Choral music for Rice/Straw

On Sky News we heard a brief snatch of some glorious-sounding choral music during Rice and Straw's visit to Blackburn cathedral. Does anyone know what the music is?

 

Hopefully Bach cantata BWV90 Es reißet euch ein schrecklich Ende (A terrible end shall overtake you).

 

If the music was sung during a service at the cathedral, you could try searching for a list of the music they were using at the cathedral that day - some choirs / churches do publish a kind of programme for the year's services, including the music to be sung at each service. Failing that, email the choirmaster - the people who run church choirs are usually only too keen to talk about church music with anyone who stands still for long enough.

 

Thanks for the comments. I have contacted the Dean's secretary and I'm hoping for an email reply. I'll let you know if I find anything out.

 

Maybe while I'm waiting we could come up with some inventive things that Rice and Straw ought to have listened to. I kick off with Britten's War Requiem, but feel free to be tongue in cheek - so long as there is a lesson to be had - thanks.

I was fortunate to be rehearsing this in Brussels as a singer with the Brighton Festival Chorus a few years back. We got to a certain part and the conductor had to stop. We thought we had done something wrong, but he explained that, at that precise point 15 years previously, he had received a message to say his father had died. Since then he hadn't been able to perform it, due to overwhelming emotions. The performance we put on that evening was to commemorate Armistice Day. After that explanation it was a very moving concert to get through and I have never forgotten the feeling.

 

Just FYI I had a reply from Richard Tanner, Director of Music, Blackburn Cathedral, as follows:
"...We sang three pieces for the visit. The first was a composition that I wrote specially for the event to a text by Desmond Tutu. I shall try and forward a pdf to you.

"The second was an arrangement of Steal Away by Dr John Bertalot, one of my eminent predecessors. The third was called "Close thine eyes" by Mary Plumstead - a piece often sung by the Blackburn born Kathleen Ferrier...."

I don't know any of these so I have no idea yet whether there is a recording available.