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

[Gabriel Jackson]

There should not have been any applause IMO.

I don't understand?

[subcontrabass]

I heard a concert by a top, top ensemble tonight who also did brilliantly as soloists when needed - the Russian Christmas concert by the BBC Singers. No other group in this country could do such a programme as well, and as idiomatically. What was it Kaspars said afterwards? "Great choir!". And he knows!

I agree about the singing. Unfortunately this concert was billed as a programme of "Russian Orthodox music for the season of Advent and Christmas." There was NO Advent music. Ony about half of the items included actually related to Christmas. A pity when there is such a wealth of material available.

[Gabriel Jackson]

Actually there was music suitable for Advent. And far more than half the pieces were Christmas-related.

[DracoM]

Because, as Russian Orthodox clergy once opined, this is religious music and thus applause breaks the concentration.

Actually I have many times felt listening to 'religious' music that it is so well done that someone ought to applaud, BUT oddly, the fact that I am cheering inside and no-one else is intensifies the sense of involvement. And a good number of those pieces last night were so short that it seemed a bit inappropriate.

GJ, it does seem that every time the BBC Singers come on R3, you seem to think they are wonderful. Or am I missing something?

[subcontrabass]

Actually there was music suitable for Advent. And far more than half the pieces were Christmas-related.

Let us go through:

Part 1:

Bortniansky: Christmas, non-liturgical

Titov: not Christmas

Kastalsky: Christmas, liturgical

Grigorieva: Christmas, secular

Rachmaninov: August 15th

Part 2:

Gretchaninov: text used every day (except in Easter week) - second verse definitely not Christmas ("Lord you will open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise")

Chesnokov: not Christmas

Sviridov: Christmas, liturgical

Selickis: Christmas, liturgical

Rachmaninov: these parts of the All-Night Vigil are NOT used at Christmas (they are replaced by seasonal texts)

[Gabriel Jackson]

Those texts from the all-night Vigil are perfectly appropriate for Advent.

[subcontrabass]

Those texts from the all-night Vigil are perfectly appropriate for Advent.

Appropriate is not the relevant criterion. They are used for the Vigil of Sundays throughout the year, and are so not specific to Advent (which is how I read the blurb for the programme).

[Gabriel Jackson]

Because, as Russian Orthodox clergy once opined, this is religious music and thus applause breaks the concentration.

Actually I have many times felt listening to 'religious' music that it is so well done that someone ought to applaud, BUT oddly, the fact that I am cheering inside and no-one else is intensifies the sense of involvement. And a good number of those pieces last night were so short that it seemed a bit inappropriate.

OK. I see the point, but as a concert isn't a service one arguably hears the music in a different way and it is serving a different purpose. Someone close to me kept applauding very prematurely last night, though.

GJ, it does seem that every time the BBC Singers come on R3, you seem to think they are wonderful. Or am I missing something?

The BBC Singers broadcast frequently with no comment from me. But, yes, I do think they are wonderful. Is that so very odd?

[Vile Consort]

There should not have been any applause IMO.

And the audience standing?

[DracoM]

Perhaps it was the awfulness of the day up here, or my mood or something, but I found this a puzzling service, despite the fact that it followed along traditional lines in all respects.

Part concert, part PR promo for the Woodard Schools, part lusty hymn singing, all sandwiched round the [ for me ] rather nondescript RVW canticles, a very decent and thoroughly workmanlike singing of a Bach motet, and some of the oddest response presentation I have heard for some time.

The Webber responses and psalm settings were almost wilfully difficult and even weird to my ears over some clever but discreet organ. Nevertheless, a real challenge to any choir. And yes, we did from time to time get wobbly sops - no Latvian / Estonian austerity here. The sops were prominent, but in fact the basses were for me the pick of the bunch

Might have been a tricky acoustic for the engineers - high ceiling, virtually one long stone barn, ranks of pews facing each other west to east.




BTW, the BBC's billing of this CE was not helpful, since it was only clear from the CA announcement from Louise Fryer and not from the actual schedule that the Worksop College Choir would be participating. On the last day of their term too, apparently after their mates had already set off for home........but I noted the Tim Uglow connection