Midnight Mass for a London Christmas
One of the big attractions of Christmas for many of us is the Midnight Mass. It’s special because it’s Christmas; it’s special because it’s at a time most of us are usually getting ready for bed (unless we’re out clubbing); it’s special because of the carols and the choirs and the candlelight.
So, where to go for the best Midnight Mass in London? Let’s start with Westminster Cathedral, a huge Catholic basilica with a finely trained choir and a magnificent organ. Here, the mass setting is Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit, lovely French baroque music – an unusual choice in England. Mass starts at 1130; if you want to hear the choir in Renaissance music, though, turn up at 1030 on Christmas Day for the Palestrina Missa Hodie Christus natus est (‘Christ is born today’).
The other ‘big church’ choice is Westminster Abbey, again both starting at 1130. Purely for the music, I’d probably choose the Abbey – Mozart’s Coronation Mass is perhaps my favourite setting, a magnificent piece of music full of drums and trumpets and pomp and circumstance, but also incredibly moving and deep. The sublime Gothic architecture and the real feeling of an ancient English cathedral make this a great experience – if you’ve not visited England before, this is the real thing!
Yet another Mozart mass, the Colloredo Mass, at Brompton Oratory (nearest tube: South Kensington), together with Bach’s In dulci jubilo on the organ. This service doesn’t start till twelve, though there will be carols from 1130. This is a posh Catholic church – Knightsbridge is a very chi-chi area and unless I’m much mistaken, this is Tony and Cherie Blair’s local church.
My favourite though has always been St Albans, Brooke Street. It’s a glorious Victorian church, full of incense for the occasion, and which really knows how to do ritual. Besides which, there will be carol singing before the service, from 1110, while the Mass starts at 1130.
The music this year will be Mozart’s Missa Brevis, with an anthem by Palestrina, but what I’m really looking forward to is Vierne’s Carillon de Westminster on the organ. That might not sound very familiar, but in fact Londoners will readily recognise the tune – it’s the chimes of Big Ben, arranged in splendid, noisy French style.
And if you’re anywhere nearby, I recommend you walk back home. Just for once, the streets of London will be quiet and hushed – and if the sky is clear, you can see the stars shining down, and watch your breath making clouds of vapour in the air, and feel happy.
I used to walk back to Stoke Newington – it’s a good walk, about an hour – and put myself to bed with a glass of whisky. That’s the right way to start Christmas!
Where: St Albans Brooke Street(Chancery Lane tube)
When: December 24th, 1130
Photo credit: Kathleen Conklin on Flickr
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