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Royal Wedding Music


handsoff

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Agreed on the Blaenwern, dull in F major. I enjoyed the restrained last verse descants, very effective. I was glad was really tremendous. Its not my choice of speed, but given the building and the forces used, it was spot on.

 

I also liked the Ubi Caritas motet.

 

I'm not one usually for collecting these things, but I was so impressed, I will be buying the soundtrack when it is released.

 

By the way, did anyone see that the choristers are getting £7,500 each in various rights etc for today. Worth every penny!

Hooray! Someone with something positive to say. I think, given the pressure of the occasion, Messrs O'Donnell and Quinney are to be congratulated on an excellent job and were well supported by all their musicians.

 

As to Blaenwern, please remember that perhaps 1000 of those present are not accomplished singers. Few of us have any experience of that size of congregation. I think it was a wise decision in the circumstances.

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As to Blaenwern, please remember that perhaps 1000 of those present are not accomplished singers. Few of us have any experience of that size of congregation. I think it was a wise decision in the circumstances.

 

Not only was the quality of the music impressive, but the sheer logistics of organ/orch/choir over that distance took some doing.

 

As for Blaenwern, I still remember as a child singing that hymn from our non-conformist hymn book in the eye-watering A flat; made for a real belter on the top F in the last line!

 

On the Rutter question, I think its a matter of knowing what you're going to get, so you commission what you like. What were the other options? Tavener? Too many echoes of mum's funeral. Llloyd-Webber (always a possiblilty with the WIndsors). PMD (too many reasons to mention). Perhaps we could have had some Malcolm Williamson to make up for the Sypmphony that was never completed in time for the Queen's Jubilee?

 

Radical, how about some Swayne, Whitacre, Jackson (Gabriel, not Francis, though he would have done a good job) to name but a few.

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On the Rutter question, I think its a matter of knowing what you're going to get, so you commission what you like. What were the other options? Tavener? Too many echoes of mum's funeral. Llloyd-Webber (always a possiblilty with the WIndsors). PMD (too many reasons to mention). Perhaps we could have had some Malcolm Williamson to make up for the Sypmphony that was never completed in time for the Queen's Jubilee?

 

Radical, how about some Swayne, Whitacre, Jackson (Gabriel, not Francis, though he would have done a good job) to name but a few.

 

I have felt for a while that it's about time Chilcott started getting some serious recognition of this sort. Anyone looked at the Requiem? I can tell you this; my choral society (which battled with the, er, slightly different Howard Goodall one last year) has learnt it to acceptable performance standard in three rehearsals. And it is excellent music of profundity and gravitas which (like the Salisbury Motets published last year) sounds difficult and close-harmony-ish but the individual lines are quite simply a piece of cake. And the tunes are extremely memorable. This is where approachable, beautiful, singable and listenable music with just a hint of challenge is now to be found.

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How about MacMillan? Chilcott is a good shout, as is Gabriel Jackson.

 

Please don't let my posts above suggest that I didn't enjoy the service or the occasion (and certainly from a musical perspective). Like the rest of the occasion, the music was very well put together and performed and achieved exactly what it was supposed to.

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There may, as noted elsewhere on the forum, be life after Widor's Toccata but it will no doubt see a resurgence of popularity now. It's a pity that they didn't pick the first movement of his VI Symphonie...

 

http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/bl...Wedding-Service

 

Some of the other music will be interesting if the BBC commentators allow viewers and listeners the courtesy of actually hearing it. They usually waffle over everything except the solemn vows. :P

 

 

=======================

 

 

The music lived up to expectations I thought, and if a little predictable, it was a formula which obviously worked as it has for as long as anyone cares to remember.

 

Unfortunately, my experience was limited to Radio 4, as I was driving at the time, and the comments about BBC "prattle" are certainly applicable.

 

I'm the first to recognise that with radio, the presenters have to paint word-pictures to describe what is going on, but surely, in the case of the Introit and Anthems, they could shut up while this wonderful music is being performed.

 

There's nothing worse than:-

 

 

"I was glad; glad when they said unto me, we will go, we will go, into.....and now the Princess starts the long walk down the huge nave of the abbey.....Our feet shall stand at thy gates....Prince William waits for his bride to arrive at the altar...."

