CE St Jude's Hampstead, London [R]: 2.10.2024

[jonfan]

A record???
Oh dear!
I turned off half way through. NOT my idea of CE.

What is your idea of CE Draco? Personally I like a broad church from the most accomplished university college choirs, professional singers, cathedral choirs through to parish churches good enough to take part. Bring them all on!

A record???
Oh dear!
I turned off half way through. NOT my idea of CE.

[Simon Biazeck]

That's what I thought too, as was the solo bass introduction to The Twelve - stentorian in a good way.

The whole was a great act of worship and celebration of the BBCS, if unlike any midweek Evensong I've ever attended. Former members of the BBCS could be heard enjoying themselves in Coe Fen. 'How shall I sing that Majesty?' - just like that!

Yes - very commanding. By the way, the tenor solo in the Coll. Reg Nunc was Ben Durrant. His brother Philippe is also a fine tenor.

[Keraulophone]

Stunning tenor solo in the Nunc dimittis - the best I have ever heard.

That's what I thought too, as was the solo bass introduction to The Twelve - stentorian in a good way.

The whole was a great act of worship and celebration of the BBCS, if unlike any midweek Evensong I've ever attended. Former members of the BBCS could be heard enjoying themselves in Coe Fen. 'How shall I sing that Majesty?' - just like that!

[Simon Biazeck]

Succinctly said - v.many thx.

Succinctly said - v.many thx.

[Simon Biazeck]

Stunning tenor solo in the Nunc dimittis - the best I have ever heard. Too slow for my taste (barely singable at HH's metronome mark!) but what a virtue he made of it. I must admit that I don't like the venerable Sir John's orchestration - too soupy for my taste but I have no objection to orchestral accompaniments in choral services per se. Walton's orchestration of 'The Twelve' is very enjoyable. Coe Fen breaks me every time even if the arrangement was a bit OTT and smothered the singers in the final verse. I wept whilst disembarking a peak-hour train. Not my usual experience on SE HS. As mentioned above, HH's orchestration (and reworked opening) of the Coll. Reg. 'Te Deum' is very naughty and I love it.

[Simon Biazeck]

Loved it!
I think she said she was a priest at St Jude’s, a favourite recording venue for Hyperion and Decca, as well as other classical labels.

[jonfan]

Well the vicar certainly thought she was …none of your Anglican reticence there….

Loved it!
I think she said she was a priest at St Jude’s, a favourite recording venue for Hyperion and Decca, as well as other classical labels.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Sorry to say it, but the whole thing was way, way over the top for me. I had no sense of being present at, let alone participating in, an act of worship.
I couldn't stop thinking that this was CE meeting FNiMN.

Well the vicar certainly thought she was …none of your Anglican reticence there….

[jonfan]

I enjoyed it, celebrating the distinguished past the Singers have made to religious broadcasting. In the 70s and 80s on rare visits to London I would go to All Souls, Langham Place, to hear the Singers rehearse for the Daily Service, often directed by Barry Rose. The service was always the same format, a sung sentence, (often a Thalben-Ball), a psalm, two hymns, a bible reading and prayers from New Every Morning. There was often a homeless person snoring away at the back. Those were the days!!
A beautiful sound from the choir today, especially in the introit and canticles, The balance favoured the orchestra in the Canticles but John Rutter is always respectful of anything by Howells with beautiful orchestral colour. (There’s precedence, surely, from Bach onwards for orchestrating the Canticles, to Stanford and beyond!)
The star piece was the Walton. Great stuff!
Happy Birthday!

[Wychwood]

Sorry to say it, but the whole thing was way, way over the top for me. I had no sense of being present at, let alone participating in, an act of worship.
I couldn't stop thinking that this was CE meeting FNiMN.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I didn't listen but am a bit horrified to see the canticles were accompanied orchestrally.
I wonder if it's the same orchestration as on the King's recording (I gave up after what I considered the desecration of the Te Deum when this recording came out); the Presto site doesn't appear to credit who it was by.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8615892--howells-cello-concerto-an-english-mass#reviews

The Canticles sounded a bit like Gotterdamerung not helped by an extraordinarily echoey acoustic…

The A Capella* stuff was much better - rather nice singing.

* sorry but a bit hazy on what was what as I dozed off …

[Ein Heldenleben]

It would be churlish to criticise this distinguished group on their 100th anniversary . All I can say is I liked it more than the Classical Live concert which has a truly dreadful new commission in it . I liked at the hymn at the end but “operatic” and orchestral evensong doesn’t sound right to me and I like opera - indeed prefer it to Evensong really.
The celebrant seemed unusually “fired up” don’t you think ?

[Pulcinella]

I didn't listen but am a bit horrified to see the canticles were accompanied orchestrally.
I wonder if it's the same orchestration as on the King's recording (I gave up after what I considered the desecration of the Te Deum when this recording came out); the Presto site doesn't appear to credit who it was by.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8615892--howells-cello-concerto-an-english-mass#reviews