Evensong for Ascension Day from King's

This is a follow-up to a recent post containing music for Holy Week from King's College, Cambridge. That LP was from 1977; today we have a 1978 recording of Choral Evensong for Ascension Day. Again, the King's Choir is conducted by Philip Ledger, who directed the ensemble from 1974-82.

Philip Ledger

As its name implies, "evensong" is a sung service taking place near evening. It is an Anglican tradition; one of its most famous exponents is the King's Choir.

The service is centered on peace and personal reflection. Having attended a King's Choral Evensong, I can attest that it is a moving experience.

In his notes to this LP, the then Dean of King's, the Rev. Michael Till, writes that "The service is essentially different from a missionary service, which is designed to create belief. Instead, it represents the response of the believer to a God who has already made Himself known." This is particularly meaningful on Ascension Day, which signifies Christ's ascension into heaven, forty days after his Easter resurrection. Ascension Day this year is Thursday, May 15 (the following Sunday in some parishes).

Rev. Till: "The festivals of the Christian year follow the pattern of the life of Christ, and make up a year-long reflection on the different aspects of that interchange between the human and the divine which ... forms the centre of the service itself."

The King's Choir with director Stephen Cleobury, who succeeded Ledger

As with the music for Holy Week, the selections range from the Renaissance and Baroque (William Byrd, William Smith of Durham, J.S. Bach, Jeremiah Clarke) to the 19th century (Eugène Gigout, Henry George Ley, Joseph Barnby) to the 20th century (Edmund Rubbra).

Gordon Reynolds wrote in The Gramophone, "Philip Ledger's approach to the famous acoustic is not to beguile it with soft-centred tone, melting at the edges, but to calculate the duration of notes so that the building has its part to play in rounding them off. This produces thrilling sound, wonderfully clear, in the unaccompanied counterpoint. In the Rubbra Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, with the added challenge of the organ, the effect is rich and noble.

"Musically a joy, and historically important as a sample of the current modus operandi at King's."

Reynolds did complain - rightfully so - that the spoken portions of the service were nearly inaudible. I have raised the level somewhat while keeping it relatively subdued, which would be the case if you were present in the huge "chapel" of King's.

Thomas Trotter

As with the Holy Week program, the excellent organist is Thomas Trotter.

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