Very Spanish

It was a great choral honour to find out (as usual, by accident) that Peter Phillips was going to include my setting of a Marian antiphon, Ave Regina Caelorum, in a Tallis Scholars evening centred round a Mass by Tomas Luis de Victoria. If I have ever written a Victoria-like piece (in my imagination, dark, impassioned, Spanish) this is it.

I have listened many times to recordings by this legendary group, but I don't think I've ever been to one of their concerts before. It was wonderful both to see and hear them perform. The tuning in particular was really fascinating; and of course the clarity of every vocal line in a whole evening of (mostly) very polyphonic music.

Not at all Spanish, or 16th century, was the venue, Milton Court in the Barbican. It's a very relaxed contemporary space, and I guess that its dissimilarity to any church acoustic added to the vividness of the experience. Also rather a contrast with the musical material was Ian Skelly's light-hearted presentation, including much friendly platform chat with the immensely knowledgeable conductor. You can judge for yourself: the whole concert is going to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Easter Monday (7.30pm).

PICTURED: A properly Spanish church in London, the fabulous St James's Spanish Place.