CE St John’s College, Cambridge Wed, 12th April 2023 [R]

[DracoM]

CE St John’s College, Cambridge Wed, 12th April 2023 [R]
From the Chapel of St John’s College, Cambridge
St John’s Voices


Order of Service:

Introit: Angel Vopiyasche (Chesnokov)
Responses: Sarah MacDonald
Psalms 65, 66, 67 (Whitlock, Atkins, Luard-Selby)
First Lesson: Song of Solomon 3 vv.1-11
Canticles: Jesus College Service (Mathias)
Second Lesson: Luke 24 vv.1-12
Anthem: Lo, the full, final sacrifice (Finzi)
Hymn: Jesus lives! thy terrors now (St Albinus)

Voluntary: Prelude on The Old Hundredth (Iain Farrington)


Benedict Turner-Berry (Organist)
Graham Walker (Director)


Recorded 23 February

[ardcarp]

Iain Farrington is a very busy chap!. He composes and arranges so much stuff, I don't know where he gets the time from. His piece for the cancelled Prom (lock-down) was possibly wasted, but will no doubt re-emerge sometime. Since then we had A Party with Auntie, a medley of well-know BBC theme tunes. I think he himself was an organ scholar at St John's. He works in all genres, including jazz. I know his Dad, and he tells me that Iain is inundated with work.

[Roger Judd]

Ian is also commissioned to write something for the Coronation, based on Commonwealth themes / tunes! Indeed he was a Johnian organ scholar, and before that he was a colleague with me in the loft at St George's Windsor. I clearly recall him coming in to play for an evensong, armed with his own arrangement of the Adagio from Mahler 5, which he played before the service - a very talented lad!

[DracoM]

On NOW.

[jonfan]

A lot of of fun was had by the organist exploring the full range if the instrument, from delicate tracery in the psalms to the very full organ in the voluntary! I didn’t think I was going to enjoy the choir when I heard the full voiced soloist in the Chesnokov Introit but that was just right for that piece of course. I enjoyed the variety and beauty of the choir’s singing with great attention to detail. An excellent CE and hope to hear SJV broadcast again. The service leader sounded like the mellifluous voice of Rev Sam Wells, not only in the voice but in what was said?

[DracoM]

Thxs to jonfan for kindnesses, but also saying what I could never bring myself to think, let alone say. Fully professional singing but a concert IMO
That CE was a distillation of pretty well all that brings me to tears over current R3 CEs.

[mopsus]

Were the psalms sung full throughout, and if so, why?

[jonfan]

Thxs to jonfan for kindnesses, but also saying what I could never bring myself to think, let alone say. Fully professional singing but a concert IMO
That CE was a distillation of pretty well all that brings me to tears over current R3 CEs.

I’m missing something here. I enjoyed this CE thoroughly and is the fact that the music is sung by graduates and undergraduates to a very high standard somehow makes it a concert rather than an act of worship? The student conversation on Twitter by the choir gave the impression they thought they were at a service.
I wonder DracoM if you thought Sunday’s CE from Chester was a concert or a service? Totally different personnel and style but equally rewarding and also a very impressive standard of singing IMHO.

[DracoM]

Good Q's. Will think.

[cat]

The service leader sounded like the mellifluous voice of Rev Sam Wells, not only in the voice but in what was said?

Rev'd Andrew Hammond, previously chaplain down the road at King's, and a former opera singer!

[jonfan]

Rev'd Andrew Hammond, previously chaplain down the road at King's, and a former opera singer!

Thank you. The opera training obviously helps with speaking with such clarity.

[ardcarp]

The introit came as a bit of a shock, but as jonfan hints, it was probably in keeping with what one might hear in a Russian Orthodox setting.
Otherwise the choir was very expertly prepared in its phrasing and dynamics. I enjoyed the repertoire. The Finzi isn't easy to bring off...inclined to be somewhat 'bitty'....and despite the highly professional singing and direction, I wasn't quite convinced.

[mopsus]

The introit came as a bit of a shock, but as jonfan hints, it was probably in keeping with what one might hear in a Russian Orthodox setting.
Otherwise the choir was very expertly prepared in its phrasing and dynamics. I enjoyed the repertoire. The Finzi isn't easy to bring off...inclined to be somewhat 'bitty'....and despite the highly professional singing and direction, I wasn't quite convinced.

Yes, I feel the Mathias canticles don't get as many outings as they deserve. I have the complete Priory Records Mag and Nunc set and was surprised not to find them included.

[DracoM]

Rpt this [Sunday] p.m.

[ardcarp]

Yes, I feel the Mathias canticles don't get as many outings as they deserve. I have the complete Priory Records Mag and Nunc set and was surprised not to find them included.

I feel the same about Howells' Responses. I love them but seldom hear them done. Maybe those who worry about CE becoming 'a concert' find them too time-consuming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbZUksVitF4