King's College Chapel in Cambridge is one of the most beautiful places on earth and has one of the best known Christmas ceremonies, the festival of lessons and carols on Christmas Eve, which is broadcast all over the world. The Choir of King's College has made several commercial recordings of the ceremony; one of the first is this 1954 recording, conducted by its then-director, Boris Ord.
The Choir, composed of boys and choral scholars from the college, is justly as famous as its Chapel, which, despite its name, is a vast edifice.
Perhaps because I have been privileged to have attended choral evensong in the chapel, I find this record to be both treasurable and memorable. When the Choir and organist Hugh McLean launch into the hymn While Shepherds Watch, the effect is truly magnificent.
This transfer is from the US Westminster pressing of the Argo original. The sound reflects the beautiful King's College Chapel ambiance - except for several of the lessons, which sound more like they were recorded in the King's College Closet. Odd, but not enough to spoil the overall effect.
Happy holidays to all our friends!
5 comments:
Dear admin, this download link is dead, would you re-upload this soundtrack in MEGA ? Thanks :)
Remastered version:
https://mega.nz/#!DA0A3KiY!3iSIm-oBebgphBN5VfXkMvWt7Rouu5_50Te2yPYptq0
Thank you Buster. I love these kinds of records and the stories that go with them.
Yes Buster, this is really a nice presentation. Thank you for sharing this.
I have another release of theirs, and it is also worth listening too, although it has been a few years since I have done so.
Bryan - This is a real oldie. Glad you like it - there are more King's College records on this site, FYI.
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