God's composer

[ardcarp]

SRB's programme on Victoria shown on BBC4 tonight was much better than the Symphony series. OK there was a little bit of talking over the music, but on the whole quite large chunks were sung without interruption. The Sixteen gave the music some shape and expression...not the aseptic approach we get from some choirs. Interesting that they used a chamber organ...and I think I spotted a bassoon (or dulzian?) too. There were some impressive shots of Spanish Renaissance/Baroque interiors. Available on i-player:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017sw77

[Richard Tarleton]

SRB's programme on Victoria shown on BBC4 tonight was much better than the Symphony series. OK there was a little bit of talking over the music, but on the whole quite large chunks were sung without interruption. The Sixteen gave the music some shape and expression...not the aseptic approach we get from some choirs. Interesting that they used a chamber organ...and I think I spotted a bassoon (or dulzian?) too. There were some impressive shots of Spanish Renaissance/Baroque interiors. Available on i-player:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017sw77

Yes I think the boy chorister SRB was back in his comfort zone here - and the Sixteen are just superb. I went to one of their Victoria tour concerts in the plainer surroundings of Kings Place - this was a televisual feast. Well done BBC4. It's on my Sky+ hard disc where it's likely to stay.

I remember HC said in an interview he couldn't count - there appeared to be 18 here, as there were at the concert . I spotted the bassoon-like thing.....

I also enjoyed the repeat just beforehand of the programme about Allegri's Miserere, and Elin Manahan-Thomas's high bit.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

yes Richard T both excellent .... i too was counting the singers ...

there is a missing element for me even here in these excellent and most watchable essays; we get the life from Simon and the works from HC and his crew ..... but i would like someone to give us the music, what it is about the works and what they do ...not a lot, just enough ... [rather like that chap and the Impressionists]

[gurnemanz]

Thanks for the tip. I'll watch it on iplayer.

PS When I saw the thread headline, I assumed it was going to be about Anton Bruckner.

[Biffo]

I watched it on iPlayer yesterday and also found it a lot better than expected (after seeing an episode of Symphony). There was far more music and less irrelevant chat. A couple of items were marred by SRB wittering over the opening but by and large the music was done very well. Fortunately, I don't think a lot is known about Victoria other than a bare outline of his career and, of course, his music. This gave less scope for amateur psychologizing and other irrelevancies these programs often contain. One nit-pick Tenebrae is an early morning not evening service.

[pole_2_pole]

I remember HC said in an interview he couldn't count - there appeared to be 18 here, as there were at the concert

The name comes from Canterbury Cathedral Choir - there are always 16 boys; their nickname has been 'The Sixteen' long before HC's time as a boy there... A sweet homage to his roots.

[BBMmk2]

Ah what a surpriuse!I only found out after someone told me about it! SRB seems much more at home in this territory than in 'Symphony'?

[Richard Tarleton]

The name comes from Canterbury Cathedral Choir - there are always 16 boys; their nickname has been 'The Sixteen' long before HC's time as a boy there... A sweet homage to his roots.

Thanks for that, lovely.

[Gabriel Jackson]

The name comes from Canterbury Cathedral Choir - there are always 16 boys; their nickname has been 'The Sixteen' long before HC's time as a boy there... A sweet homage to his roots.

Actually there aren't always 16 boys. The name (for the choristers) dates from a time when there were 16, but in my time there were 18, and I think that's still the case.

[paradisum]

This was well sung. I'm pleased Christophers made the important admission in this programme that the original performance would have been all-male. It would have been at a considerably lower pitch, the top line being sung by adult male falsettists which was the normal performance practice in Spain at that time. The overall character of the original would have been markedly different from the high-voice mixed choirs we are now used to, their excellent singing notwithstanding.