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Hubert Parry composed his song 鈥楯ersulem鈥� 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 鈥楾he Fight for Right Movement鈥�, and to the Suffragettes too. From there to being a piece at the heart of the Last Night of the Proms鈥�

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鈥檚 music.

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As we approach Easter, Bach鈥檚 Passions recreating the death of Jesus Christ will be performed throughout the country and around the Christian world. Markus Rathey鈥檚 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鈥檚 鈥楽t. Matthew Passion鈥�, 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: 鈥榃e don鈥檛 break down barriers in music, we don鈥檛 see any.鈥�

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