Tim Atkinson's Blog, page 21
December 23, 2017
Laurie Lee Christmas Landscape
Christmas Eve already, and there can't be a more appropriate way to end this sequence of seasonal posts than with one of the most memorable pieces of Christmas poetry.
For some years I sang with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and every year, there'd be a series of very grand carol concerts in the Philharmonic Hall. There'd be a star reader - Richard Baker, most years; Brian Kay; Alan Titchmarsh; Aled Jones. Some were decidedly better than others.
There were carols, of course. And orchestral favourites. And fun.
But the most moving part of the evening was always the same. It was the final sequence. The lights were dimmed, we sang Andrew Carter's wonderful arrangement of 'Stile Nacht'. The reader read 'Christmas Landscape' by Laurie Lee and then the band played something appropriate (never more so than the lovey 'Cradle Song' by Martin Dalby). Then, finally, the moment for everyone to stand and sing 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' at the limit of their lung power, by way of release.
The formula was every bit as memorable as 'Nine Lessons and Carols' without in the slightest bit being an attempt to copy it. How could you? But in spite of the musicians and the wonderful music, in spite of being in one of the best choirs it's been my privilege to sing in, and in spite of the privilege of singing behind a professional symphony orchestra for so long, it was this poem - words, rather than music - that made it.
Tonight the wind gnaws
With teeth of glass,
The jackdaw shivers
In caged branches of iron,
The stars have talons.
There is hunger in the mouth
Of vole and badger,
Silver agonies of breath
In the nostril of the fox,
Ice on the rabbit’s paw.
Tonight has no moon,
No food for the pilgrim;
The fruit tree is bare,
The rose bush a thorn
And the ground is bitter with stones.
But the mole sleeps, and the hedgehog
Lies curled in a womb of leaves,
The bean and the wheat-seed
Hug their germs in the earth
And the stream moves under the ice.
Tonight there is no moon,
But a new star opens
Like a silver trumpet over the dead.
Tonight in a nest of ruins
The blessed babe is laid.
And the fir tree warms to a bloom of candles,
And the child lights his lantern,
Stares at his tinselled toy;
And our hearts and hearths
Smoulder with live ashes.
In the blood of our grief
The cold earth is suckled,
In our agony the womb
Convulses its seed;
In the first cry of anguish
The child’s first breath is born.
For some years I sang with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and every year, there'd be a series of very grand carol concerts in the Philharmonic Hall. There'd be a star reader - Richard Baker, most years; Brian Kay; Alan Titchmarsh; Aled Jones. Some were decidedly better than others.
There were carols, of course. And orchestral favourites. And fun.
But the most moving part of the evening was always the same. It was the final sequence. The lights were dimmed, we sang Andrew Carter's wonderful arrangement of 'Stile Nacht'. The reader read 'Christmas Landscape' by Laurie Lee and then the band played something appropriate (never more so than the lovey 'Cradle Song' by Martin Dalby). Then, finally, the moment for everyone to stand and sing 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' at the limit of their lung power, by way of release.
The formula was every bit as memorable as 'Nine Lessons and Carols' without in the slightest bit being an attempt to copy it. How could you? But in spite of the musicians and the wonderful music, in spite of being in one of the best choirs it's been my privilege to sing in, and in spite of the privilege of singing behind a professional symphony orchestra for so long, it was this poem - words, rather than music - that made it.
Tonight the wind gnaws
With teeth of glass,
The jackdaw shivers
In caged branches of iron,
The stars have talons.
There is hunger in the mouth
Of vole and badger,
Silver agonies of breath
In the nostril of the fox,
Ice on the rabbit’s paw.
Tonight has no moon,
No food for the pilgrim;
The fruit tree is bare,
The rose bush a thorn
And the ground is bitter with stones.
But the mole sleeps, and the hedgehog
Lies curled in a womb of leaves,
The bean and the wheat-seed
Hug their germs in the earth
And the stream moves under the ice.
Tonight there is no moon,
But a new star opens
Like a silver trumpet over the dead.
Tonight in a nest of ruins
The blessed babe is laid.
And the fir tree warms to a bloom of candles,
And the child lights his lantern,
Stares at his tinselled toy;
And our hearts and hearths
Smoulder with live ashes.
In the blood of our grief
The cold earth is suckled,
In our agony the womb
Convulses its seed;
In the first cry of anguish
The child’s first breath is born.
December 22, 2017
Advent, door twenty-three
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas number one... not ANY old Christmas number one, THE Christmas number one from the Christmas capital of the UK, er... Sleaford. Yes, Sleaford. Just look how festive everyone is!
Christmas Number One Chris Clark
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas number one... not ANY old Christmas number one, THE Christmas number one from the Christmas capital of the UK, er... Sleaford. Yes, Sleaford. Just look how festive everyone is!
