Vespers

A fortnight ago now to Monteverdi's vespers at Westminster Abbey. Vespro della Beata Vergine for those in the know. I think the first time that I have heard anything by Monteverdi, with my copy of the vespers probably having gone to the music society at Leatherhead Institute, as explained at reference 2. Furthermore, our first evening outing since some time last year, since when evening outings have been more or less abandoned.

The first of the snaps above is taken from the BBC website and was of a rehearsal for a performance of the same piece in 2015. It gives a reasonable idea of where the musicians were, in front of Isaac Newton left and James Stanhope, the first earl, right. The second of the snaps above gives some idea of where we were sitting, although there had been some reorganisation of the seats since it was taken, more than a century ago. All very impressive visually.

The outing commenced with the 17:19 from Epsom Station. With a small party of very drunk young men leaving the train on its arrival at Epsom from Leatherhead or Dorking. One wondered where they had been all afternoon.

Then on the train we had a very loud and seemingly angry man, perhaps in his 30s, talking into his telephone for most of the journey. Foreign, perhaps central European or Middle Eastern, so lots of hand movements to go with his angry voice. We wondered whether he was suffering from some mental disorder. But we kept well out of the way, so we shall never know.

From the splendidly named Upper Taxi Road at Waterloo a 211 bus took us more or less to the door. With our being allowed in the front door for once, that is to say the west door.

I now know rather more about the organisation of this piece than I did, with it being the five psalms of the vespers service used on Marian feast days, interleaved with some motets and framed with an introductory versicle and a closing sequence of hymn, sonata and Magnificat. The text of this last, also known as the Song of Mary, is taken from the Gospel of Luke (1:46–55) where it is spoken (in Latin) by Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.

The motets involved a fair amount of solo work, some of it off stage. And while the two senior boys of the choir wore ceremonial ribbons around their necks, only one of them got to give us solos. Clearly some wrinkle of choir organisation which I am not privy to. While the gentlemen ushers had rather larger ribbons around their necks, complete with a rather elaborate medal. There were also some ecclesiastics with collars and so forth, including the lady ecclesiastic who opened the proceedings.

The programme explained that it was not clear whether the composer had intended for the whole thing to be given, as it was on this occasion, or whether he had supplied more of a basket of goodies from which the choir master could make a selection on the day. Whatever the case, it was all rather impressive, and I expect we shall go again should opportunity offer.

My mother would have enjoyed hearing the young choir boys singing about earthly delights (Pulchra es), rather as she used to enjoy hearing a choir boy in King's College Chapel in Cambridge, at Christmas, explaining about all the goings on in the Garden of Eden. While I enjoyed hearing a tenor singing about how he was black but comely (Nigra sum). Unexpected in a text from the 17th century.

We also noticed that, generally speaking, the adults held their scores, arms outstretched, by the two flies. I imagine that this helps the breathing -  but it must take a while to build the necessary strength in the forearms. While the boys held their scores, arms together, by their spines.

Somewhere along the way we learned that the municipal gardeners in Westminster allow a certain amount of ivy, albeit constrained and not allowed free expression. I dare say the tree can take it.

Got another No.211 to take us back to Waterloo. After which we had a long enough change at Earlsfield for me to pop down to the Half Way House for a spot of Martell. Not something I have had for a while, and this spot made me a touch queasy for some reason, although that passed well before we got back to Epsom.

For once in a while, drew a blank at the Raynes Park platform library.

Back home, I was seriously tempted by the offer of the Goldberg Variations the following evening at Smith Square, given by one Joanna McGregor, a prof. at the Royal Academy of Music, not least because I liked her programme notes. And there were seats available. But in the end I decided that two evenings out on the trot was pushing my luck. Will there be another occasion? Last time was near four years ago, in the evening, so not too hopeful.

References

Reference 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespro_della_Beata_Vergine.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/06/goods-which-are-past-their-sell-by-date.html.

Reference 3: http://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/08/hot-goldberg.html.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_MacGregor.