This autumn seems relatively empty musically. I think this is partly in comparison with last autumn which was exceptionally busy, with three concerts over and above what I’d usually do. By contrast, this year there is one event fewer, because of a clash of dates, and this comes after missing the Cathedral Chamber Choir’s trip to Lincoln in August.
After 10 years (the last visit was just before the new song room opened) the Erleigh Cantors came back to Wells, for my second weekend of the year in the Cathedral. While rehearsing in the Nave choir stalls I got a friendly rub round the legs from Pangur the cat (I think it was he rather than Louis) and it was lovely to see David, my former College Chaplain.
We brought quite a lot of pieces which were new to me. No early music this time (giving it a rest after all the Josquin at St David’s). Our Eucharist setting was Howard Goodall’s Missa Aedis Christi. The recording of this is misleading, as the Mass was revised afterwards, possibly to make it shorter (although it’s still pretty expansive).
Our Sunday evening anthem was Richard Shephard’s And when the builders, written for the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral – hence perhaps the text The silver is thine and the gold is thine for this fund-raising group! A lot of time-signature changes and apparently awkward leads which fell into place with the organ accompaniment.
There were also a couple of pieces I’d only done once before. I have rather unhappy memories of Vaughan Williams’ O vos omnes because the only other time I’ve ever sung it, it went very flat almost at once and then I couldn’t pitch my notes. This performance had no such problems. The piece seems to be (undeservedly) very little known; it’s not listed in the Wikipedia list of VW’s works.
I do enjoy Walton’s Jubilate, which we sang at Matins (I was the middle of the 3 upper-voice verse parts). A further challenge was Anthony Piccolo’s Responses, a tricky setting which I hadn’t sung for a few years. We also fitted in music by Rutter, Sumsion, Elgar (The Spirit of the Lord), Naylor and Dyson!
After Saturday evening, I dashed over to Bristol to hear Bristol Choral Society’s concert, but that must wait for the next post.