What better way to celebrate Sunday Gaudete than by treating yourself to a wonderful Evensong by your favourite Dutch choir? Sunday Gaudete is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, a joyful look towards Christmas in what is still a period of waiting. In a darkened, quiet and a little chilly Laurenskerk in Rotterdam three candles were burning under the towering Marcussen organ, and two modest choir stalls were placed in front of that. A quiet, hushed mood was prevalent as the people slowly filled the seats. Earlier that afternoon, the Roden Boys Choir had sung in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s A Boy Was Born in Amsterdam and despite a significant delay as a result of that, they had just finished rehearsing (already looking sharp in their black suits) as the church doors were opened.
The Laurenskerk is a huge, impressive church, with many colourful details for those who, like me, tend to wander around with a camera before taking their place to study the program and get into the appropriate mood for Evensong. Final touches were made as the candles were lit while someone else ran to the car to get the robe which music director Rintje te Wies had absent-mindedly left there. No sign of any hurriedness though as the Introit by Bird was begun. A reverent atmosphere descended as the polyphony filled the space. The procession revealed a tired face here or there, but the choir, perhaps a tad more tense due to the day’s hectic schedule, retained its truly remarkable concentration while singing. Especially the trebles at the Cantoris side sang with unfailing focus.
I loved hearing the setting of Psalm 80 which reminds me I listen to Anglican psalm chant far too rarely than I would like. I was struck by the metaphor of water, as described in the imagery of rivers and seas in this psalm, a theme which was to occur throughout the entire service, as the pastor vividly pictured a desert spring after the first rain. For some reason this imagery of water in Biblical terms is something I always have a special feeling for, and it felt reassuring to experience it again today. By the way, the pastor delivered his reading and short sermon from a lectern clad in beautiful pink, especially for today, and wore a matching stole 🙂
The Evening Service that was sung was the one the choir’s organist Sietze de Vries wrote himself. The Magnificat has a wonderfully lovely final part with a splendid solo by new ‘star’ Ischi Magna, set to the words “He hath filled the hungry with good things”. I had hoped to hear this chorister sing a solo and was not disappointed. Not only does he have a very gentle and pleasant round voice, the way he delivers his solo with such ease and grace, blending perfectly in the whole, not showing any sign of self-consciousness, is very touching to witness. The same can be said of some moments when the choir gave very convincing starts of a new vocal line – the sheer confidence with which their vocal force was delivered tells tales of the commitment and love of music of everyone involved, from the choristers to the music director to the organist to all the parents and people in the organisation.
As lovely and tender as the Magnificat ended, so glorious and powerful was the ending of the Nunc dimittis. Such strength in that single word “glory”, and the drama of it was aptly visualised by Rintje te Wies, who conducts with such command and artistry that it was sometimes more than enough to just look at him to see what the words of that particular piece conveyed.
The church’s acoustics helped a lot tonight too. I was moved near to tears by the way bass Jan Vonk delivered the Collects. It was one of the shortest and cheapest flights to a British cathedral I ever had the privilege to take.
To my feeling, the Evensong was over before I had noticed it and perhaps the Anthem, despite its graceful flowing lines, could have been a bit better (and, dare I say it, craving as I am, longer) but to be honest, complaints are out of place. On a final note, I applaud both the choir and their organist, who my boyfriend suspected of throwing in an improvisation of several Advent hymns as organ voluntary (which I just had to tap my foot to, it was that contagious).
Sunday Gaudete – I think expectation of a feast rarely felt this festive already.
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Evensong for the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete)
Introit: Gloria tibi Domine (Byrd)
Processional Hymn: The advent of our God (Coffin; New Universal Psalmodist, 1770)
Preces (Reading)
Psalm 80 (Atkins)
Evening Service: Roden Service (Sietze de Vries)
Responses (Reading)
The Lord’s Prayer (Stone)
Anthem: O Thou the Central Orb (Wood)
Hymn: Veni Redemptor gentium
Organ voluntary (improvisation Sietze de Vries?)
my life as a choir fan 