BBC Radio 3 to Broadcast Specially Recorded Modern Carols

The BBC Singers will be recording a collection of modern
Christmas carols for broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s breakfast show in
the run up to Christmas.

Breakfast presenters Rob Cowan and Sara Mohr-Pietsch and Martin
Handley introduce four performance premieres, 12 broadcast
premieres and a brand new work from renowned British composer Sir
John Tavener. Of the 15 carols being recorded, 14 are by living
composers. The collection includes recently-written works by Swiss
composer Carl Rütti and the eminent British composer Sir Richard
Rodney Bennett, as well as a vintage carol arrangement by the
famous choral conductor Sir David Willcocks, and 16-year-old
Kristina Arakelyan’s winning piece from the 2010 Proms Inspire
competition for young composers.

Two of the recordings (David Willcocks’ arrangement of I Saw
Three Ships and Peter Cornelius’ much-loved Christmas favourite The
Three Kings) will see the BBC Singers join forces with over 400
amateur choir-members, drawn from the Singers’ recent Come And Sing
outreach events for the amateur choral community.

John Tavener’s new work, A Cradle Song, was composed this summer
and is one of his first compositions since being taken seriously
ill in December 2007. The carol sets words by William Blake, and is
dedicated “To Orlando” (John’s young son). It has been commissioned
in aid of Cancer Research UK and will be premiered on 20 December
by the choir DeChorum, while the BBC Singers premiere recording is
broadcast on Radio 3.