A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, King's College, Cambridge, 2020

[WildRosie]

Same time, same place. 3pm on Thursday, broadcast live on Radio 4 and (I think) the World Service. There'll be no congregation this year so the choristers will need to give it some welly, or have some backing tapes to hand!

Not live, though. Pre-recorded this year.

But I am also looking forward to it.

And to the TV carol service as well (done with the King's singers, as the choral scholars were isolating after positive tests in a couple of them, apparently))

Not live ? Didn't know that.

Looking forward to it.

Essential start of my Christmas, with mulled wine and mince pies. Either on TV or radio, I don’t mind.

I dare say it’ll be on the World Service. We lived abroad for many years and CFK was even more essential to me then - I still love the World Service. It was a lifeline for us for so long.

I've downloaded the order of service and will be joining in with most of the carols (armed with my copy of 100 Carols for Choirs).

They recorded it a couple of weeks ago. My friend lives in Cambridge and noticed the lighting set up when she walked past.

One of DS's friends has just started as an organ scholar at King's, which is quite impressive coming from a state school which doesn't have a chapel, let alone an organ.

I am so looking forward to this. Always the start of Christmas for me.

And realised with a shock a few days ago that I was entirely taking it for granted that it would go ahead - despite knowing umpteen musicians and singers whose year has been devastated by cancellations. So I'm feeling very conscious gratitude to all the people who have made this happen this year.

I love listening to this. I am not at all religious, but as a pp has said, it marks the start of Christmas and it always makes me cry.

Going to miss it this year as we will be driving back from MIL's (before anyone jumps on me it's totally allowed - we are not in the UK).

Will listen on Sounds while I am cooking the supper.

I've always listened to this and my dds were always uninterested. But yesterday dd14 and dd18 asked when it was on as it "always makes them feel really Christmassy"

I will definitely be tuning in, I love this every year. Might make me cry a bit this year though as normally listen with my parents and obviously we are separated this year - teen DD won't be quite so appreciative I think!

Will get stuck into the Baileys to compensate.

On tv as well, I think BBC2 at 5.30pm. Watch it almost every year.

Thank you for the reminder!

They're two different services, the TV one and the radio ones. Many of the same carols, but not all. Some different readings. TV one usually pre-recorded a few weeks earlier and the radio one live, but this year both pre-recorded (on different occasions). I think the choral scholars were available for the recording of the radio one but not the TV one, which has the King's Singers instead for the men's voices as a last minute replacement.

It's going to be interesting acoustics.

I'm sad it couldn't be recorded live but it makes sense.

It's going to be interesting acoustics
I wondered about that. Perhaps they filled the pews with coats?

I love that idea!

www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/a-festival-of-nine-lesson-and-carols-2020

Doesn't look like it will be the Willcox descant to 'O Come All Ye faithful', which is the best ever.

Just starting now.

Although I love the descant David Willcocks wrote for Once in royal David's city, I think it's fitting that they sang the one by Stephen Cleobury this year.

Oh look, another thing for Boris to spoil. Press conference starting at exactly the same time on another channel.

It sounds like Peter Griffin falling down the stairs every time the choristers et al stand and sit.

Apart from the Philip Moore carol (nothing wrong with it in itself, just not my cup of tea) and the decision not to include any Willcocks descants (even one would have added a sense of familiarity and continuity), I enjoyed that. I'm pleased they were able to record it.

Can't wait!

@Ironoaks they have done.

Very different with no congregation and as a result no female voices. The chapel still as beautiful as ever, must visit again post Covid 19, just realised it is probably 15 years since I last went.