Choral Evensong at historic Chester Cathedral

As we were in town doing some shopping, we attended this beautiful service last night in Chester cathedral, where the choral singing from the choir was fabulous, and the sound from the natural acoustics stunning, all enjoyed in beautiful surroundings...

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The low-frequencies from that organ were simply breathtaking, and which NO hi-fi system could hope to accurately reproduce!:eek:

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A very enjoyable hour was spent there before going for a nice meal at an Italian restaurant. Aside from the religious aspect, I always enjoy attending acoustic musical performances like that, from a hi-fi perspective, as it allows you to appreciate the REAL sound of the human voice and what's needed to reproduce it in a believable way:cool:

Marco.

I am anti Religious but i do accept the fine Architecture within Churches, fantastic they are.. Tangerine Dream used to use Cathederals all the time for their concerts, Natural Reverberation see..

Yeah mate, totally... The sound in there last night was simply amazing, plus it was a really cool vibe, dark, candlelit and very atmospheric - and like you say the early 16th century architecture (some MUCH older) is just stunning:)

Marco.

Very nice indeed Marco.

It’s a long time since I’ve been to Choral Evensong and even longer since I used to sing in one most days for years ...

I try to visit as many of our Cathedrals as possible, and whilst I have been to Chester, it’s a long time ago so must go back there sometime.

There is something other-worldly about pure voices sung in these settings. One of the most memorable concerts I’ve attended was the 40th Anniversary of The Tallis Scholars at St Pauls Cathedral a few years ago - the natural decay in the voices with the acoustic there was breathtaking.

I’m not religious but there is something in the idea that the choral music is designed to bring you ‘closer to God' - it can certainly have a profound effect on me.

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Originally Posted by Marco

Yeah mate, totally... The sound in there last night was simply amazing, plus it was a really cool vibe, dark, candlelit and very atmospheric - and like you say the early 16th century architecture (some MUCH older) is just stunning:)

Marco.

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Those places were built to make sound sound unearthly - and they do. Evensong is a great service in any church with a decent choral tradition, but Evensong in a cathedral is something special. Architechture + trained choir + large organ. I have used Gloucester Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey. The service is a result of the English Reformation, its version of the Roman vespers, and has been observed every day without fail for hundreds of years, the liturgy is written in the muscular English of the mid-16th century and remains for me one of the glories of English culture.

You try getting something on stage to sound the same thru an FX processor, no matter how much reverb you apply. you wont. Churches have an eerie feel & sound to them..

Hi Jules,

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Originally Posted by julesd68

Very nice indeed Marco.

It’s a long time since I’ve been to Choral Evensong and even longer since I used to sing in one most days for years ...

I try to visit as many of our Cathedrals as possible, and whilst I have been to Chester, it’s a long time ago so must go back there sometime.

There is something other-worldly about pure voices sung in these settings. One of the most memorable concerts I’ve attended was the 40th Anniversary of The Tallis Scholars at St Pauls Cathedral a few years ago - the natural decay in the voices with the acoustic there was breathtaking.

I’m not religious but there is something in the idea that the choral music is designed to bring you ‘closer to God' - it can certainly have a profound effect on me.

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Cheers, it certainly was very enjoyable, and the whole service was conducted to a very high standard. It's really quite something to be sat in the middle of a 40-strong choir of males and females of various ages singling loudly, with such purity. but beautifully in tune and in harmony, ably assisted by the sound of that huge organ!

Next time you're in Chester, definitely check it out: https://chestercathedral.com/

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Landloper

Those places were built to make sound sound unearthly - and they do. Evensong is a great service in any church with a decent choral tradition, but Evensong in a cathedral is something special. Architechture + trained choir + large organ. I have used Gloucester Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey. The service is a result of the English Reformation, its version of the Roman vespers, and has been observed every day without fail for hundreds of years, the liturgy is written in the muscular English of the mid-16th century and remains for me one of the glories of English culture.

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Yup, and I bet it would be a pretty special experience in the likes of Tewkesbury Abbey:)

Marco.