Page 4 - The Keble Review 2016

Student Life
4
The Keble Review 2016
The Choir on Tour
With its first tour for a number of years, Keble College Chapel choir left the shores of England in early July to spend a week in southern France. We found ourselves staying in the picturesque Saint Antoine L’Abbaye, a small town with an historic abbey lying at its heart. While the organ scholars got to grips with
the 17th century organ, the singers found rehearsal space in
the town’s fire station. The musical programme for the week was formed around Victoria’s Mass Ave Maris Stella, a little- known gem based on plainchant. Around this basis were various organ solos played by the Keble organ scholars, and motets by Bruckner, Stanford, Grieg, Tallis and Byrd, culminating in Holst’s magnificent Nunc Dimittis.
‘We found ourselves staying in the picturesque Saint Antoine L’Abbaye, a small town with an historic abbey lying at its heart.’
Although we were living in Saint Antoine, the magnificent Renaissance castle at Grignan provided the setting for our first concert, and a welcome respite from the stifling summer heat. Within this lay the 16th century Church of Saint Sauveur, and
its glorious acoustic and appreciative audience all combined to make this a memorable start to the tour. We celebrated Matthew Martin’s (Keble Director of Music) birthday in fine fashion that evening, with an extensive sampling of local food and drink.
A well-needed day of relaxation followed with an afternoon of swimming and tennis in the shadow of the Vercors massif.
The next couple of performances were closer to home – in the gothic abbey of Saint Antoine itself, and, finally, in the town of Saint Donat sur l’Herbasse. Here, the choir sang in the Collegiate Church, under the watchful eye of a beautiful and prestigious organ, as made famous by Marie-Claire Alain.
The final day saw the choir indulge in its touristy side, with a trip into the Alps in search of the Grande Chartreuse monastery, a sacred spot in which monks may only speak for a single hour each week. A noisy bunch, we struggled to comprehend how anyone could take a vow of silence for so long. The tour drew to a close with the choir leading an impromptu service of evensong in Saint Antoine, where we were introduced to French choral traditions.
We were in France to sing and share our music, but the tour was not only made special by our performances in the myriad beautiful venues, but by the quotidian details of the trip – the fresh baguettes we had in our picnic lunches, the chance to stay in a unique and historical place, and above all, getting to spend a week with a wonderful group of people. We’re all so grateful for everyone who made the tour possible; it definitely was a week to remember.
Theology 2014
Hugh Cross