Composer | Music |
John Rutter | Out of the Deep (Requiem) |
Hildegard of Bingen | O viridissima virga |
John Tavener | Hemn to the Mother of God |
John Tavener | Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God |
Richard Rodney Bennett | Missa Brevis |
Rachmaninov | O come, let us worship our King (Vespers) |
Sofia Gubaidulina | Orchestral music inspired by "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" |
Valentin Silvestrov | Largo from "Requiem for Larissa" |
Geoffrey Burgon | Nunc Dimittis |
James Macmillan | Magnificat |
The title might appear to sit oddly with a programme made up exclusively of religious music, but the question mark is crucial. Bill explained it as follows. We constantly hear that we live in a secular state yet, given that so much religious music is still being written, (all but two of the featured composers are contemporary) can this really be so?