1954 King's Carol Service in B/W

Boris Ord conducted the 1954 Carol Service in King's College Chapel, Cambridge England. A history in BBC boardcasting.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Carol
• carol service
• King's College
• Cambridge
• Carols from King's

[sierracanon]

I love his nearly non-existent conducting technique. We could learn a lot from this.

[orgellvr]

The organist was Hugh J McLean, a Canadian, recently retired form All Saints Church in Florida. The tenor was Nigel Rogers. 1st treble was, I think Rodney Williams .2nd Treble was Michael West. John Walker was the bass. Boris-Bernard Ord was one of the finest choir directors ever. Just look at the command he has of his choir with a just a little movement from his finger. Compare now to Stephen Cleobury who waves around like a windmill to get the same effect. This recording is simply superb!

[orgellvr]

@nicander175..I am honored to have you respond sir. I was a young choirster of seven when my choirmaster presented the entire choir with this 1954 album, and stated, "this is how we need to sound". We never achieved it.

[nicander175]

@orgellvr One small correction - the tenor soloist was, I think, Chris Scott, not Nigel Rogers, who was in the choir but singing next to Chris Scott on his right. Great to see and hear again the first King's carol service I sang in as a choral scholar - I am the bass second on the right of John Walker who sang the Three Kings.

[DavidDrinkell]

From my observation, Stephen Cleobury is not generally an ostentatious conductor. For much of the time at Evensong, the choir at King's relies on a choral scholar on each side keeping things together with sparing gestures. One might, at such times, see SC looking over the edge of the organ loft, only making an appearance downstairs for the canticles or anthem. In general, the repertoire today is much more varied and complicated and a better performance is achieved with a conductor.

[orgellvr]

To answer foxwoodhall1: the name of the anthem is "The Three Kings" by a german, Peter Cornelius 1824-74. And I didn't mean to be critical of Stephen Cleobury in a previous comment, rather just to point out the genius of Boris Ord. Sad we won't see the likes of him again.

[Flaxman2009]

I quite like Stephen Cleobury. Everyone has his or her own style with conducting, playing or singing. He is still able to draw out that fabulous head voice from the singers and create a solitary impassioned harmony of voices which stir the soul.

[foxwoodhall1]

What is the name of the anthem following the reading concerning the arrival of the Wise Men? Lovely harmony. Thank for making this video available.

[choirboyfromhell1]

And conducting with a simple nod of the head for the cut-offs and rits/rals, I'm blown away and in awe.

[choirboyfromhell1]

Wow. The dynamic contrast on the Bach is incredible.

[gazapc]

fantastic!

[iltromboncini32]

If the first treble is indeed Rodney Williams, I had the immense privilege and pleasure to meet him and have him sing with three others in a quartet only a few weeks ago for a memorial service for which I was playing/directing in Knightsbridge. He's still going strong! I was conducting, but I felt that he was the real leader... True legend!