BBC Choral Evensong archive broadcast from Peterborough Cathedral.
Comments have been received from as far afield as Australia!
As dad isn't able to pass on these comments to his (ex-) choristers and Lay Clerks at the next rehearsal(!), he has asked me to put them on this web site in the hope that many of you may read them. As he says, it was you that people were listening to! They couldn't hear him (he hopes!) apart, possibly from the occasional quietly-hummed note before an unaccompanied piece. And they certainly couldn't see the occasional glare(!) or smile. He has been quite moved by the comments received and thanks you all for the hard work which made it possible. If you are in contact with any member of the choir during dad's time at Peterborough, please let them know that these comments are here for them to read, or at least pass on his thanks to them.
Comments include the following:
"I heard the service – fabulous....... Psalms wonderful."
"I can't describe the feeling, listening to those wonderful sounds again. What an inspiration to us all! I'm insisting my choirmen listen to it. Please let me know of any more."
"...the fondest memories of that fantastic "Vann sound". It brings a lump to my throat just writing this! ...a "matchless" choir (as the late Sir John Betjeman used to say of Stanley's team)."
"I enjoyed the Evensong, particularly the psalms, where I don't think I have ever heard finer diction."
"...the psalm singing was quite superb."
"Balance, sensitivity and clear words......"
"Listening to that wonderful sound again makes me realise just how special the choir was under your leadership. The most striking impression is one of strong beauty.... taken to a pinnacle of excellence in those wonderful years. "
"What a simply wonderful (re)broadcast yesterday.....! The boys so delicate and clear and athletic - refined, in a word. And moments of fervour within a general mood of expressive restraint. We simply don't hear singing like it any more."
"I have just finished listening with the greatest pleasure to the archive recording...... from Peterborough. It evoked much nostalgia and revived memories of the enormous esteem in which I held you and your work in those far-off days......... In my early days your choir was a great inspiration to me as you showed what could be done in a provincial cathedral to create standards which were in every way comparable to the great collegiate choirs in the old universities. This afternoon's broadcast proved just how right we all were to look up to you in the way we did. The blend, balance, intonation, clarity of words and, above all, the possession of a most distinctive style wrought its magic once again, taking me back to the time when I used to listen to your broadcasts and marvel at the wonder of it all ........ In those days you were a light to my path, and listening this afternoon proved how absolutely right I was to try and follow your example. Sometimes, when one listens to performances from the past which impressed at the time, it is possible to be disappointed as time and standards have moved on. But the magic was still there this afternoon and made me realise what a wonderful achievement it was on your part to produce such a marvellous standard at that period in a provincial cathedral. It was revelatory then, and wonderfully impressive still. It was also very moving to hear Andrew Newberry playing the organ...... his death from that tragic accident cut short what should have been a successful career.....
I'm more grateful than I can say for your inspiration in those early years and for your encouragement and friendship in more recent times."
"I found the archive choral evensong recording broadcast today to be a musical treasure. Foremost, for the blend of voices and singleness of purpose in interpretation. The refinement of each phrase end was superb. The singing set me recalling your efforts towards blend of tone among the Lay Clerks of the time, way back in the 1950s.......... This service showed how much more had been achieved. It rightly earns a place in the BBC's archives."
"It was truly superb! I have never heard better psalms-....the true measure of the quality of a choir. Such shaping, totally clear diction.....and wonderful chant-changes. The Howells canticles were a triumph of technical skill which allowed the musical structure to remain clear; and the "Like as the Hart" showed off the calibre of the boys, and of their training, uniquely. It set a standard for that much-loved anthem.
We were both enthralled. Thank you so very much for it."
"...it was the psalms that were so impressive - effortlessness that only comes with constant and unfailing attention to the smallest details."
Details.
This evensong was originally broadcast on 11th October 1972, and re-broadcast on Wednesday 13th December 2006 at 4 p.m. on BBC Radio 3. The music included:Introit: O bone Jesu (Radcliffe)
Responses: Vann (2nd set)
Psalms 59-61 (chants: Keeton, Walmisley, Duckworth)
Canticles: Howells in B minor
Anthem: Like as the hart (Howells)
Note.
Although my appeal for complete recordings of evensong broadcast from Peterborough in my dad's time failed to produce any results, the BBC traced this one.
Background.
During autumn/winter 2006/7, the BBC celebrated 80 years of its longest running outside broadcast: Choral Evensong. In a press release, the BBC said:
"Forthcoming broadcasts will include vintage material recorded during the programme's history from the Fifties to the Eighties, including services from St Michael's Tenbury Wells under Lucian Nethsingha; Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, with Simon Preston; and at Peterborough Cathedral with Stanley Vann."The season started with a live broadcast from Westminster Abbey at 4 p.m. on Wednesday 11th October. However, there was a taste of things to come in a programme in the series "The Choir" (Sundays at 6.30 p.m. on Radio 3) on 24th September. This included music typically used in choral evensong, but each piece was taken from a different archive recording, sung by different choirs. The programme included a plainsong hymn "O Blest Creator", sung by Peterborough Cathedral choir under Stanley.
(Unfortunately, neither Dad nor I knew this was on, and we both missed the programme!)
Martyn