December 21, 2017
Advent, door 22
If yesterday's Nantucket Sleigh Ride was a bit like being blasted by Brian Blessed singing 'Good King Wencelas' on Everest, then you may appreciate what's behind today's door of the digital Advent calendar this year. It's the hauntingly-beautiful Eclogue, by Gerald Finzi.
There's nothing especially Christmassy about it, although the photos of a snowy Derbyshire that accompany this YouTube video of it are wonderfully seasonal.
There's nothing especially Christmassy about it, although the photos of a snowy Derbyshire that accompany this YouTube video of it are wonderfully seasonal.
Gerald Finzi Eclogue
If yesterday's Nantucket Sleigh Ride was a bit like being blasted by Brian Blessed singing 'Good King Wencelas' on Everest, then you may appreciate what's behind today's door of the digital Advent calendar this year. It's the hauntingly-beautiful Eclogue, by Gerald Finzi.
There's nothing especially Christmassy about it, although the photos of a snowy Derbyshire that accompany this YouTube video of it are wonderfully seasonal.
There's nothing especially Christmassy about it, although the photos of a snowy Derbyshire that accompany this YouTube video of it are wonderfully seasonal.
December 20, 2017
Advent, door twenty-one...
Right, time to blow away those cobwebs. Time, in fact, for a sleigh ride - a Nantucket sleighride, to be precise.
Readers of a certain age might find this unaccountably reminding them of the smell of Sunday lunch, or the rather tortured elocution of Brian Walden, for some reason... I'll let you work out why that is!
Readers of a certain age might find this unaccountably reminding them of the smell of Sunday lunch, or the rather tortured elocution of Brian Walden, for some reason... I'll let you work out why that is!
Nantucket Sleighride Mountain Weekend World
Right, time to blow away those cobwebs. Time, in fact, for a sleigh ride - a Nantucket sleighride to be precise.
Readers of a certain age might find this unaccountably reminding them of the smell of Sunday lunch, or the rather tortured elocution of Brian Walden, for some reason... I'll let you work out why that is!
Readers of a certain age might find this unaccountably reminding them of the smell of Sunday lunch, or the rather tortured elocution of Brian Walden, for some reason... I'll let you work out why that is!
You've got mail!
Ok, so. If you haven't yet posted this year's Christmas Cards you might well be too late. You're definitely too late if you want them to get to Austria, Denmark, Iceland and the Netherlands. As well as Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the US of A. Oh, and let's not forget the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand. In fact, the list goes on. In fact, why bother? I mean, why bother with the bother of a physical card, in a paper envelope adorned with a rather costly stamp and posted in an overfull letter box to be collected and sorted and delivered by overworked and harassed postal workers?
Why not, in fact, take the stress (and cost) out of the equation entirely and try sending an e-card instead. We have. And not any old e-card, either. But one from Paperless Post, a company that designs customisable online and printed stationery, designed to show that communication can be personal and well-designed regardless of the medium.
Paperless Post has partnered with several world-famous designers and lifestyle brands, including Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, and Rifle Paper Co., and has delivered over 85 million cards to date. Oh, make that 85 million and 70. Because I've just sent a batch of personalised, animated (but tastefully, and professionally - if an email can recreate the actions of receiving an envelope and opening a card, this does) Christmas cards to a whole stack of people all over the world, instantly, and by the simple expedient of adding their email address to a mailing list.
Ok, so I did spend a bit of time browsing the many attractive designs (disclaimer: I was given funds to do this!) and uploaded some picture of the children. Oh, and creating a personal message on the inside of the card, too. Oh, and adding a personal note to the emails of several friends or family members to whom I wanted to say a little more than merely 'Merry Christmas'. Oh, and setting up a quick-and-easy acknowledgement for said friends and family to use in order to notify us of the card's safe delivery, too.
In short, you can do just about anything you can do with a paper card - more, even. And all without the hassle (and expense) of posting.
Maybe you've already sent your (physical) cards this year? Never mind. There's always next year. Or there's always that New Year party you're planning. Just think - personalised e-invitations AND a quick-and-easy way to keep tabs on who is coming. Or there's someone's birthday. Or Bar Mitzvah. Or... well, there are cards for just about every occasion you can think of.
So from now on, it's Paperless all the way for us.
Just think of the tree!
Why not, in fact, take the stress (and cost) out of the equation entirely and try sending an e-card instead. We have. And not any old e-card, either. But one from Paperless Post, a company that designs customisable online and printed stationery, designed to show that communication can be personal and well-designed regardless of the medium.
Paperless Post has partnered with several world-famous designers and lifestyle brands, including Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, and Rifle Paper Co., and has delivered over 85 million cards to date. Oh, make that 85 million and 70. Because I've just sent a batch of personalised, animated (but tastefully, and professionally - if an email can recreate the actions of receiving an envelope and opening a card, this does) Christmas cards to a whole stack of people all over the world, instantly, and by the simple expedient of adding their email address to a mailing list.
