Classic fm at Lichfield Cathedral

We hosted a tremendous event at the Cathedral on Thursday night -- though I suppose I would say that, wouldn't I? Actually, I wasn't sure about it beforehand; but in retrospect I'm convinced. It was really worthwhile.

It was the CLASSIC f M Christmas Concert, in association with John Lewis. That's to say (and I hope I've got this right!), it was a charity fund-raiser concert (raising funds for the Music Makers charity), organised, funded and broadcast by CLASSIC f M, sponsored by the John Lewis partnership, and (for the first time in the Midlands) hosted at Lichfield Cathedral.

'Carol Concerts' are a fairly new phenomenon. I have instinctive reservations about them. They are defined, I suspect, in opposition (or in contrast anyway) to 'Carol Services'. So they represent a secularising trend. It can feel as if they attempt to wrest Christmas free of its Christian moorings, and yet to keep those elements of a 'traditional' Christmas which at best resonate with our yearning for meaning, and at worst appeal to mere sentimentality.

But last night's event was moving and will work well on the radio, I think. We'll know on the night of Monday 21 December (at 9.00pm) when it will be broadcast (on CLASSIC f M, of course).

Maybe it was the sense that the performance was being recorded which gave the occasion an atmosphere of reverence. A cynic would say that that too is a sign of the times: it isn't the presence of the living God which evokes a sense of awe and wonder, but the presence of the microphone. And yet there was a sense of reverence -- and my impression is that, ultimately, it derived from the setting. The Cathedral somehow asserts itself on these occasions as a sacred space.

In truth, the event probably has to be a 'concert'. After all, it's not appropriate to charge people to come to an act of worship in the Cathedral. So if you're going to have a charity fund-raiser, with attendance ticketed (at prices which while, 'not knowingly undersold' were not bargain basement either), it's right to make it a concert. People expect to pay to attend concerts.

But (and this was my conclusion in the end) as a concert, it was a distinctly spiritual occasion. The 'programme' was led (extremely ably) by one of the CLASSIC f M requests team, Jamie Crick. It comprised a series of readings (two from the Bible, and two not -- all superbly read), with about eight choir items, all religious (mostly sung by our own Cathedral Choir, sounding terrific, conducted by Philip Scriven and accompanied by Martin Rawles; but also by 'Enchanted Voices' -- a group of female singers convened and conducted by Howard Goodall, composer of the 'Vicar of Dibley' theme-tune) and four 'congregational' carols. The mix was completed by the uplifting participation of 'Deco' (the Darwin Ensemble Chamber Orchestra), led by Alex Laing. The point is that however the event was billed, it felt to me throughout the evening, that we were more of a congregation (ie, at a service) than an audience (at a concert).

So it felt entirely appropriate when, at the end of the evening, the Dean stepped up to the microphone and pronounced a blessing. This may not make the broadcast. I believe 80 minutes of recording will be reduced to 60 minutes of broadcast and I won't be at all surprised if the blessing (like the Dean's helpful introduction) fails to make the cut. But 'live' it was entirely fitting.

And just by the way: behind the scenes (on site all day yesterday and in some cases most of the day before) the staff from both CLASSIC f M and John Lewis were exemplary in their cheerfulness and courteousness. The culture of the two organisations is impressive. There may be those who sneer at the polite middle-classness of it all; but if the individuals we met are typical of their employees, these firms are getting something important profoundly right. So thank you, CLASSIC f M and John Lewis. Please come again.