Miserere Mei  by Alexander Campkin. The Tallis Scholars conducted by Peter Phillips

'I will always remember hearing Allegri's Miserere for the first time. I was struck by the beauty of the music and the emotions that it conveyed. This was a recording of the Allegri by the Tallis Scholars, a recording which has remained close to my heart ever since. I was therefore thrilled to be commissioned by this choir to write a new setting of the same text. 

The new piece reflects my emotional response to Allegri's strikingly moving Miserere. Like the Allegri, it is scored for double choir. Two musical elements are contrasted: that of the main choir and a more lyrical section sung by the off-stage solo group. As these sections alternate, the piece gradually builds in intensity with suspension after suspension. The harmony is intensified as the first soprano soars to a high C, hitting the climax on the words 'Libera me de sanguinibus' ('Deliver me from blood guiltless').'

www.alexandercampkin.com

Miserere Mei - Tallis Scholars - extract - Alexander Campkin

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