Ok, so I did spend a bit of time browsing the many attractive designs (disclaimer: I was given funds to do this!) and uploaded some picture of the children. Oh, and creating a personal message on the inside of the card, too. Oh, and adding a personal note to the emails of several friends or family members to whom I wanted to say a little more than merely 'Merry Christmas'. Oh, and setting up a quick-and-easy acknowledgement for said friends and family to use in order to notify us of the card's safe delivery, too.
In short, you can do just about anything you can do with a paper card - more, even. And all without the hassle (and expense) of posting.
Maybe you've already sent your (physical) cards this year? Never mind. There's always next year. Or there's always that New Year party you're planning. Just think - personalised e-invitations AND a quick-and-easy way to keep tabs on who is coming. Or there's someone's birthday. Or Bar Mitzvah. Or... well, there are cards for just about every occasion you can think of.
So from now on, it's Paperless all the way for us.
Just think of the tree!
Paperless Post Christmas e-card
Ok, so. If you haven't yet posted this year's Christmas Cards you might well be too late. You're definitely too late if you want them to get to Austria, Denmark, Iceland and the Netherlands. As well as Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the US of A. Oh, and let's not forget the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand. In fact, the list goes on. In fact, why bother? I mean, why bother with the bother of a physical card, in a paper envelope adorned with a rather costly stamp and posted in an overfull letter box to be collected and sorted and delivered by overworked and harassed postal workers?
Why not, in fact, take the stress (and cost) out of the equation entirely and try sending an e-card instead. We have. And not any old e-card, either. But one from Paperless Post, a company that designs customisable online and printed stationery, designed to show that communication can be personal and well-designed regardless of the medium.
Paperless Post has partnered with several world-famous designers and lifestyle brands, including Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, and Rifle Paper Co., and has delivered over 85 million cards to date. Oh, make that 85 million and 70. Because I've just sent a batch of personalised, animated (but tastefully, and professionally - if an email can recreate the actions of receiving an envelope and opening a card, this does) Christmas cards to a whole stack of people all over the world, instantly, and by the simple expedient of adding their email address to a mailing list.
Ok, so I did spend a bit of time browsing the many attractive designs (disclaimer: I was given funds to do this!) and uploaded some picture of the children. Oh, and creating a personal message on the inside of the card, too. Oh, and adding a personal note to the emails of several friends or family members to whom I wanted to say a little more than merely 'Merry Christmas'. Oh, and setting up a quick-and-easy acknowledgement for said friends and family to use in order to notify us of the card's safe delivery, too.
In short, you can do just about anything you can do with a paper card - more, even. And all without the hassle (and expense) of posting.
Maybe you've already sent your (physical) cards this year? Never mind. There's always next year. Or there's always that New Year party you're planning. Just think - personalised e-invitations AND a quick-and-easy way to keep tabs on who is coming. Or there's someone's birthday. Or Bar Mitzvah. Or... well, there are cards for just about every occasion you can think of.
So from now on, it's Paperless all the way for us.
Just think of the tree!
Why not, in fact, take the stress (and cost) out of the equation entirely and try sending an e-card instead. We have. And not any old e-card, either. But one from Paperless Post, a company that designs customisable online and printed stationery, designed to show that communication can be personal and well-designed regardless of the medium.
Paperless Post has partnered with several world-famous designers and lifestyle brands, including Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, and Rifle Paper Co., and has delivered over 85 million cards to date. Oh, make that 85 million and 70. Because I've just sent a batch of personalised, animated (but tastefully, and professionally - if an email can recreate the actions of receiving an envelope and opening a card, this does) Christmas cards to a whole stack of people all over the world, instantly, and by the simple expedient of adding their email address to a mailing list.
Ok, so I did spend a bit of time browsing the many attractive designs (disclaimer: I was given funds to do this!) and uploaded some picture of the children. Oh, and creating a personal message on the inside of the card, too. Oh, and adding a personal note to the emails of several friends or family members to whom I wanted to say a little more than merely 'Merry Christmas'. Oh, and setting up a quick-and-easy acknowledgement for said friends and family to use in order to notify us of the card's safe delivery, too.
In short, you can do just about anything you can do with a paper card - more, even. And all without the hassle (and expense) of posting.
Maybe you've already sent your (physical) cards this year? Never mind. There's always next year. Or there's always that New Year party you're planning. Just think - personalised e-invitations AND a quick-and-easy way to keep tabs on who is coming. Or there's someone's birthday. Or Bar Mitzvah. Or... well, there are cards for just about every occasion you can think of.
So from now on, it's Paperless all the way for us.
Just think of the tree!
December 19, 2017
Advent, door 20
Of course, Christmas isn't always about music. It doesn't only snow in country villages. The Swansea of Dylan Thomas's childhood produced equally poignant and memorable incidents, vividly recalled here in his short memoir, A Child's Christmas in Wales.
