“The Queen at 80”: St George’s Windsor 2006 (Timothy Byram-Wigfield)

BBC TV programme broadcast of Matins, 23 April 2006, to mark the Queen’s 80th birthday. Featuring the choir of St George’s Chapel Windsor, directed by Timothy Byram-Wigfield.

[@GZ9090]

The Stanford is amazing! The choir was incredible at that time.

[@thesaucegroup1877]

It still is. Always has been......your comment suggests it was bad at some point....harrumph

[@mscott3918]

@@thesaucegroup1877 Totally agree with you. I've attended services at St. George's for nearly 50 years and the music and choir have always been exceptional.

[@GZ9090]

@@thesaucegroup1877 No, that's not what I meant. I should have been more specific so I apologize for being rather vague. What I actually meant was that after listening to many recordings of this choir from various eras, the choir around the late 1990s and early to mid 2000s seemed to have a more rounded sound overall, especially with the trebles. Moreover, the choir under Jonathan Reese William's (For your information, I despise the man for the reasons we are all aware of, yet no one can deny that he was an incredible musician and choral director, but it's a shame that such talented individuals turn out to be corrupted and immoral egomaniacs) direction, for example, seemed, at least in my opinion, to have a brighter, bolder and more well balanced tone. The Carols from Windsor Castle CD (c.2000) (Demon Music Group) and the Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis CD (c.1998) (Priory Records) are great examples of the strength of each sections of the choir during that period, although CDs aren't always an accurate representation of a choir's usual (average) performance due to edited and retaking specific parts of pieces, etc. More so, some recordings can give one a false impression of a choir because the recording can either weaken or exaggerate their sound, and the acoustics too. With all that said, there are great recordings of the choir from other historical recordings Yes, the choir is still great, but I just feel that some of the quality has, for whatever reason, diluted somewhat over time. Sadly, it seems to have also occurred in many of our great churches and cathedrals as well. I'm not sure why that is but I'm assuming it's probably something to do with changes in recruitment and standards, but what do I know... It is usually better to get the full experience by being in the presence of the choir and building they are meant for. These days, however, politics and "equality" are playing a role in the demise of tradition and standards. Again, just my opinion. Anyway these are just my personal views. I hope they have helped.

[@petersumner7367]

I loved the moment when HMTQ put a cheeky fiver in the collection bag!

[@thesaucegroup1877]

The constant commentary really is quite irritating. Typical BBC