 

Whatever happened to the Dimbleby family?

 

And it's almost blasphemy when the anthems are buried beneath a florid description of dresses, robes, uniforms, open carriages......why can't they just shut up for once in a while?

 

The only intrusive commentary I enjoy is that by P D Q Bach, when Dr Schlicker did the infamous football-style commentary to Beethoven's 5th Symphony......that is funny. :lol:

 

So thanks to the BBC for making the nation's day and ruining mine! :angry:

 

MM

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=======================

 

 

Unfortunately, my experience was limited to Radio 4, as I was driving at the time, and the comments about BBC "prattle" are certainly applicable.

 

So thanks to the BBC for making the nation's day and ruining mine! :P

 

MM

 

On BBC ONE HD it was truly glorious. Other than Huw Edwards unfortunately talking over the orchestral introduction to Blest Pair, I think we more-or-less got away scot-free as far as intrusive commentary over the music was concerned from the start of I was glad until someway into Mint Imperial.

 

It was the most thrilling live event I've ever seen and particularly the sound quality was far better than I've ever heard before on one of these events. The sound was beautifully balanced and the music superbly performed - and in surround sound too on HD! Congratulations to all concerned, I say! :angry:

 

 

Gary Cole

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I made a late-night viewing via the rebroadcast on the Royal Channel of YouTube. Free of any spoken comments!

Having sat very close to the Choristers and John O'Donnell about two months ago, I was very touched to see the Abbey again and to hear this perfect wedding music - I want to join the praises for those performances under difficult circumstances.

For a foreigner, it is always amazing, how fluent and perfectly arranged those british royal events are taking place. And all those hats...

 

Rutter - of course, he has his personal way of writing, and many true things have been said. I'm preparing the "Mass of the children" for performance on June 18 here, and after months I still can listen to the recordingand enjoy the rehearsals and am sure, that I will be touched to tears during conducting.

Beeing very critical for second class composers (regarding work-out of construction etc.), I have to confess that I cannot flee the attractivity of - at least this one of - his works.

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All now available from iTunes for £7.99.

 

I kid you not!

 

Yes, I'm impressed with the bits you can hear. A pity there's not more music however, and given that iTunes is the perfect place for people to pick and choose the bits they want, shame the Whitlock isn't available, or even Crown Imperial, Blest Pair, or the highlight, I was Glad. I wonder why they've been missed off? If it has been designed to fit on a single CD (for commercial release perhaps later), then there's enough music and the service to fit on to two CDs.

 

On the composer front, MacMillan's political views might have made for some awkward questions.

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Yes, I'm impressed with the bits you can hear. A pity there's not more music however, and given that iTunes is the perfect place for people to pick and choose the bits they want, shame the Whitlock isn't available, or even Crown Imperial, Blest Pair, or the highlight, I was Glad. I wonder why they've been missed off? If it has been designed to fit on a single CD (for commercial release perhaps later), then there's enough music and the service to fit on to two CDs.

 

? - Apart from the Whitlock, which was a part of the music before the service, the iTunes album has it all (including the Widor Toccata that wasn't heard during the broadcast).

 

M

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Rutter - of course, he has his personal way of writing, and many true things have been said. I'm preparing the "Mass of the children" for performance on June 18 here, and after months I still can listen to the recordingand enjoy the rehearsals and am sure, that I will be touched to tears during conducting.

Beeing very critical for second class composers (regarding work-out of construction etc.), I have to confess that I cannot flee the attractivity of - at least this one of - his works.

 

It's a wonderful thing, and so's the Requiem.

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? - Apart from the Whitlock, which was a part of the music before the service, the iTunes album has it all (including the Widor Toccata that wasn't heard during the broadcast).

 

M

Doh! Hadn't scrolled down far enough! Can't find I was Glad though, or have I missed that as well?

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Doh! Hadn't scrolled down far enough! Can't find I was Glad though, or have I missed that as well?

 

Yup, 'fraid so...try 'Procession of the Bride' - it's no 4 in the overview list and no 3 when you click on 'See all'

 

If you expand your browser window enough it eventually shows 'I was glad'.

