Libera Dreams

Rintje te Wies, the director of the Roden Boys Choir is now also the director of the Kampen Boys Choir.

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I heard them once with their former director and thought they were good, but not great. This clip of them with Rintje te Wies shows a much better sound, I think. The music really flows, it reminds me of our own choir director who regularly emphasizes that music always "goes on" (as opposed to the way we often tend to sing, stopping too often at the end of a musical phrase and then being too late for the start of another). Very forfecul and controlled sound, what I also hear in the Roden Boys Choir.

maartendas wrote:Rintje te Wies, the director of the Roden Boys Choir is now also the director of the Kampen Boys Choir.

I heard them once with their former director and thought they were good, but not great. This clip of them with Rintje te Wies shows a much better sound, I think. The music really flows, it reminds me of our own choir director who regularly emphasizes that music always "goes on" (as opposed to the way we often tend to sing, stopping too often at the end of a musical phrase and then being too late for the start of another). Very forfecul and controlled sound, what I also hear in the Roden Boys Choir.

Yep, nice sound.

A voice like liquid silver:

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(I know the song is out of season... )

Currently enjoying this fun song by Rutter:

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Dennis has uploaded some great New College Choir stuff onto his YouTube channel:

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Beautiful is just not descriptive enough for Tallis' work

Yorkie wrote:Dennis has uploaded some great New College Choir stuff onto his YouTube channel:

Beautiful is just not descriptive enough for Tallis' work

First piece is Salvator Mundi, at 3:22 the Lamentations start: Incipit (the 'intro') and the first two verses, called Aleph and Beth (as the first letter of each verse of the Lamentations follows the Hebrew alphabet).
The piece closes with the words from the prophet Hosea, also used by Libera in Lament: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum." (Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God)
The Lamentations by Tallis were the most impressive part of the King's College Choir concert I attended last year. I am currently reading the Bible book, as meditation for Lent. It's inspiring to hear this version now, as I am reading along with the words that I have been reading in silent these past few days, and this performance is stunning.

"Treblechoir99" has once again, after many another similar occasions Blessed cyber space with his discoveries;

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"Profound", is not quite up to the challenge of description.(One of these swiftly passing years I'll miraculously happen upon how to do it properly, Sorry).

Before viewing this repeatedly, I always had a pronounced distaste for Organ Music. NO More.

Just a heads up, on Tuesday a lunchtime concert of French Baroque music by the New College choir will be broadcasted live on BBC3 at 1 PM UTC. The programme includes six pieces – I'm not familiar with most of it, but Couperin's Lauda Sion Salvatorem is a beautiful treble duet also featured on their album.

Also their two last evensong webcasts are very much worth listening to. The one from two weeks includes Mendelssohn's Hear My Prayer as the anthem, which, although not without mistakes, is very nicely done.
Then last week Gray in F and the anthem Parry's Lord, Let Me Know Mine End. It must be one of the best evensongs I've heard from New College in a while – it seems they are back to having a balanced sound. I wonder if the double choir settings have something to do with that too, although you'd think their effect would be rather the opposite... Anyway, the Parry is just brilliant, and the ease at which the trebles sing the high A's in the canticles is amazing.

Last week I attended a performance of the Dutch National Ballet doing three works by the famous choreographer George Balanchine. The first one, Serenade, was based on this Serenade for strings by Tchaikovsky. The entire piece is great but the recurring Andante theme is just achingly beautiful (the Serenade starts with it):

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Here's something very nice recently posted by Treblechoir99 on Youtube:

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I have a lot of respect for the young man who stepped up to sing the solo in the Psalm during the first pontifical Mass of Pope Francis in the Sistine Chapel today (starts at 24:30 mins). Not perfect but great nerves and all in all a very nice voice.

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P.S.: I'm thrilled with all the pope events but that's for another topic

Some naughty person has uploaded the full version of one of my favourite albums on to YouTube. Rather partial to the Agnus Dei and Totus Tuus myself:

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Two more videos from the Netherlands 1988 concert by St Paul's.

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I was rediscovering some of the less listened to CD's in my collection the other day and dug out the 1994 CD from the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral. The first track on the CD I particularly like - Sound the Trumpet by Henry Purcell, written in the late 1600's it just oozes a special 17th century character. Originally scored for two Counter-Tenors, I think it sounds great with the Trebles split in to two choirs:

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Next Wednesday the weekly BBC3 Evensong will be broadcasted from the New College chapel.

Introit: The dove descending (Stravinsky)
Responses: Leighton
Psalms: 108, 109 vv1-4, vv20-30 (Turle, Barnby, Rimbault, Crotch)
First Lesson: Joshua 3 vv7-end
Canticles: Second Service (Leighton)
Second Lesson: Luke 9 vv37-50
Anthem: Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten)
Hymn: O Thou who camest from above (Hereford)
Organ Voluntary: Choral varié sur le thème du Veni Creator (Duruflé)
Edward Higginbottom (Director of Music)
Steven Grahl (Assistant Organist)

Definitely something you don't want to miss if they indeed sing the whole of Rejoice in the Lamb as the anthem. Luckily it will be available on the iPlayer later.

Also some really good stuff in their recent webcasts. From last week Edmund Hooper's Verse Service with some lovely soloists (wonderful to hear once again a treble soloist from them singing without vibrato) and Croft's God is gone up with a merry noise.