Our Sacred Music programme on Allegri's Miserere is being shown again on BBC 4 tonight at 8.30pm. Presented by Simon Russell Beale, it features a complete performance of the work. Harry Christophers conducts and Andy Robbins directs.
There are worse ways to spend a Saturday morning than gazing for a couple of hours at the West Front of Wells Cathedral (alternating with staring at the laptop screen). Our Choral Pilgrimage hotel here is The Swan, which has a spectacular view from its lounge. The present cathedral was begun around 1180, on a new site to the north of the old. Started nearly 10 years before Lincoln and more than 40 years before Salisbury, Wells was the first English cathedral to be built throughout with the pointed arch, shafted column and ribbed vault of the Gothic style. A great setting for last night's packed concert. Off to Tewkesbury now.
And finally, John Piper's Creation window:
The Choral Pilgrimage moves on tonight to Southwell Minster. The concert is sold out, although there might be a few returns at the door. There are still tickets available for tomorrow night's performance in another magnificent building, Peterborough Cathedral. Tickets available from 01733 452336.
A final word from the Wife of Bath (himself) on the BBC Music Magazine's blog.
And so, The Sixteen's Choral Pilgrimage Charity Walk comes to an end. Welcomed by the Dean of Canterbury and with a short ceremony at Thomas à Becket's memorial, followed by a splendid lunch, the core team of walkers were joined yesterday by some 12 other supporters of The Sixteen. Countertenor Ian Aitkenhead had canvassed opinion on which of the Chaucer's pilgrims he should dress up as for the final leg, and, perhaps not surprisingly, the Wife of Bath won the vote.
Not sure what the weather is like in Kent today, but I suspect the Choral Pilgrimage Charity Walk is having a damp morning as it wends from Bearsted to Lenham. Donations to the two charitie we are supporting continue to come in: World Vision and the Save Canterbury Cathedral appeal. If you would like to sponsor the walk go to our special Just Giving pages: World Vision and Canterbury Cathedral.
Countertenor Christopher Royall leads the Chroal Pilgrimage Charity Walk, as it wends its way towards Canterbury. Big day today: 20 miles from Otford to Rochester. The Sixteen is raising money for two charities (not itself!): World Vision and the Save Canterbury Cathedral appeal. If you would like to sponsor the walk go to our special Just Giving pages: World Vision and Canterbury Cathedral. Lots more photos here.
The walkers have just passed the village of Chevening: you can see the church amongst the trees, and just pick out Chevening House which is the traditional grace-and-favour residence of the Foreign Secretary. This, however, being a Coalition, it's now a house-share - William Hague and the Deputy Prime Minister..... Onwards.
A track from our Messiah recording features in a special Sunday Times iTunes free promotion this weekend, when 15 of the top UK orchestras display their recorded wares in an attempt to encourage people to explore music they might not be familiar with. The following week's promotion will include a track from our Samson recording. The Sixteen are joined by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, and The London Philharmonic Orchestra amongst others.
Check out the newly launched Proms Archive, which you can search by composer, work or artist. My first discovery is that an aria from the work we are doing in Edinburgh next month was first performed in the Proms in 1897:
We are in the studio (well, St John's Smith Square, pictured) for the next few days recording the first of a 3-CD Monteverdi project. Musing yesterday on the vagaries of TV scheduling. Because of the outcome of earlier World Cup rounds yesterday afternoon's Germany v. Argentina match was on BBC 1, which meant the Women's Wimbledon final and subsequent matches were shifted to BBC 2, which meant the 4.05pm repeat of one of our Sacred Music programmes bit the dust.
BBC Radio 3 recorded our two Monteverdi concerts at the Spitalfields Festival last night for broadcast on Performance on 3 next Friday 2 July at 7.00pm. Reaction to our collaboration with Julian Joseph was excellent, and there was a stimulating discussion afterwards with members of the audience who wanted to unpick the perennial problem of how jazz musicians 'do jazz' and how you go on to combine its freedom and improvisiation with structured, notated music. What was remarkable was how our continuo section relished the occasion!
Two more concerts at the Spitalfields Festival tonight: pure Monteverdi at 6.30pm (sold out) and then at 8.30pm our Monteverdi collaboration with jazz pianist Julian Joseph, who has also established himself as a jazz pioneer in the classical world. He was the first jazz musician to be invited to give a series of all-acoustic concerts at London's most prestigious classical venue, the Wigmore Hall. He has recorded duets by Milhaud, Stravinsky and Poulenc with Brazilian pianist Marcelo Bratke, combining them with his own arrangements of music by Duke Ellington, Chick Corea and Bill Evans, and collaborated with concert violinist Viktoria Mullova on her fusion project, 'Through the Looking Glass'. As a soloist, he has given recitals of Bartók and Prokofiev sonatas and performed Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F and the Rhapsody in Blue with some of the most renowned symphony orchestras in Europe. At the same time, Julian's own classically-oriented work never ventures too far away from his jazz focus. This is particularly evident in his writing for big band and strings or full symphony orchestra, in which he demonstrates an exceptional ability to orchestrate complex textures of rhythm and sound without losing the essential groove that is at the heart of jazz.
Our next concert at the Festival is on Friday evening and includes the UK premiere of James MacMillan's Miserere.
