CE Canterbury Cathedral Wed, 17th April 2019 [L]

[DracoM]

CE Canterbury Cathedral


Order of Service:


Introit: Amicus meus (Victoria)
Responses: Statham
Office hymn: The royal banners forward go (Vexilla regis)
Psalm 88 (Prendergast)
First Lesson: Isaiah 63: 1-9
Canticles: Quarti toni (Morales)
Second Lesson: Revelation 14 v.18 – 15 v.4
Anthem: Vinea mea electa (Poulenc)
Hymn: O sacred head, sore wounded (Passion Chorale)

Voluntary: Fantazia of foure parts (Gibbons)


David Newsholme (Assistant Organist)
David Flood (Organist and Master of the Choristers)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00048bn

[DracoM]

Reminder: .....and as far as I know not in a burning building - LIVE at 3.30 p.m

[Keraulophone]

This is the loudest silence I’ve heard in ages.

[EvensongFan]

Loud silence?

This is the loudest silence I’ve heard in ages.

The recorded silence? In what way? Didn't particularly notice it.

[EvensongFan]

Not much fire in the middle of Holy Week, alas!

[mw963]

Sadly I forgot all about listening to it so was hoping for comments here.

[edashtav]

Not much fire in the middle of Holy Week, alas!

Exactly, "wan" came to my mind.

[Keraulophone]

The recorded silence? In what way?

.

I was just surprised that no one at all had posted by then, EF.

.

(Meanwhile we were singing Howells's Requiem - music as exquisite, but IMV even more poignant.)



.

[EvensongFan]

Ah yes indeed! Well....

[MarkFresc]

New to this forum but thought I would share a little 'review'.....

Introit: Amicus meus (Victoria)
Simply sung; a nice piece and the treble (who sounded quite young) and counter-tenor duet were nice if a little syllabic for my liking. This is clearly a choir which sounds like they are always sightreading (very well, sure)...

Responses: Statham
Dull but penitential I guess....

Office hymn: The royal banners forward go (Vexilla regis)
The cantor for the opening phrase needed to cough... thankfully not the same as the cantor in the Canticles who was better. All felt a little high which, if this was just to serve the key of the psalm, was misjudged.

Psalm 88 (Prendergast)
I love Canterbury psalm singing; the masculine endings, phrasing, speed. I know it's not everyone's taste and previous evensongs from here have been criticised for it but they normally do all the psalms for the day and, to my ear, the pace is welcome. Chant was a bit meh.

First Lesson: Isaiah 63: 1-9
Committed reading from the Archdeacon... sincere and warm.

Canticles: Quarti toni (Morales)
Surely there are better examples of the period suitable for Passiontide? These were ok and nicely sung on the whole with a warm cantor sound.
BUT WHY ON EARTH WERE THE ANTIPHONS IN ENGLISH? To my ear this was just bizarre... incongruous even, and was the text of the Magnificant Antiphon even correct?

Second Lesson: Revelation 14 v.18 – 15 v.4
You have to love the Dean of Canterbury; have seen him speaking on youtube and love his voice.

Anthem: Vinea mea electa (Poulenc)
A great piece. And not easy. Even less easy during Holy Week when everyone is tired by the sound of it. There was a particularly SHOUTY boy on the right ear. He was given room to shout even more in this one and, for me, spoiled the overall sound of the whole evensong if I was going to make a sweeping criticism; glad it’s not my regular POW. It was interesting that the BBC auto attenuator kicked in when the boys were singing on more than one occasion. One or two of the tenors and one of the basses are also past their best. Deps perhaps?

Hymn: O sacred head, sore wounded (Passion Chorale)
Clearly sung by the choir alone.... one questions why use a choir version of a hymn for the only potentially congregational moment of the service, but you know...

Voluntary: Fantazia of foure parts (Gibbons)
This, like the organ introduction by Frescobaldi, was first class. Stylish and appropriate and the Tickell Chamber Organ makes a nice noise (presumably better than the current electronic grand organ which was cleverly rested!)....

[DracoM]

Organ intro and vol best things about the service.
Echo much above.

[mopsus]

They are very protective of their chamber organ. Visiting choirs are forbidden to use it because a few years ago a visiting choir dropped it!

[W.Kearns]

I was delighted to catch the anthem, which cheered me through vile traffic on the M4. Thanks, Canterbury.

[ardcarp]

Thanks Canterbury from me too. Listening in Spain, where Holy Week celebrations seem to consist of men parading the streets in sinister pointy hats, it was deeply moving to hear an Anglican choir (albeit with some Spanish repertoire) sounding appropriate... and doing it well.