John Pickard's music is widely praised for its large-scale architectural sense and bold handling of an extended tonal idiom.
Compositional Technique
The Mass in Troubled Times features a complex text devised by writer Gavin D'Costa, drawing on multiple sources in five languages, including Latin, English poems, and Middle Eastern languages.
Composition History
The Mass in Troubled Times was composed in 2018 for the BBC Singers, a leading chamber choir, and premiered on February 1, 2019, in London.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording, located at St Jude-on-the-Hill, was originally installed in 1899 and built by Henry 'Father' Willis, one of England's most distinguished organ builders.
Recording & Production
This recording was made at the Parish Church of St Jude-on-the-Hill in Hampstead, London, using Schoeps and DPA microphones and a DiGiCo mixing console.
Composer Biography
John Pickard, born in 1963, is a British composer who studied with William Mathias and Louis Andriessen and is currently a professor of composition at the University of Bristol.
Performer Biography
The BBC Singers, formed in 1924 as the Wireless Chorus, hold a unique place in the UK's choral scene and are known for tackling demanding contemporary repertoire.