 

The BBC DVD is out on Wednesday. Get it - you know you want to! :P

 

Gary

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Yes, in my eagerness hadn't done it slowly, have seen it all now.

 

Is it worth downloading the iTunes version, or waiting for a CD to come out. Are the iTunes dowloads lossless now?

 

As for the DVD, yes, I will be going for it!

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I thought the music for the wedding was superb. I had never heard "I was Glad" and thought it was a superb piece. It was good to hear Walton's "Crown Imperial" at the end but I think it sounds better played on an organ than by an orchestra / brass band. Not surprised to see pieces with Welsh links (ie. VW's "Rhosymedre" and that great hymn "Guide me O though great Jehovah" to the Welsh tune "Cwm Rhondda").

 

As for "This is the day" I am sure that I used to sing that, albeit to a different tune, in my younger church-going days but thought that John Rutter's version was very good. The accompanying music to that reminded me somewhat of his setting of "For the beauty of the Earth".

 

Also the choirs were very good as well and the organ sounded in excellent fettle. Well done to all concerned.

 

Dave

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It was good to hear Walton's "Crown Imperial" at the end but I think it sounds better played on an organ than by an orchestra / brass band.

Bear in mind that you were hearing a scaled-down arrangement played by a chamber orchestra rather than the full symphony orchestra scoring the piece requires and which would have provided better balance between the brass and the stroings/woodwind. A question of "needs must", of course; I'm amazed they managed to get a chamber orchestra into the organ loft.

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Why did they do Blaenwern in F major (a dull, flat key) and not the more usual G (much better and brighter)?

 

I suspect it may have had something to do with the descant (O'Donnell's perhaps, or Andrew Gant's?) Those top As in the last couple of lines would have become top Bs if the tune had been left in G ... might have been even more thrilling, of course, but it could be that O'Donnell and Quinney tried it and thought it a bit OTT. (Or perhaps they felt that the boys might have overstretched themselves, having already ascended to B flats in the Parry and with the need to deliver some quite low stuff in the Mealor later on?)

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Much of it isn't that surprising I guess, but Whitlock isn't a name I would have expected to feature. The Elgar Sonata I would have expected. It will certainly be a treat for Parry fans (of which I am mostly one, certainly in terms of his choral music), with I was glad, Split pair, Jerusalem and the Processional. The Walton should be good as well - wonder if I'll need to think about learning that soon...!

 

Don't see what's wrong with Love Divine to Blaenwern myself. If it encourages people to choose it above 'Give me despair/joy' and 'All things bright and beautiful' then all the better. At the end of the day they were bound to choose well-known stuff unless they were commissioning.

 

The Rutter commission will be interesting. Will he go for the somewhat populist style of so much of his music or will it be a bit different? If its not tricky, I'm sure it will find its way into the repertoire of many choirs.

 

Altogether, looks like we'll have a lot of music to enjoy. Perhaps the BBC might offer us a function (via red button, perhaps) to switch the commentary off.

 

The technology is already in place to allow commentary and background music to be removed by the viewer especially as most programmes are now made with multi-channel digital soundtracks. It's just a matter of the broadcasters allowing the viewers to be able to use the technology so that a 'colour' button can control sound options on programmes. I thought the commentary wasn't too bad this time. In fact there were a few occassions when I was expecting some and they kept quiet!

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I really liked the Paul Mealor Ubi Caritas - looking at his website he has written some organ music - has anyone on here had experience of any of this?

 

A

 

Ah someone else who also liked that! I nearly thought it was only me who was captured by it as no one else I know even remembered it. Some lovely harmony and gentle discordant effects I thought - very ethereal. I don't know any of his organ music but may do soon!

 

John R

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The technology is already in place to allow commentary and background music to be removed by the viewer especially as most programmes are now made with multi-channel digital soundtracks. It's just a matter of the broadcasters allowing the viewers to be able to use the technology so that a 'colour' button can control sound options on programmes. I thought the commentary wasn't too bad this time. In fact there were a few occassions when I was expecting some and they kept quiet!

The technology is certainly there, but comes at a cost. It requires extra bandwidth to provide the additional service, which would need to come from somewhere. I would have been unhappy if the outstanding quality of the primary transmission had been compromised to provide a facility that relatively few out of millions of viewers would use.

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