October 4, 2016

London, UK

Well here we are at home having a few days to revise some upcoming rep for our 4 concerts in Germany, starting on Friday. In Dresden on Saturday, in the superb acoustics of the Frauenkirche, we're singing 4 movements of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett's masterpiece Sermons and Devotions. I really do think that this is my favourite contemporary commission that I've sung with the group. I remember the hairs on the back of my neck standing up when I first performed the five movements with the group - hearing those chords ringing, listening to the text - it was a magical experience. Sir Richard was a phenomenal musician and a huge loss for the music world after he passed away on Christmas Eve back in 2012. I only met him once and I wish I had thanked him for writing Sermons and Devotions for the group. He also wrote a huge number of incredible arrangements for The KS too. It's a New World would certainly appear in my top ten. The understanding of harmony and how voices work is always so apparent in Sir Richard's work. RIP Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and thanks for everything you did for the wonderful world of music.