[Magdalen] Winchester Transfigured.

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

If I were younger and stronger, I'd be with the local Saint Stephen's
Procathedral Choir (augmented by better singers from a couple of  other
regional parish choirs) is taking this week's choral duties at one of  my
favorite places, Winchester Cathedral.  The stint includes, as I  recall,
one weekend/Sunday and also tomorrow's Feast of the Transfiguration.
There are, of course, the daily choral Offices, including Evensong  every
evening.
 
The Choir has been in rehearsal for some time for this trip, and I  suspect
they essentially have everything memorized.  One of the other  parish
choirmasters has that duty, and the regional organ whiz-kid, Mark  Laubach
(the Procathedral O/C), is organist for the week.
 
I don't know where the choir is staying, but the most convenient,  though
not the least expensive location, is the venerable Wessex Hotel which  is
right on the Cathedral Close.  Maybe they're staying with  volunteers.
In any case, there is nothing quite like having Sunday breakfast in  the
Wessex restaurant, serenaded by the Cathedral ringers doing a peal.
 
I used to visit Winchester yearly, taking the train down from London.
The only difficult part in that was the fact that the trains  essentially
pause at Winchester for a couple of minutes before taking off for 
Southampton, and one needs to have suitcase in hand in order to get
off at Winchester.
 
<<<Winchester  Cathedral
You're  bringing me down
You  stood and you watched as
My  baby left town

You  could have done something
But  you didn't try
You  didn't do nothing
You  let her walk by>>>>>
 
 
David  Strang.