Jerusalem, Bach's Vocal Works, Streetwise Opera, Errollyn Wallen

Hubert Parry composed his song ‘Jersulem’ 100 years ago this month during the gloom of World War I when the uplifting new English hymn was more than warmly welcome. Petroc visits the Royal College of Music with journalist Simon Heffer to see the secrets of a manuscript, and hear the story behind the composition, its connection to George Grove, the poet laureate, to a radical political group ‘The Fight for Right Movement’, and to the Suffragettes too. From there to being a piece at the heart of the Last Night of the Proms…

Petroc Trelawny visits Campfield Market Hall in Manchester as The Sixteen and Streetwise Opera, an organisation working with people who have experienced homelessness, produce a staged version of Bach's 'St. Matthew Passion', including a new finale written by composer Sir James MacMillan. We speak to conductor Harry Christophers and director Penny Woolcock about working with professionals and amateurs as they create this artistic and social project; also, Streetwise performers tell us about their experience of performing on it, and James MacMillan explains how he approached the task of following on Bach’s music.

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Streetwise Opera
‘The Passion’ on BBC Four: Sunday 27th March at 7pm
The Sixteen

As we approach Easter, Bach’s Passions recreating the death of Jesus Christ will be performed throughout the country and around the Christian world. Markus Rathey’s new book 'Bach's Major Vocal Works - Music, Drama and Liturgy' explores pieces like the Passions, based on the Evangelists, but also the Magnificat, the Christmas Oratorio and also the B minor Mass, and their direct relationship with Christian theology, drama and the arts. Singer Mark Padmore, whose signature role is the Evangelist in Bach’s ‘St. Matthew Passion’, and conductor Jeremy Summerly review the book with Petroc.

Petroc interviews Belize-born, British composer, singer and teacher Errollyn Wallen about her life and work, which includes ballet, orchestral pieces, opera, songs and choral works. She discusses how she sees a gap between Classical Music and disenfranchised audiences today, how she sees her role as both composer and performer to bridge it. Also about her broad style, mixing influences from Ella Fitzgerald, to jazz, Classical Music and beyond, and about her work with the group, Ensemble X, whose motto is: ‘We don’t break down barriers in music, we don’t see any.’

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Errollyn Wallen