Carols by Candlelight, St Luke’s Church, Chelsea
Thursday 15 December 2016
Tristan Wigley also gave an expressive and
beautiful solo, opening Vaughan Williams’
This is the Truth Sent From Above.
One of the high points of the Quirister year
and a lovely herald of the Christmas season,
the Carol Service for the Alice Martineau
Appeal takes place in the heart of Chelsea
and is always hugely appreciated by the
large congregation, many of whom have a
personal connection with the Cystic Fibrosis
Trust.
Along with the Christmas readings by
well-known actors, the centrepiece of the
service was a talk by Nick Talbot, a young
man suffering from Cystic Fibrosis who had
succeeded in climbing Mount Everest at his
third attempt - the first person with CF to do
so. This, set against the backdrop of Harold
Darke’s In the Bleak Midwinter, (with all of
the Qs beautifully taking the first verse solo),
and Herbert Howells’ lovely A Spotless Rose,
made for a very moving occasion.
The Qs, having had a few days to find
their second wind after an enjoyable and
successful weekend in Belfast, were now
joined by the rest of Winchester College
Chapel Choir. They were all in fine voice,
particularly as this service marks the official
end of term for the Qs and all were quite
clearly now looking forward to Christmas.
Philip Ledger’s arrangement of A Sussex
Carol and John Gardiner’s Tomorrow shall
be my Dancing Day provided an excellent
contrast and so it only needed an extremely
lusty congregational rendering of Hark the
Herald Angels Sing complete with descant, to
send us all out into the twinkly King’s Road
feeling very Christmassy indeed.
Chapel Choir, conducted by Malcolm
Archer and accompanied by Jamal Sutton,
sang excellently as always, both in leading
the congregation in hearty performance of
favourite carols and also in the choir-only
pieces. The service started in time-honored
fashion with Angus Benton singing the
first verse of Once in Royal David’s City.
Alison Benton, Q Parent (yr 8)
Carols by Candlelight, St Luke’s Church, Chelsea
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