Evensong

Braving the rain and the traffic, after our afternoon on the Mall, Matt and I headed over to St. Paul's K Street for Solemn Evensong and Benediction Sunday evening. Unfortunately, the boys were all over at the Kennedy Center singing in some Carmina Burana production, so instead of the Choir of Men and Boys, we just got the Choir of Men.

We'd planned to go to the solemn high mass at St. Paul's earlier in the day, but he and Jon (with whom he was staying) managed to talk all night long and not go to bed until after 5 a.m. Needless to say, a morning church service became less of a priority. So, we resolved to do Evensong; I think Matt was able to get his expected dose of incense.

The Mag and Nunc setting was Evening Service by living composer James Bassi (b. 1961). It was one of those modern works with all the bad clichés of modern choral music and nothing particularly interesting about it; the choir seemed to struggle with it from time to time, too, what with all the atonality, and I'd guess that they probably should have rehearsed it a bit a time or two instead of their usual sightreading of these sorts of things (it naturally speaks to the quality of the choir that they are able to sightread so much, but that was one of those things that probably needed a run-through in advance). The anthem was Sicut cervus desiderat by G.F. da Palestrina. Office hymn was Lucis Creator. The preces and responses were done congregationally to the familiar chants.

The organist played Fugue—Duo—Trio by Louis-Nicolas Clerambault for the prelude and Grand plein jeu, also by Clerambault, for the postlude.

After church we met up with Robert and Jon at Bistro D'Oc for a quick dinner.