This album was recorded live at the opening concert of The Sixteen's 2009 Choral Pilgrimage, held at Guildford Cathedral.
Composer Biography
Henry Purcell, a composer of the Restoration period, was born in 1659 into a family of musicians and served as organist at Westminster Abbey.
Album & Artwork
The album's cover image features a Marc Chagall window from the church of Tudeley cum Capel with Five Oak Green, Kent, England.
Composition History
James MacMillan's "O bone Jesu" was commissioned by The Sixteen and premiered at Southwark Cathedral in 2002, revisiting a motet by 16th-century Scottish composer Robert Carver.
Performer Biography
The Sixteen, led by founder Harry Christophers, is recognized as one of the world's greatest ensembles, known for performing early English polyphony, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music.
Composition History
James MacMillan's "A Child's Prayer" is dedicated to the schoolchildren massacred in Dunblane in March 1996 and was performed in Westminster Abbey the following July.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Henry Purcell and James MacMillan, though separated by three centuries, are united by their ability to evoke emotional power and spirituality through their music.
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