New Horizons

This impressive anthem is the second of two in which Michael Berkeley sets texts by Rowan Williams. First the sun, then the shadow uses words from his poem Emmaus, written in 2008. It was commissioned...

McDowall's Candlemas is a celebratory and powerful piece. Making use of choral divisions and suspensions and a dynamic organ part, this setting of Denise Levertov's text (on the Presentation of Jesus...

The hymn Come, Holy Ghost lies at the heart of Celestial Fire. Here, McDowall has woven the exquisite poetry of Denise Levertov into this expressive and uplifting piece. At times quietly meditative, C...

For SATB choir, soprano solo, mezzo-soprano solo, and organ. New Horizons showcases the wealth of exciting, innovative, and occasionally challenging choral music being written today. It encompasses th...

The Spacious Firmament 2: Yet we who neither burn nor shine is a sequel to The Spacious Firmament. Both pieces may be performed separately, but The Spacious Firmament should always come first if they...

This work sets late texts by Friederich Holderlin. The fragmentary poems have been edited together to create the text. Gedachtnis-Hymne was premiered in November 2010 by the New London Chamber Choir w...

Outstanding collection of quality new choral piece Great variety of material Features established Oxford composers, fast-establishing composers, and interesting new names Suitable for concert and chur...

Joseph Addison's poem The Spacious Firmament, much-loved in its familiar guise as a hymn, is an extraordinary vision, both ecstatic and scientific, reasoned and sublime. I am particularly drawn to tex...

SATB unaccompanied & with organ The Ivy and the Holly is a superb collection of carols and motets for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany by contemporary composers. Scored for mixed voices - a cappella an...

Originally published in the New Horizons collection The Ivy and the Holly, this carol has a mysterious, other-worldly character that complements the sixteenth-century text attributed to the Wedderburn...

SATB and soprano solo, unaccompanied. This gentle and expressive carol provides a wonderful alternative to more familiar settings of this well-loved text. The music is harmonically rich, and the float...

A setting of one of the seven Advent 'O' Antiphons, O Oriens makes use of luxurious and exotic harmonies, creating a shimmering texture. The focus on human enlightenment in winter's darkness means the...

Originally published in the New Horizons collection Cantica Nova, this expansive Advent motet creates a unique sound world through unusual harmonic inflections, striking spatial effects, unmeasured no...

This Christmas miniature sets the popular Latin text rejoicing in the birth of the Saviour. A 'vivace' tempo marking and offset rhythms combine with Pott's uniquely striking harmonies and undulating p...

These attractive settings of the ancient Latin Advent Antiphons will be of interest to any choir seeking imaginative material for Advent or Christmas performances. Within a largely diatonic style, Jac...

Written to commemorate the centenary of the foundation of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Brightest Star sets a powerful text by Seán Street. The poem describ...

Traditionally sung on Christmas Eve, 'O Virgo virginum' is often described as the eighth ‘O' Antiphon and praises Mary, ‘O virgin of (amongst) virgins.' McDowall's setting is vigorous and joyful, with...

This solemn yet dramatic work sets a traditional Latin prayer lauding the Virgin Mary, with intense melodic lines that are at once steadfast and arresting, reflecting the mystery of the immaculate con...

For this joyous piece, McDowall set a text from the Ambrosian Rite celebrating the Virgin Mary's recent motherhood. The lively organ accompaniment and strong rhythmic drive create an instantly celebra...

Novo profusi gaudio is a vibrant Christmas motet, setting a medieval text that combines English, Latin, and French words. This joyful account of the nativity is combined with colourful, exuberant musi...

This tender carol sets an affecting text by Christina Rossetti that tells the story of Jesus's birth. In classic McDowall style, the setting explores a variety of choral textures and is interspersed w...

Through luminous choral harmonies, images of a winter night, and echoes of scripture, Advent Moon evokes deep human longing and the promise of the coming of light. The delicate organ accompaniment and...

Written for the 2018 BBC Advent broadcast from St John's College, Cambridge, A Prayer to St John the Baptist sets an artfully crafted text that combines Guido d'Arezzo's Ut queant laxis (itself a Hymn...

This setting of the evocative poem by Chesterton is atmospheric and powerful. Showcasing McDowall's distinctive style, its minor tonality, subtle chromaticisms, and whole-tone scales portray the contr...

'Am Abend' is a setting of 'Grodek', which is thought to be the last work of the Austrian poet Georg Trakl. Written in 1913, the year before Trakl committed suicide at the age of 27, the poem is set i...