Duration: 6 minutes

A setting of two anonymous sixteenth-century poems

Audio samples:

•     Eight Motets (1: Amen dico vobis)

Duration: 4 minutes

This heart-felt setting was originally included in the popular 'A Garland for Linda', a celebration of the life of the late Linda McCartney. Combining a poignant text adapted from Milton, Shakespeare, and Elizabeth Speller with emotive harmonies, this is an attractive piece by one of Britain's foremost contemporary composers.

Year of composition: 2019
Published by michaelberkeley.co.uk

I have always been particularly attracted to those figures in the gospels who show human frailty and thus draw from Christ sympathy and even empathy. Mary Magdalen is a perfect example and in this new work for the Addison Singers (dedicated to David Wordsworth) I have taken a sequence that illustrates this.

To bring out the tenderness of the washing of the Lord’s feet with her tears, I have purloined a lilting melody from my clarinet quintet which was inspired by medieval music. Furthermore I have introduced to the otherwise Latin text a passage in English.

The title is also a reference to a particularly memorable journey I made up the Magdalena River in Colombia in 2018. The music begins and ends with paeans of praise to the King of Kings.

Published by michaelberkeley.co.uk

A carol setting of words by Auden for soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

Duration: 10 minutes
Published by Oxford University Press

Duration: 10 minutes

An incandescent setting of versicles and responses for Evensong. The music is haunting in its simplicity, supporting and illuminating the text to great effect. The second set includes an account of The Lords Prayer, in a moving, unison setting that should inspire any church choir.