I feel I must flag up a BBC Singers recording currently on BBC Sounds. When I arrived at King's Place for this live concert in February, I knew my piece Missa del Cid was on the menu, but had not grasped that this was going to be a 70th birthday tribute to - myself. I spent the rest of the evening feeling surprised.
As can be expected, it was a boon to have this BBC Radio 3 recording to "recollect in tranquility". Especially about Missa del Cid, in a most imaginative recreation by conductor Owain Park (not yet born when this music was written, may I say as an almost-70 year old.) The piece nestles in a most appropriate programme of early polyphony from Perotin onwards, sounding particularly rich and resonant. There's also a beautiful new piece by Electra Perivolaris, and a fine Miserere setting by James McMillan.
If anyone has the patience to listen all the way through, even the interval feature - the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony - is a joy to hear. Thanks as ever to this unparalleled vocal ensemble, and of course to BBC Radio 3 for a concert I will cherish.
Pictured - St James's, Spanish Place, London W1
