Rejoice! is a carol filled with pure, unbridled joy and celebration, with peals of bells ringing out with sharply accented resonant chords, richly crafted contrapuntal sections reminiscent of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and modal twists inspired by Howells: in many ways, the carol can be seen as a longstanding chorister’s homage to the joys of singing praises at Chrismastide through a wealth of seasonal classics. The main melodic material is derived from the Christmas Day plainchant Viderunt Omnes, transforming it into an unabashed declamation of rejoicing with a contrasting central section that reflects more intimately and soulfully upon the idea Christmas mystery: the righteousness and salvation of God being revealed to mankind through Christ.
From one of the UK’s bright, emerging choral composers, Rhiannon Randle, is this sublime setting of the familiar Latin text. O nata lux is a personal reflection on the compelling and timeless choral atmosphere depicted by the famous Thomas Tallis setting of these words. Dedicated to the memory of Randle’s late grandmother, the work balances a sense of intimate prayer and meditation with a spiritual declamation of the ‘light born of light.’ To see hope and new life in despair and death – for in the darkness we have seen a great light – chimes as much with the season of Advent as it does with personal loss.
Da pacem Domine (‘Give peace in our time, O Lord’) is a message that sits at the very heart of faith itself, suitable for any and all liturgical occasions. This setting was born out of the composer’s need to find solace during a period of deep grief. The simplicity of the antiphon’s Latin syntax, particularly the way the alliterative ‘pacem’ (peace) and ‘pugnet’ ([who] fights) draws attention to the synonymity of these opposing forces, became the basis for the gentle, ethereal mood of this setting. Alternating added-note chords rock back and forth like a lullaby, underpinned by a series of sustained, bass pedal points which recur throughout, reassuring and affirming. The central section’s upward, struggling ‘qui pugnet’ phrases hold no real aggression, but give way to yearning, lamentation figures that contrapuntally cascade to lower registers, before resigning to the calm, homophonic stasis of the final section. An exciting and passionate addition to the Latin motet repertoire for intermediate choirs.
The prophetic voice of esteemed religious poet Malcolm Guite and rising young composer Rhiannon Randle in collaboration exhorts action not somnolence in the face of the climate crisis, of world’s end literally in fire or ice. The challenge of replanting ‘the sacred wood’ in a burning world ‘turning in despair’ is at one with the very miracle of Christ’s salvation, thus a source of eternal hope. For believers and non-believers alike, Randle’s stirring anthem conveys a compelling message of renewal.
Commissioned by the BBC as part of the celebrations for International Women's Day, and reflecting its theme of hope, Like a Singing Bird was premiered live on Radio 3 on 8 March 2015 by Sarah Connolly and the St Catharine's Girls' Choir, conducted by Edward Wickham.
Greatly admiring the poetry of Christina Rossetti, and in particular the elegance and poignancy of her sonnet 'An Echo from Willow-Wood', the composer initially wrote this work as the second of a group of three anthems entitled Echoes from Willow Wood, exploring aspects of hope and despair in love.