Friday was our last day at the Edington festival. The day started slightly later than usual as there was no 9.00am Matins service (the Schola got the morning off). Instead Choral Matins was celebrated at 11.30am.
The consort sang the lovely Venite from Orlando Gibbons's Short Service. The Te Deum and Jubilate were more contemporary; Britten's Festival Te Deum and Walton's Jubilate. The Britten was interesting, it eschewed the usual bombast that I associate with festal settings of this text; there were some good solos from the Nave choir. The Walton was given a brilliant, rhythmically exciting performance by the Nave choir. The consort sang Gibbons's I am the resurrection and the life, a beautiful setting of the Gospel reading for the day.
For me, the highlight of the week was the music at the Friday evening Solemn Eucharist. Throughout the week, by getting to the church early (to get good seats) we had overheard Robert Quinney rehearsing the Nave choir, so we had a good working knowledge of Friday's music by the time the service came along. The mass setting was the James MacMillan mass, written for Westminster Cathedral. The Nave choir sang the Kyrie, Alleluia and Agnus Dei. Both the piece and the performance were stunning; its a very tricky work and I can't wait to hear it in Westminster Cathedral. The Consort kept the contemporary theme by singing Tippett's Plebs Angelica, another stunning performance. The Organ prelude was MacMillan's Gaudeamus in loci paci and the Voluntary was Durufle's Fugue sur le nom d'Alain, one of my favourite organ pieces. All in all a profoundly moving service.
Monday 4 September 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts this month
-
Wagner's Die Walküre - The London Opera Company Wagner's Die Walküre; Ben Thapa, Philippa Boyle, Simon Wilding, Simon Thorpe, Har...
-
Puccini, arr: Burke: Toscatastrophe! - Gwenneth-Ann Rand, Keel Watson - Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2018 With the sad news of the passin...
-
Handel: Ariodante - Angharad Rowlands - Royal Academy Opera (Photo: Craig Fuller) Handel: Ariodante ; Royal Academy Opera, director: Olivia...
-
Edward Lambert: Masque of Vengeance - The Music Troupe (Photo: Claire Shovelton) Edward Lambert: Masque of Vengeance ; The Music Troupe, Da...
-
VOICEBOX, September 2023 hosted by Britten Pears Arts (Photo: Patrick Young / Britten Pears Arts) Soprano Juliet Fraser describes her VOIC...
-
Handel: Jephtha - Jennifer France - Royal Opera House (Photo: Marc Brenner) Handel: Jephtha ; Allan Clayton, Alice Coote, Jennifer France, ...
-
Fans of Wagner’s epic tale of love, feuding families, betrayal and retribution are in for a treat this Saturday 25 November. The London Oper...
-
Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud A Dangerous Obsession: The Relationship of Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud ; Ben Vonberg-Clark, Julien...
-
Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra I get all sorts of mail, people sending my information on concerts and recordings. Everything gets gl...
-
Rachel Barton Pine (Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco) American violinist Rachel Barton Pine 's most recent disc, on the Cedille Records label...
No comments:
Post a Comment