a little faster though (same with the St John's broadcast Advent service).

Minor quibbles aside, I enjoyed both KCC offerings very much and thought the treble sound was excellent.

The ensemble issue might have been a consequence of the microphone placement - the distance between organ and stalls in KCC necessitates playing a fair way ahead of the beat to ensure precise ensemble with the choir in the stalls. If the microphones closest to the organ were prevalent in the the mix this would account for the impression that the organ was constantly trying to press on. I think Dancing Day was done at Gardner's marked tempo - it's generally sung much faster than he indicated. Whether one likes that marking is another issue.

[Awkwardlistener]

I’ve taken a long break from this forum. The last King’s broadcast under the late Cleobury was deeply disappointing which I commented on, and I think what we’ve heard is light years away from that. I’m surprised by the negativity from DracoM who for years has complained about the quality of KCC - which to be honest I agreed with.

King’s are back to a world class standard - the trebles in particular - the goalposts have been shifted again by naysayers to some nebulous and unspecific criticism to do with community singing. I think it’s rather revealing, and total rubbish. Choral singing has never been in ruder health in this country, and there are a clutch of choirs who sing and meet or exceed the standard of KCC. But to pick a bone with these broadcasts, with this sound - says much. Congratulations to Mr Hyde on returning King’s to something much closer to the Ledger sound - bright, confident, open, well paced, tender - and at times dramatic. So much musicality. Cambridge must feel like a very special place these days with all these world class choirs. I’d rather praise that then continue a 15 year diatribe that the choir and those who follow choral music are deeply cognisant of. Again nothing personal DracoM but I feel these comments are deeply unfair and frankly not to do with music.