31st March Felt like I'd been crucified

 

John Stainer's The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer was composed in 1887. It is a 20-movement Passiontide cantata for SATB choir, tenor and baritone soloists, and organ, designed for parish church choirs, which premiered on February 24th 1887 at Marylebone Parish Church. 

And these dates are important because it helps to remind us that Stainer's Crucifixion was written before melody, tune and enjoyment were ever discovered in music. I kid you not. After the longest 80 minutes of my life I felt I knew what Jesus had been through on that cross or at least the aural equivalent. I would rather have listened to three and a half hours of the Scott Mills breakfast show, now only available on catch up.

I had thought lets try something new, something different, something out of my comfort zone. The next time I had that idea dear readers, can someone please shake me vigerously and then restrain me until the thought goes away. What made it worse was that the arrangement of chairs within the church made it impossible to leave once the performance had started. And from where i sat on the back row I had full acces to the clock on the wall which seemed to be moving at glacial speed if indeed it was moving at all.

Dont' get me wrong the singing was fine, just very very dull, very very repetative and very very tuneless. Even the five hymns the congregation were encouraged to join in with, well I didn't recognise four of them.

If only the young girl sat on the row in front of me had been willing to share her colouring in book it might have helped pass the time. Sadly she wasn't. So havign tried it and disliked it as the saying goes one crucifixion is more than enough.