CE Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge 14th Dec 2011

[DracoM]

CE Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
In the Chapel of Worksop College




Order of Service:



Introit: Sanctus (Alcock)
Responses: Geoffrey Webber
Office Hymn: Sancte Cuthberte (Laus Patrono)
Psalm: 38 (Webber)
First Lesson: Jeremiah 7:1-11
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D minor (Vaughan Williams)
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 2:1-10
Anthem: Komm, Jesu, komm (Bach)
Hymn: Hills of the North, rejoice (Little Cornard)



Organ Voluntary: Prelude and Fugue in C minor (Vaughan Williams)




Annie Lydford and Nick Lee (Organ Scholars)
Timothy Uglow (Director of Music at Worksop College)
Geoffrey Webber (Director of Music)

[ardcarp]

A very good choir with a fine director. Their last broadcast was amazingly professional, but marred, I felt, by one or two over-wobbly sopranos. The choir used to be very 'straight'. The personnel changes of course, but one wonders if there is an increasing trend for singers in such choirs to be 'trained' with a singing career in mind.

[Gabriel Jackson]

A very good choir with a fine director. Their last broadcast was amazingly professional, but marred, I felt, by one or two over-wobbly sopranos. The choir used to be very 'straight'. The personnel changes of course, but one wonders if there is an increasing trend for singers in such choirs to be 'trained' with a singing career in mind.

Indeed! Heaven forbid anyone anyone aspiring to a career as a professional singer should have any training!

[DracoM]

I imagine ardcarp meant a solo singing career in mind, in which different means of projecting get taught.

GJ, the guy says in his very first line what a fine choir they are - we heard them on R3 the other day and they certainly did sound in good nick - and out of the blue you introduce a sour note in answer to a perfectly innocuous questioning first response to this thread. Why?

[ardcarp]

Gabriel and Draco

I don't want to get drawn into the fray! But may I draw your attention to my post under a new thread: The Choir....Sunday December 11th, which partly explains what I was getting at in my usual inept way.


http://www.for3.org/forums/forumdisp...p?40-The-Choir

[Gabriel Jackson]

I imagine ardcarp meant a solo singing career in mind, in which different means of projecting get taught.

GJ, the guy says in his very first line what a fine choir they are - we heard them on R3 the other day and they certainly did sound in good nick - and out of the blue you introduce a sour note in answer to a perfectly innocuous questioning first response to this thread. Why?

I think the sour note was struck with "marred, I felt, by one or two over-wobbly sopranos"!

Why is it only female vibrato that attracts such opprobrium...?!

[DracoM]

Praulins piece a MUST for any choral music aficionados. A quite astonishing performance by a top, top ensemble, and I DO mean ensemble, and not a group of soloists, though no doubt they could do brilliantly as soloists too, but here blending to huge effect.

Terrific.

[Roehre]

I think the sour note was struck with "marred, I felt, by one or two over-wobbly sopranos"!

Why is it only female vibrato that attracts such opprobrium...?!

This choir appears on the latest BBC MM CD, with remarkable seasonal repertoire, very enjoyable, and generally speaking very well done except that some of the soloists (male and female) are a bit wobbly - which IMO hasn't got anything to do with a vibrato in which you could park a car.

[Simon]

I thought the choir did well and should be congratulated - the anthem was particularly well performed, in my view.

But it was indeed a shame about the female vibrato, which generally spoils church music, as opposed of course to certain operatic roles where it's a given. Horses for courses, and these weren't.

The least said about the gimmicks of the "Responses" the better, from a musical and devotional point of view. However, that anyone whould have the crass brass face to programme their own works for a broadcast that they are directing is beyond me. I was brought up to consider such self-promotion to be in bad taste and not really the done thing.

Well done - technically -for the voluntary - though I can't imagine why anyone would bother with what must be one of RVW's least appealing works.

[ardcarp]

Hi Simon,

Good to hear from you again.

May I agree with you wholeheartedly about:

the anthem was particularly well performed, in my view.

But it was indeed a shame about the female vibrato,

though I can't imagine why anyone would bother with what must be one of RVW's least appealing works.

...but disagree slightly about:

However, that anyone whould have the crass brass face to programme their own works for a broadcast that they are directing is beyond me. I was brought up to consider such self-promotion to be in bad taste and not really the done thing.

It is not unknown for DOMs to slide one of their own pieces into CE, and let's face it, why not? Maybe the responses were not to everyone's liking, but they had a certain originality. And let us not forget in earlier times, it was a DUTY of cathedral and Chapels Royal post-holders (from before Byrd to SS Wesley and beyond) to write music.

Given the experimentation currently going on with DoM appointments (i.e. not all dyed in the wool organists) why not try appointing a composer or two? It would certainly liven up the good old Anglican music scene.

Happy Christmas!