Darke - In the Bleak Midwinter | The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge recorded in Trinity College Chapel
Conductor: Stephen Layton
Bass: Florian Störtz
Organ: Harrison Cole
In the Bleak Midwinter - Harold Darke
Words by Christina Rossetti
Video production and editing:
David Hinitt
Adrian Peacock
Paul Nicholson
Photo of Great Court: Jehangir Cama
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The soloist is Florian Störtz, originally from Trier, Germany. He won several prizes at the Royal Academy of Music and the International Handel Singing Competition in March 2023. I wish him all the best in his singing career.
I love how they give the melody space to breath. Stunning.
Thank you, Stephen!
Love how folk in the comments spot a singer they know? "Wait a sec, isn't that Allegra Staves?" So sweet. What makes this piece SO perfect is the modulation to f natural. It is so unexpected; devastating and yet hopeful all at once.
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty -
Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom Angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
Angels and Archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But only His Mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
For me (and I suspect many others too) this is the undisputed 'De Facto' version of this beautifully sung Carol with its brilliantly written and effective organ part. Thank you each and every one of you.
Vivian Crawford- Jamaica: Truly moving.We will remember Harold Darke ' s organ recital University Chapel Mona 1962.
I read in his bio that the Darke arrangement was Sir Stephen Cleobury's all-time favorite. RIP Sir Stephen Cleobury.
Absolutely. Holst would be perfectly satisfactory any other day, but Darke's transcendant drawing out of the melody with held notes and the understated climax in verse 4 win any day (if it was a competition)!
@@chrisburn7178 no Holst for me. The only things I like by Holst are his arrangements of Personent Hodie and Masters In This Hall.
@@ClaireTDixon How about "The Planets"?
I don't think I've heard this sung so perfectly before. Surely the definitive version.
I agree
Clare College under the direction of John Rutter is a decent substitute. Maybe I'm just biased for Rutter, but it's nice hearing the accompaniment done by orchestral musicians vs one organist.
3:13-3:23 "which adore......" Exquisite.
As I said on another thread, Holst has the famous name, but Darke has the spirit. Well done.
Both tunes are marvelous, why must you pick winners and losers?
@@phoebeflanders Because Darke's is better!
This is my dear friend Lynn's favourite song. She died this year - and I listen to you singing it in memory of her. You sing it so well
Just been to a carol concert with the usual tune sung. I knew it wasn't the version I remembered from when I was in my school choir. This was the tune we sang to. Much nicer. ❤
I completely disagree; it succeeds in destroying any link with the emotion and pathos of the poem, and just turns it into a dog standing on its hind legs, performing extravagant tricks for the audience.
Choirmasters like it because it is very showy, unlike the simplicity and emotional impact of the Holst version, which is in tune with the sentiments of the poem.
This is my favorite carol. I always cry when a hear this and this was not an exemption.... Thank you for a beautiful performance! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Your words - and tears - are mine also. Thankyou. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve 2021, I turn 86. I return to this carol every year.
@@brucewilliams8714 Merry Christmas!
Just discovered this tonight. What a truly sublime vocal music!
@@jd-bl3gf Thank you, jd.
@@brucewilliams8714 I’m sorry I’m late, but a Merry Christmas!
Yet another excellent performance! The soloist sang very well, too, with good phrasing and control. Congratulations!!
Agree, perfect phrasing not only from the soloist but the whole choir. A carol that makes me feel truly Christmassy :)
You can feel the frost outside?
The descant at the end gets me, Every. Time.
Sublime, esp the solo and organ accomp.
Extraordinary. Seasons greetings from New York.
I realized today that the soprano at 1:04 is Molly Noon from Voces8!
Beautiful harmonies and tones. Thank you. My favourite carol.
Congrats Florian on a very polished and moving performance!
Quite lovely, Happy Christmas
Utterly exquisite phrasing. *Sob*
This is beautiful
I'm transported back to my childhood when I hear this, back to a time when things seemed easier and more care-free, when there was hope for the future. Thank you so much for this beautiful recording. Joyeux Noël à toutes et à tous!
Beautifully sung by choir and particularly the soloist, also the other carol from kings. the soloist was gorgeous as he sang once in royal David’s city. Beautifully sung by all . Thankyou to all
Beautiful! Cheers from Canada for a Happy Christmas 2021!🎄👑🇬🇧🇨🇦🎄🔔
This is such a beautiful melody - so perfect for Christina Rossetti's words. I have been trying to find this version for some time - thank you so much for posting it and for giving such a moving performance!
