Home listening - the joys of evensong, on disc, online and on Radio 3

The Guardian 0

New releases from the Gesualdo Six and York Minster, the rise of college and cathedral live streaming – and a broadcasting institution

• Years ago, when I sang as a tenor at Portsmouth Cathedral, the choir almost always outnumbered the congregation at weekday evensongs. Today, while overall church attendance has declined, Britain’s 42 cathedrals report evensong congregations up by a third in the past decade. In an increasingly secular world, with our lives often taken prisoner by technology, it seems that more people are seeking 40 minutes of quiet contemplation and the healing balm of good music. Even avowed atheists appreciate it – Richard Dawkins among them, apparently.