Truro Cathedral Choir CD launch
In May, something extraordinary took place in Truro Cathedral, behind closed doors. The 45 singers of Truro Cathedral Choir were joined by 64 professional musicians from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and two of the UK’s leading soloists, Catherine Wyn-Rogers and Julien Van Mellaerts.
The reason all of those musicians came together was the music of Cornish composer Russell Pascoe.
Truro Cathedral’s director of music, Christopher Gray, said: “Over the years, Russell has written a number of pieces of music for specific occasions at Truro Cathedral, and among the most powerful of these were three anthems to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War in 2018. It is hard to put into words how powerful these works were, and I am delighted that we have had the chance to record them as part of Russell’s ‘A Sequence for Remembrance’.
“The heart of the CD is Russell’s Secular Requiem, which I have had the privilege of conducting three times, here in Truro and in London. It was commissioned by Three Spires Singers and, like the remembrance sequence, was a collaboration with librettist Anthony Pinching. I know from much feedback that the Secular Requiem’s music and its distinctive message connect with people of all faiths and people of no faith. There are moments of beauty, desperation, and even humour, with Russell’s own positive spirit defining the ending. There is so much variety along the way and I commend this work to you in its entirety: if you take the time to get to know it, I suspect you will have it close for the rest of your life.”
The CD is available from shops, including Truro Cathedral Shop, from Friday 11 November, as well as on all the usual digital platforms.