CE New College, Oxford May 22nd 2013

[DracoM]

CE New College, Oxford



Order of Service:



Introit: The dove descending (Stravinsky)
Responses: Leighton
Psalms: 108, 109:1-4, 20-30 (Turle, Barnby, Rimbault, Crotch)
First Lesson: Joshua 3: 7-end
Canticles: Second Service (Leighton)
Second Lesson: Luke 9: 37-50
Anthem: Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten)
Hymn: O Thou who camest from above (Hereford)



Organ Voluntary: Choral varié sur le thème du Veni Creator (Duruflé)




Steven Grahl (Assistant Organist)
Edward Higginbottom (Director of Music)

[Colonel Danby]

I'm looking forward to CE next week, one of the highlights of the week for me even if I'm a bit of an christian agnostic at heart. And joyfully there is Kenneth Leighton as well: the second service rather than the Mag and Nunc which he wrote for Magdalene College Oxford but I suppose you can't have everything.

I'm a bit of a massive fan of Leighton's music: obviously I've got the Naxos recording of the choral stuff which includes the Second Service, but I've also invested in his Cello Concerto and the Third Symphony on Chandos and his piano music on Abacus: anybody up for his "Household Pets" Op 86? Great music....

[ardcarp]

I'm a Kenneth Leighton fan too. Do you know Crucifixus pro Nobis ending in that lovely Drop, drop slow tears, Colonel? Not quite seasonal though. If NCO can do Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb as well as the Kings/Ledger version played on The Choir on Sunday, they'll really be motoring. Take your partners for the psalms, BTW.

[DracoM]

Lovely hint about the NCO way with psalms, ardcarp!!

[gainasbass]

I, too, am looking forward to hearing the Kenneth Leighton Second Service which he composed in 1972 (how time flies!) at the request of the Cathedral Organists' Association in memory of Brian Runnett, Norwich Cathedral DOM, who lost his life in a traffic accident while driving home after giving an organ recital in Westminster Abbey. Very fitting that NCO will be doing this especially since KL was a pupil of BR down the road.

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[Wolsey]

[...] in memory of Brian Runnett, Norwich Cathedral DOM, who lost his life in a traffic accident while driving home after giving an organ recital in Westminster Abbey. Very fitting that NCO will be doing this especially since KL was a pupil of BR down the road.

I did a double-take at this. I eventually realised that what you meant was "since KL was a pupil of another BR down the road." Granted that Brian Runnett's initials were 'HBR' though.

[DracoM]

Runnett was a true one-off. Wonderful player.

[gainasbass]

Quite right, Wolsey. Sorry for the confusion. I should have said Bernard Rose.

[DracoM]

Rejoice in the Lamb and they still finished with two minutes to spare.

[Simon]

Hmm. It's not that long since I heard them live and they didn't sound very similar to how they sounded today, that's for sure! I gather they've won a Schallplattenkritik award in Germany for a Britten CD - congratulations!

I detest that grating and formless Stravinsky, and really wanted to hear Leighton, whose second service I do like. Is it his best work? I thought it was superbly done, especially the Nunc.

I enjoyed the Psalm and it's a good chant too. Less swing than in past years. What happened to Psalm 108?

The Britten is typical of one of his works where he wasn't sure when to stop: the answer is "after the first 5 minutes", and I was as usual in this piece bored with his rambling and only half heard it.

Introit apart, which surely isn't beautiful enough music to be programmed in a CE, thanks to all involved for a good evensong, one that for me at any rate "drew" me in because of the musicianship and spark.

[ardcarp]

I missed the psalms (!) but I joined the service soon after the Mag started, and this was an astonishing CE. What utter poise and assurance. The Leighton was not only superbly sung but shaped in the most perfect way. And Rejoice in the Lamb...well, BB would have loved the cat, Geoffrey! NCO is a phenomenon.

[ardcarp]

Heard the whole thing now. Totally amazing. The organ accompaniment was fabulous...extremely sensitive and never overwhelming the choir; balance superb.
How sad that what must be one of the best CEs of the year isn't getting a Sunday repeat. My only worry is that Stravinsky's 'Dove descending' (he was experimenting with serialism at the time) may have deterred a few 'trad' listeners at the start of the service.

Listening to the Leighton Mag again it strikes me what a fine piece it is. The Gloria is most unusual, no triumph here. And I imagine that other-worldly 'World without end' passage is difficult to tune...though of course done to perfection by NCO.

Thank you NCO for your professionalism and musicality.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Stravinsky's 'Dove descending' (he was experimenting with serialism at the time)

Hmm. If I may raise a niggle about this, ardy: The Dove Descending is a fully-fledged and beautiful work by a Serial master who had been using serial techniques for ten years, and who would continue to do so for the rest of his composing career. All his "experimenting" was done in the privacy of his sketchbooks; everything he published was the masterpiece that resulted from these experiments.

[mopsus]

My reaction on seeing the programme was 'Yay - a serial piece on Choral Evensong!' I can't think of another except for possibly a home-grown chant on a broadcast from Caius College a few years ago which used all twelve notes. Has anyone ever done Ridout's 'Twelve-note' canticles or the Elizabeth Lutyens set?