St Paul's Cathedral - archive broadcast

[ardcarp]

St Paul's Cathedral
Duration: 1 hour
First broadcast: Sunday 29 December 2013
An archive broadcast from St Paul's Cathedral, first transmitted on Christmas Day 1988.

Introit: Hodie Christus natus est (Poulenc)
Responses: Smith
Psalms: 19, 85 (Walmisley; Parratt)
First Lesson: Isaiah 65 vv17-25
Canticles: Dyson in D
Second Lesson: John 1 vv1-9
Carols: A babe is born (Mathias); I sing of a maiden (Hadley); Quelle est cette odeur? (Trad French arr. Willcocks); In dulci jubilo (Trad German arr. Scheidt)
Organ Voluntary: Prelude and Fugue in C - The Great - BWV 547 (Bach)

John Scott (Sub-Organist and conductor)
Christopher Dearnley (Organist).

[VodkaDilc]

Wonderful! They certainly don't make them like that any more (or record them so well).

I was taken aback when they announced that it was an edited version; I'm not sure what they cut out.

Has anyone ever had the measure of that organ and the acoustic as Christopher Dearnley?

[Simon Biazeck]

Has anyone ever had the measure of that organ and the acoustic as Christopher Dearnley?

Yes, indeed! Simon Johnson, current organist and Assistant Director of Music handles it with great expertise - I hear him regularly.

I've still to listen to this, and now I'm expecting a blinder.

[Contre Bombarde]

Yes, indeed! Simon Johnson, current organist and Assistant Director of Music handles it with great expertise.

Indeed. Any doubters should watch Simon's DVD displaying this wonderful instrument and, especially for those who regard organists as 2nd rate musicians, (and there are plenty), the narrated performance of Norman Cocker's "Tuba Tune".

In the recent past, John Scott's CDs of Dupré from St Paul's ranks at the highest level of performance ever recorded of that peerless composer's works. And yes, that includes Ben van Oosten's and Daniel Roth's recordings.

[Simon Biazeck]

Indeed. Any doubters should watch Simon's DVD displaying this wonderful instrument and, especially for those who regard organists as 2nd rate musicians, (and there are plenty), the narrated performance of Norman Cocker's "Tuba Tune".

In the recent past, John Scott's CDs of Dupré from St Paul's ranks at the highest level of performance ever recorded of that peerless composer's works. And yes, that includes Ben van Oosten's and Daniel Roth's recordings.

And he's brilliant with the choir too - he has a bright future ahead of him!

I love the Scott Dupré rec. Incredible playing - the B-major fugue!! I used to have it on vinyl and subjected my poor grandmother to most of it when she was child-minding - she was very patient! I have it on CD now.

[ardcarp]

I can't quite recacll the dates of Dearneley/Rose-Dearnley/Scott-Dearnley/Scott succession, but assuming this was Scott's early days, he had certainly put some fire in the bellies. Maybe the Poulenc was a little OTT (it's a hard piece to get right with P's choppy short phrases) but I felt the choir just got better and better as things went on... Dyson to the manner born, and the split-treble Scheidt done with spirit. Pity the Hadley had to go.

I always feel sorry for choirs singing on Christmas Day...especially having to stay for CE. Wells always had its carol service on Boxing Day. Does it still?

[bach736]

Wells always had its carol service on Boxing Day. Does it still?

I think the choir go off after Matins on Christmas morning and return for Epiphany. Their carol service was on the Monday before Christmas.

[DracoM]

Lovely to get a sense of place in this archive tx - where else could it be but St P!! And the clever way the 'insiders' in terns of choir / organist knew exactly how to navigate the huge acoustic and USE it to advantage.

Also loved the fact that unlike today's fearsomely close miking, we actually got the trebles full on much of the time without losing the back rows. And a rich chest tone too in the trebles - real projection from low registers - and at the top, no screeching, just pinging out the high repeats in the Scheidt. All done with terrific confidence, as ardcarp hinted. They just sounded so different to what we get via CE from St P's today, where it comes across as men wrestling, strutting and muscling forward and the poor trebs cheeping to be heard. As that archive well showed, it just doesn't have to be like this. Sounded like a real choir trainer at work, partnered by a consummate organist.

A true joy.

[Magnificat]

I can't quite recacll the dates of Dearneley/Rose-Dearnley/Scott-Dearnley/Scott succession, but assuming this was Scott's early days, he had certainly put some fire in the bellies. Maybe the Poulenc was a little OTT (it's a hard piece to get right with P's choppy short phrases) but I felt the choir just got better and better as things went on... Dyson to the manner born, and the split-treble Scheidt done with spirit. Pity the Hadley had to go

ardcarp

I seem to remember reading in John Scott's obituary of Christopher Dearnley in the Press that after Barry Rose left in 1984 Christopher Dearnley seemed to lose his confidence and eventually left the choir training to John Scott and Andrew Lucas.

VCC

[Roger Judd]

Favourable comment has been made of the engineering of this broadcast, and I absolutely agree with this. Barry Rose led a double life for some time (1971-1990), his other job being the principal producer of the broadcast Evensongs. I wonder whether he worked on this service - if he did, that might explain the excellent balance and sound, given his intimate knowledge of the Cathedral.

As for the performance of the music, it seemed to me to be just about ideal on every front.
RJ

[Triforium]

ardcarp

I seem to remember reading in John Scott's obituary of Christopher Dearnley in the Press that after Barry Rose left in 1984 Christopher Dearnley seemed to lose his confidence and eventually left the choir training to John Scott and Andrew Lucas.

VCC

You must be paraphrasing, I shouldn't imagine such a blunt instrument being used, especially in a remembrance.

[Wolsey]

I seem to remember reading in John Scott's obituary of Christopher Dearnley in the Press that after Barry Rose left in 1984 Christopher Dearnley seemed to lose his confidence and eventually left the choir training to John Scott and Andrew Lucas.

John Scott's obituary was published in The Independent on 3 January 2001 and another by him appeared in the May edition of Organists' Review that year. Having just read it, I can confirm that Dr Scott said absolutely nothing of the sort, and I think you had better retract associating his name with that remark.

[mw963]

Not quite on topic but does anyone remember John Scott's performance - in 1977 - of Reubke's Sonata on the 94th Psalm at the Proms (penultimate night)? It might have been 1978....

If there was any doubt of the man's greatness that occasion dispelled it. And he was terribly young at the time.

Years later - through someone who knew him - I was able to reunite him with a home recording of the occasion, for which I received a charming postcard in thanks that mentioned that - listening all these years later - he'd perhaps taken too many risks in the performance.

Not a bit of it! It's the only performance I've heard of that work that has - at least for me - really unified the piece into one great terrifying hurricane of avenging from on high!

[mercia]

1977

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1970s/1977/september-16/9009

[mw963]

Thanks mercia.

But did you hear it...?