I must start with two clear statements. I am a member of this congregation and this is the service that I usually go to. The purpose of most productions is to entertain, the purpose of Evensong is to worship. Hence I shall confine myself, by and large, to the music. The music is why this item is included in the Fringe programme. The spiritual dimension is for each to discern for themselves.Evening Prayer is an ancient service of readings and prayers to close the day. Here, it is sung on a Sunday but still forms part of a wider cycle of prayer. In the organ music before the service we had a quiet introduction to the Office hymn that would quickly follow. As this is a complex tune, the hint was a helpful welcome for visitors, of which there were a few, bringing the total congregation to 50. Most of the service was sung. The cantoring of the Rev Canon Ian Paton was excellent, conveying both warmth and depth. The Psalm was sung in Anglican chant with a superb freshness to Ps 48 in particular. The Canticles were to a setting by Weelkes as was the Anthem. My one criticism of these would be that the end of the Magnificat sagged a little so that some of the words got lost. However, the Gloria at the end of the Nunc Dimittis was spectacular.Too often Evensongs are marred by a poor sermon to finish. Here there is Benediction, a simple but beautifully spiritual service. Again the Choir led this superbly, the dynamism of the Tantum ergo was sublime. John Kitchen’s playing of a Vaughan Williams voluntary closed the service with a glorious serenity. You might argue that I have given this service such praise because I attend regularly; I would suggest that I attend regularly because the services are worthy of such praise.
