Advent Carol Service – 27 November
This week's music
This bonus webcast is our own recording of the Advent Carol Service from Sunday 27 November. It was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and has been available on BBC iPlayer but since it has now been taken down, we're giving you the opportunity to listen again and again over the Christmas period for another two months! Since it's recorded and stored locally, not having to be transmitted around the world, the nature of the recording's sound is different to the broadcast version – you may be able to appreciate different parts of the service, if you heard the broadcast, and can browse through the service track by track or enjoy it as a complete service if you missed it the first time round.
The service includes a new commission, written for the College's Quincentenary by former Undergraduate and Honorary Fellow of St John's, Jonathan Harvey. You can find a link to the order of service above.
If you are new to our webcasting programme, do listen to the selection of available services and try out our new online resource, SJC Live – you'll need to sign up (free) and will then have access to over a hundred tracks taken from live recordings of services from the past few years. It even includes a few archive tracks from as early as 1927.
This week's blog
Term has now finished but the Advent and Christmas season marches on for the Choir, a busy time of year for all musicians! The start of the Christmas vacation is usually a time when our Choir tours Europe but with tours planned for Easter (to Denmark and Germany) and the Long Vacation (to Japan), we are taking the opportunity to sing to audiences in our own country for a change. Today the Choir heads up to London for a concert at Cadogan Hall with St John's Sinfonia. The concert, which forms part of the Choral at Cadogan series, consists of music by Henry Purcell, sung in the first half accompanied by St John's Sinfonia, and a selection of Christmas music. Much of the Christmas music features on our newest CD release, On Christmas Night and performing the Purcell in such a prestigious venue will be good preparation for our forthcoming recording of his music in January.
Later this month, on 15 December, we'll be joining for the second and final time with the choirs of Caius, Clare, Jesus and Trinity Colleges to sing Walton's dramatic oratorio, Belshazzar's Feast in Southbank's Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by our Director of Music, Andrew Nethsingha. The following day (16 December) we are singing Radio 3's In Tune Christmas Concert, broadcast live around the country and this busy Christmas period will conclude with a concert in Birmingham Symphony Hall with Thomas Trotter on 20 December. Visit our events page for more details!
Related Items
Advent on iPlayer Each year, since 1981, the Advent Carol Service is broadcast live from St John's College Chapel on BBC Radio 3. The service included motets, anthems and carols for the season of Advent. |
Matriculation Service – Tuesday 4 October The term has begun and we've already had a full week of services. |
Fear and Rejoice Fear and Rejoice presents a panoply of original English carols and Christmas music, featuring works by Tavener, Gorecki, Howells, Rutter and others. |
Recovered BBC Evensong now available on SJC Live The Choir were all disappointed at the power cut in College which disrupted the BBC's broadcast of Choral Evensong last week. But the best has been made out of a bad situation. |
Next Chapel service
Today
Festal Eucharist
Introit: Byrd Psallite Domino
Vierne: Messe Solennelle
Gradual: Psalm 47
Hymns 130, 271, 339
Voluntary: Messiaen Transports de joie (L’Ascension)