Paris Tour 2005

The whole choir - boys, girls and men - have recently returned from a 4 day trip to Paris. In the following diary, our new Assistant Master of the Music, Anthony Gowing, recalls how the tour went! (More pictures from the tour will appear here in due course).

Friday

We departed from the Cathedral early morning, just after 5 am, in fact. Far from resembling a chorus of giant larks, the scene evoked lines from Sassoon;

‘Dawn broke like a face with blinking eyes,

Pallid, unshaved and thirsty, blind with smoke’

At least, that’s how it seemed from the perspective of this diarist.

The journey to the Port of Dover was smooth, and we collected en route the driver for the Continental leg of our trip (Paul) and Mr Keating-Roberts, who was contributing his dulcet tones for our impending performances in the French capital.

We continued our journey aboard the MV ‘Pride of Kent’. The Channel was quite choppy, but I think that most of the group found their sea-legs.

Although we were a little late when we arrived into Calais, Paul made excellent time through Northern France, despite the high winds and driving rain that we encountered. We arrived at the hotel, (in Saint Mandé - a Parisian Suburb), and once rooms were allocated and the room codes dispatched, the whole party went to La Tourelle (the gun-turret), a nearby restaurant, for an evening meal. The service, whilst good-natured and, on the whole, friendly, was accompanied by quite a lot of shrugging of shoulders and gesticulating, which was most amusing and set the tone for the tour very well. After this excellent culinary and customary introduction to France, the choristers and the sensible adults repaired to their rooms.

Saturday

Saturday morning saw the Choristers, their excellent group leaders, and Messrs Taylor and Gowing, depart for central Paris after an early breakfast. There was ample opportunity to visit Paris’s many boutiques and shops, and we were dropped close to Les Halles, the Parisian answer to Meadowhall, although a little larger. Prior to this, Paul, our excellent driver conducted us on a brief tour of some of the notable sights in central Paris, including the Arc de Triomphe and Le Dome des Invalides, which is where Napoleon is buried.

In the afternoon, the choir was to rehearse at Notre Dame for 11:30 mass on Sunday. For those members of the group who had never visited this place (and, indeed for those who had) it was an awe-inspiring experience; the imposing façade, the vast spaces of the interior and the sheer volume of tourists were simply breath-taking. It was an enormous privilege for us to take part in the liturgy of France’s national cathedral, a fact that was not lost on the group.

After this, we made the short journey to Saint Eustache, one of Paris’s principle parish churches. Saint Eustache has an extremely distinguished musical heritage; both Liszt and Berlioz conducted concerts of their compositions here, and the list of Organists of the church contains some very important figures in French organ playing - something which continues to the present, Jean Guillou being one the finest organists in the world. We sang the Saturday vigil mass, and as always the choir rose to the occasion, and performed magnificently. The repertoire included music by two distinguished Parisian organists of the last century: Charles-Marie Widor’s Mass for two Organs and two Choirs and Marcel Dupré’s O Salutaris Hostias. The choir also sang Bairstow’s ‘Let all Mortal Flesh keep Silence’ as a Sortie, which was greeted by applause from the congregation.

Sunday  

On Sunday morning we boarded the bus for Notre Dame, and after unloading the cassocks and music, we posed for a photograph in front of the famous west front (see right). Then followed a brief rehearsal in the bowels of the cathedral, and then up to the Cathedral itself to sing for the principle Mass of the day. The repertoire was similar to the music the choir sang at Saint Eustache the previous evening; however the boys and songmen sang as an introit the Magnificat in D by Sir George Dyson. This was a splendid opening to the ceremony, with the wonderful Strauss-like phrases soared around the huge spaces of Notre Dame, and the Boys gave a fantastic account of themselves. Then the Grande Orgue (situated at the west end of the building) began to play as the priests entered. On this occasion, the Organ was being played by Philippe Lefebvre, one the four Titulaire-Organistes at Notre Dame. Mr Taylor had told the Choir that the Organ at Notre Dame was extraordinarily loud, but nothing could prepare them for the aural onslaught that they were about to encounter. The Choir sang the Widor mass again, and the girls and songmen sang Dupré’s O Salutaris in an absolutely ravishing performance.

The choir outside Notre Dame on Sunday morning- click on photo for larger version

After mass, the group boarded the bus for Montmartre, and saw the Moulin Rouge (from the outside only!). In the evening, we enjoyed a boat trip up the Seine . It was at dusk, so the perfect time to see this enchanting city with the Eiffel Tower illuminated, and the trees on the banks of the river bedecked with fairy lights. We then retired to Saint Mandé and the hotel eagerly anticipating our forthcoming outing to Disneyland® Paris.

Monday

The day that every single member of the group had been waiting for had arrived. When one thinks of good taste and haute culture, Disneyland® Paris leaps to mind almost immediately. We set off early and arrived in good time to make the most of all that the park has to offer (terrifying rides and interminable queues). I think that the choristers (and if they’re being honest, the adults) had a really good time, and it was an excellent reward for all their hard work over the past two days. The party managed to tear itself away from all the delights of the park, and dined at King Ludwig’s Castle (a restaurant in the resort, not an actual Royal dwelling) and some of the senior members of the group imbibed the litres of lager which King Ludwig had generously laid on for us. We bade an emotional farewell to Walt and friends, and made the journey back to the hotel.

Tuesday

The time had come to bid au revoir to Paris, and commence the return journey to the U.K. It had been a tremendously successful trip and the choir sang magnificently in two truly inspirational settings, having been excellent ambassadors for the music at Sheffield Cathedral.

Thanks must go to Neil Taylor, both for his inspired musical direction, and for the tremendous amount of work he did in organising the tour; to the choristers for their fantastic singing; to the excellent supervisors, who ensured that the choristers were in the right place at the right time and that they were looked after when they were not performing; to the songmen, for their marvellous vocal contribution and general support; and to Paul, our expert driver, whose knowledge of Paris was encyclopaedic and who got us to every destination on time and safely.     

Story by Anthony Gowing

Editor's note: Although he is too modest to have mentioned this himself, many thanks must also go to Anthony, who played superbly throughout the trip and made playing unfamiliar organs sound very easy, to support the choir in the manner to which we have become accustomed (i.e. very well!).

To see more photos taken by choir members during the trip, click here!

Recordings of the choir at St Eustache:

(Note: these files are very large; a broadband connection is recommended, but not essential. You may need to download the free Real Player first.)

• Dupré: O Salutaris Hostia

• Widor Mass: Kyrie

• Widor Mass: Sanctus & Benedictus

• Widor Mass: Agnus Dei

• Bairstow: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence