Lennox Berkely once addressed the issue of composing sacred works in a 1966 issue of Times Literary Supplement: “How, it may be asked, does a composer approach the task of writing religious music? Does he adopt a different tone of voice, or use a special idiom?… I cannot imagine that any composer in these circumstances would want to modify his ordinary musical idiom.” True to his remarks, Berkeley’s Stabat Mater, Magnificat, and “Better My Heart” show his distinctive voice and recognizable style. The sincerity of these works is palpable and secures them a place amongst the great sacred works of his day. These recordings are taken directly from BBC transmissions from 1963, 1965, and 1968, and have been remastered with the finest technology for optimal sound quality.

Artists

Mary Thomas (soprano), Barbara Elsy (soprano), Maureen Lehane (contralto), Nigel Rogers (tenor), Christopher Keyte (baritone) & Michael Rippon (bass), Felicity Harrison (soprano) & Donald Hunt (organ)

Members of the English Chamber Orchestra & Ambrosian Singers, BBC Northern Singers & Members of the BBC Northern Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra & Choirs of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey & Westminster Cathedral, Norman Del Mar, Lennox Berkeley