Choir of the Year

[Chris Newman]

The Golden Vanity and Ceremony of Carols....OK, they stood still for the latter!

In fact, now I think about it they processed in and out for the Ceremony of Carols.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I I recall some of it (admittedly more restrained) at a concert when Britten conducted parts of a concert (The Golden Vanity and Ceremony of Carols....OK, they stood still for the latter!)

The Golden Vanity is a slightly different case. It's subject matter cries out for dramatic movement of a semi-staged nature. On the Decca recording with Britten, the (overmodulated) recording includes typically Decca "Sonicstage" noises of splashing water. So I think in this rare instance, a bit of jigging might be forgiveable. But I couldn't see any justification for it in the Choir of the Year final.

[Mary Chambers]

The Golden Vanity is a sort of mini-opera, though. I think Britten described it as a 'vaudeville'. I don't think that's quite the same thing as actions during standard choral pieces.

[Chris Newman]

Oh, sorry, folks. I did not explain clearly with my ambiguous sentence. Of course, I agree that The Golden Vanity requires movements being a vaudeville/mini-opera. I was just saying incidentally that the only time I heard the VBC live was a night when BB conducted some of his music as part of the concert. My main point was that the boys moved (jigged about a bit, but less than the boys from Warwickshire) in Strauss waltzes and Schubert song settings. This was the only time I had seen such things outside musicals and "The Black and White Minstrels". For better or for worse it has caught on. I doubt if Salisbury Musical Society will be jigging this Saturday when they sing Elgar's "The Music Makers".

[jean]

When I took part in the international Concorso Polifonico Guido D'Arezzo in Arezzo some time in the 1980s, I remember that some of the (adult) choirs did a bit of swaying around - some Romanians especially.

None of them had scores to hold, of course, as we did!

[Mary Chambers]

Oh, sorry, folks. I did not explain clearly with my ambiguous sentence. Of course, I agree that The Golden Vanity requires movements being a vaudeville/mini-opera. I was just saying incidentally that the only time I heard the VBC live was a night when BB conducted some of his music as part of the concert. My main point was that the boys moved (jigged about a bit, but less than the boys from Warwickshire) in Strauss waltzes and Schubert song settings.

I am envious about that concert, Chris!

When I saw the VBC, some time in the 90s I think, I'm sure they didn't jig about except in the little opera they performed, which I think was by Mozart. They sang rather flat some of the time in the church music pieces, but VERY LOUDLY. My ears rang for some time afterwards.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I was jigging around enough in last Saturday's concert to bash the shoulder of one of the sopranos in front of me but that was only because I was trying to keep in time.

[Vile Consort]

I was jigging around enough in last Saturday's concert to bash the shoulder of one of the sopranos in front of me but that was only because I was trying to keep in time.

I take it you were the conductor then.

[sigolene euphemia]

This is a favorite of mine, but I have not a clue as to who the choir may be as Virgin did not label who the voices are .. ..

Otto Nicolai: Christmas Overture
Bamberg Symphony / Karl Anton Rickenbacher

Help, please.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I was jigging around enough in last Saturday's concert to bash the shoulder of one of the sopranos in front of me but that was only because I was trying to keep in time.

I take it you were the conductor then.

No, the conductor was perfectly still throughout. She was singing too, only moving to start us off.

That quote within a quote took some doing, but thanks to johnb's careful tuition, I've finally managed to sort it out.

[rubbernecker]

Have finally caught up with the TV final on iPlayer having heard an excerpt on radio on The Choir.

The Wellensian Consort were worthy winners. They had that "shimmering" quality identified by one of the judges, choral composer Eric Whitacre.

Have been listening a lot to Whitacre lately, both the Polyphony Cloudburst CD on Hyperion (which features Elin Manahan Thomas, another of the judges - coincidentally?) and the latest Decca offering Light and Gold with Whitacre conducting his own ensemble.

There is quite a lot of shared material between the two discs and this makes for some fascinating comparisons. On the e.e. cummings setting "i thank thee god" on the Decca disc Whitacre has gone back to his simpler, original setting of the end of the text, and, according to his sleeve notes seems to have disowned the published version, as recorded by Polyphony.

The performances on both discs are outstanding but, on balance, the Hyperion disc is the more satisfying. The Decca contains too much lighter, less consequential music for me and, with its packaging emphasis on Mr. Whitacre's blond good looks, seems more designed for the Classic FM brigade.

I don't have the Elora Naxos disc also conducted by the composer as that would be duplication excessive even by my standards, but I would love to hear it.

Anyone have any thoughts on Whitacre or the COTY competition judges?