Easter Broadcast with the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral

Today, the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral gave the first performance of The Resurrection, a work specially commissioned for the Easter Sunday Eucharist and broadcast live on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Worship.

The text I set – “On the third day he rose again, in accordance with the scriptures” – yielded a musical journey from stillness to exultation. The piece opens in a state of quiet radiance, with the sopranos introducing a gentle, unhurried melody. The other voices then join, enriching the texture until a pivotal key change shifts the atmosphere entirely.

From this point, the music is more animated and syncopated, and the harmonies take on a jazz-inflected warmth, capturing the joy and astonishment of the Resurrection.

It was a privilege to write for such a distinguished choir on such a significant occasion.