Music from Winchester Cathedral ... 14 - 17 July

[Lizzie]

Dear All

Don't forget that Southern Cathedrals Festival starts at Winchester tomorrow and runs until Sunday.

www.southerncathedralsfestival.org.uk for full details

or

https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk

I have also posted some briefer details to the Forum Calendar.

Tomorrow's Evensong will be recorded by the BBC for later broadcast. Stanford A Canticles - a great favourite of mine...

Please join us if you can and know you will be warmly welcomed.
Bws. Liz

[gainasbass]

According to the R3 CE Schedule the SCF CE will be broadcast on 28 September. Looking forward to it!

[Lizzie]

According to the R3 CE Schedule the SCF CE will be broadcast on 28 September. Looking forward to it!

Thank you for that! Hopefully I should be around to actually listen! I shall be listening to myself as part of the congregation! Looking forward to the Festival immensely.

[BBMmk2]

The Stanford sounds rather good, Lizzie!!

[Lizzie]

The Stanford sounds rather good, Lizzie!!

Oh my word! It has all been magnificent so far. The BBC recording yesterday with all three Choirs of Boys and Men was HUGE! Cathedral was packed and hopefully it will sound as glorious as it was on the day.
St Swithun's Day Eucharist with its Procession this morning was very moving as we in Winchester hold him very dear. Again Boys and Men of all three Cathedrals and the Langlais Messe Solennelle was absolutely spine tingling and I feared for the safety of our roof vaulting! The sun rays coming through the upper windows through the rising incense made me feel Swithun might be smiling down. Again packed and the hymns sung with real gusto and commitment, especially Sine Nomine. Revd Lucy Winkette's sermon was spot on too. This afternoon's CE with just the three lots of Boys was Glorious. Julian Poore's trumpet playing in the Burgon Nunc and Leighton Easter Sequence a tour de force. James O'Donnell's recital last night was special to and what a nice chap. Two more days to go and it's been very very special. Bws. Liz

[decantor]

Wonderful stuff, Lizzie - many thanks, and do keep it coming in ever greater detail.

I ache to be there with you. I nearly was, but could not overcome my dread of the journey - and especially of the City's one-way system and parking facilities!

[Lizzie]

Wonderful stuff, Lizzie - many thanks, and do keep it coming in ever greater detail.

I ache to be there with you. I nearly was, but could not overcome my dread of the journey - and especially of the City's one-way system and parking facilities!

Oh Decantor, it would have been lovely to see you! What about trains? Parking Mon to Sat much better now as Winch has Extremely good Park and Ride with excellent and frequent shuttle buses, which also run via the Station. Only ten minutes walk then from bus to Cath and I'd have soothed your fevered brow with an ice cream or cold drink. Come and see us another time and I'll look after you! Bws. Liz

[Magnificat]

Oh my word! It has all been magnificent so far. The BBC recording yesterday with all three Choirs of Boys and Men was HUGE! Cathedral was packed and hopefully it will sound as glorious as it was on the day.
Burgon Nunc and Leighton Easter Sequence a tour de force. James O'Donnell's recital last night was special to and what a nice chap. Two more days to go and it's been very very special.

Lizzie,

Shame it won't be just Winchester in the recorded broadcast after all Salisbury and Chichester have done their own this year.

I heard them on Monday at St Albans IOF Three Choirs but they sang Purcell and Blow which I would say is not particularly their best suit. They sang it well enough but with their big sound I would have much preferred Stanford or Howells and was rather hoping we would hear some from them in September.

St Albans got lumbered with Purcell and Boyce which is not what I would call St Albans repertoire although again beautifully done.

New College were, of course, very much at home with Purcell and Locke.

The Handel Coronation Anthems by all three choirs with orchestra were absolutely fantastic.

Thanks to all at Winchester for their contribution to a wonderful Summer's evening of glorious singing.

VCC

PS. I noticed they had borrowed a tenor from Salisbury!!

[mopsus]

When I've sung at Winchester with visiting choirs, we've had the problem that the last bus to the park and ride car park goes during Evensong. Is this still the case?
I have used the Worthy Lane car park in the past and walked in, but I see its charges are now much higher than what I remember from a few years ago. I think the best option is to befriend someone who can arrange parking in the Cathedral Close!

[Lizzie]

When I've sung at Winchester with visiting choirs, we've had the problem that the last bus to the park and ride car park goes during Evensong. Is this still the case?
I have used the Worthy Lane car park in the past and walked in, but I see its charges are now much higher than what I remember from a few years ago. I think the best option is to befriend someone who can arrange parking in the Cathedral Close!

Park and Ride buses now run till past 9pm Mon to Sat. Not at all on Sundays. Email Sue Armstrong for future,

[Lizzie]

Wonderful stuff, Lizzie - many thanks, and do keep it coming in ever greater detail.

I ache to be there with you. I nearly was, but could not overcome my dread of the journey - and especially of the City's one-way system and parking facilities!

Final SCF Concert on Saturday nightWow! All the boys and Men on top form. The World premier of the Festival Commission by Philip Moore At the round Earth's imagined corners. Stunning! At the end of it I discovered I'd been sitting next to him - what a real thrill!
It was a tour de force of brass, organ and voice, using a trumpet literally at four corners, one of our Tenors out in the Nave and the rest of theChoirs en masse.The opening Walton Coronation Te Deum opened everything with a 'bang', closely followe...d by Ad te levavi by Gowers which I'd not heard before. The Bruckner Ecce Sacerdos with three fantastic trombones wonderful as ever. Solos from our wonderful treble Phil and several of our Men in Gabrieli's In ecclesii were very moving. I loved the Organ and Brass setting of Grande choeur dialogué wap magnificent. The huge Moore piece was followed by the reflective Arvo Part The Deers Cry - perfect! All topped off by Rutter's Gloria.

All in all a simply glorious few days and finished off yesterday with very moving farewell services to 12 of our choristers and one of our Layclerks.

Thank you all SO much for all your efforts and the intense pleasure I've had. God bless and best wishes if any of you are reading these posts. Liz

[DracoM]

12 choristers leaving WinchChoir, lizzie? Do you really mean that? 12 at one go???

[gainasbass]

Thanks, Lizzie, for your splendid synopsis of the SCF, particularly the final concert last Saturday night and yesterday's 'farewell' service. I only wish I could have been there. It is my constant regret that I never made it to a service in Winchester when my nephew's brother-in-law JH was a Lay Clerk there (until 2009).

Re the 12 Choristers leaving WC, I look forward to reading your response to DracoM re #12.

[Lizzie]

12 choristers leaving WinchChoir, lizzie? Do you really mean that? 12 at one go???

I do indeed mean it Draco! Six of each plus one our Layclerks! Will leave big holes all round but, we do have good youngsters coming through. Deo Gratias!

[Lizzie]

Thanks, Lizzie, for your splendid synopsis of the SCF, particularly the final concert last Saturday night and yesterday's 'farewell' service. I only wish I could have been there. It is my constant regret that I never made it to a service in Winchester when my nephew's brother-in-law JH was a Lay Clerk there (until 2009).

Re the 12 Choristers leaving WC, I look forward to reading your response to DracoM re #12.

Are we speaking of a young man who went to a wellknown broadcaster or another...?! If so, he was there certainly Sat and yesterday... Another wonderful voice.