The last verse - 'Give my heart'...that moment is so beautiful. And that is why Darke's setting wins over Holst's, lovely though it is.
AB-SO-LUTELY Beautiful. Perfect.
A touching performance.
Beautiful traditional English carol.
Well, traditional since 1909.
@@andrewcrowder4958 Well, i hope I have made your day. Beauty awaits, if you have the temperament to accept it.
Team Darke.
Holsters gonna Holst.
@@TrinityCollegeChoir They can Holst about The Planets any day.
By far the better version of this Carol most suited to choirs and this is just heavenly. Perfect!
I know choirmasters and choirs like the Darke version because it has more opportunity to display expertise and technique, basically showing off.
Not exactly the purpose of the original poem; "What shall I give him, poor as I am" - a highly decorated and complicated rendition of a simple theme?
I hate it for those reasons - it destroys the spirit of the poem and the simple melodic power of the Holst melody. Not to mention a lot of it is like variations on Holst's theme.
It's like a dog standing on its hind legs.
From Wikipedia on Holst:
Above all, Short recognises Holst as a composer for the people, who believed it was a composer's duty to provide music for practical purposes-festivals, celebrations, ceremonies, Christmas carols or simple hymn tunes. Thus, says Short, "many people who may never have heard any of [Holst's] major works ... have nevertheless derived great pleasure from hearing or singing such small masterpieces as the carol 'In the Bleak Midwinter'"
That's why I prefer Holst's version - I like actually singing carols.
@@edeledeledel5490
I like the Darke tune just because it is lovelier and deeper. Holst is rightly famous for "The Planets" and other compositions, but a famous name doesn't guarantee superiority in everything.
@@mumsyxc Lovelier possibly, if lovely things need to be complicated. If by "deeper" you mean more meaningful and with more emotional impact, I have to disagree. It leaves me impressed but unmoved.
@@edeledeledel5490 Holst was a pain, IMO. His music was either too solemn,
(e. g. Midwinter) or too avante garde (e. g. The Planets). I'm not done with my rant...
@@edeledeledel5490... and another thing, I like "show-offy" melodies (as long as they are traditional, not modern)!!!! That's why Handel is my most favorite composer, because his melodies were powerful and exciting. And he's just one example. I'm still not done with my rant...
Exquisite
The best best best 😮❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Beautiful
so beautiful.
love this
Thank you! That was so lovely!
The carol I was speaking of is the carols for choirs from kings Cambridge 2013 The boy soloist was superb as he sang once in royal David’s city. For some reason the comments are turned off .
Thank you
Just beautiful!
It was only through hearing this version of the carol on A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, that i got to know this tune. Previous to me listening to AFONLAC, i'd only heard the Gustav Holst version. And besides that version and this one, i've also heard a jazzed up version of the carol, but don't know who does that one.
Utterly beautiful
So much more moving than the Holst version! Thank you, Trinity, for posting this serenely beautiful and tranquil masterpiece. (Btw, my 11xGreat Grandfather was Adam Loftus, your first Provost)
I SO agree! It is heavenly.
I agree! The Holst version is depressing.
I agree. Holst may have the famous name, but Darke's setting is the one to listen to.
There's no accounting for taste. The Holst version allows the meaning of the words to be at the forefront - this is just a nice sounding noise. Doesn't move me at all.
@@edeledeledel5490 codswallop! I don't care about the lyrics; I'm an atheist. I'm only interested in whether or not I like a melody. Down with Gustav Holst!
I think I recognize the girl at 00:50, that's Katherine Gregory, originally from Truro Cathedral Choir, who received a scholarship to attend Cambidge, and sings with the choir there. She has an outstandingly good voice.
😊
Congratulations! Gorgeous!!
Perfect just perfect! ❤
kills the Holst version any day
I fervently agree with you. The Holst version is depressing.
without a shred of doubt!!!!!
I like them both
The words are the most important part: both versions portray them effectively. Down to personal taste after that. In my case, I've always been moved by the Holst version, so never felt the need for a new one!
I agree too.
A perfect rendition! (Do I see Molly Noon from Voces8?)
William Llewellyn's version is great also