The Choir - Aswatuna Choral Festival - Writing for an Acoustic

Aled Jones launches the new season with a trip to a pioneering choral festival in Petra, Jordan. Aswatuna brings together choirs from across the Middle East, including groups from Palestine and Iraq. Plus Judith Bingham is in the studio for a look at how choral compositions reflect the spaces for which they are written. Playlist: BINGHAM, Judith: Hidden city for chorus, harp and percussion (extract) BBC Singers BBC location recording Armenian folksong arr. Robert Petrossian: Abaran Syrian Chamber Choir of the Higher Institute of Music directed by Viktor Babenko BBC location recording from the Aswatuna Festival (19th-23rd August 2008) Trad Swedish: Limu Limu Voces Nordicae conducted by Lone Larsen, with Lennart Andriesson on cow-horn BBC location recording from the Aswatuna Festival (19th-23rd August 2008) Trad Iraqi arr. Salem Bali: Fog Ilna Kil Fayha Choir, Lebanon conducted by Barkev Taslakian BBC location recording from the Aswatuna Festival (19th-23rd August 2008) Trad. arr. Firas Hattar: Ya Henna Dozan Wa Awtar Singers conducted by Shireen Abu Khader BBC location recording from the Aswatuna Festival (19th-23rd August 2008) Backstreet Boys: Show me the Meaning of Being Lonely Voces Nordicae conducted by Lone Larsen BBC location recording from the Aswatuna Festival (19th-23rd August 2008) Improvisation, then Bobby McFerrin/Roger Treece: The Garden Voces Nordicae conducted by Lone Larsen BBC location recording from the Aswatuna Festival (19th-23rd August 2008) BINGHAM, Judith: God would be born in thee for choir Choir of King’s College Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Cleobury EMI 724355807021, track 3 GABRIELI, Giovanni: Magnificat for 33 voices Gabrieli Consort and Players directed by Paul Mccreesh ARCHIV 449180 2, track 18 BERLIOZ, Hector: Te Deum for tenor, chorus, orchestra and organ (Op.22) 6th movement (opening) London Symphony Chorus and massed choirs with Martin Haselbock on organ, with the European Union Youth Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 410696 2, track 6 BYRD, William: Mass for 4 voices (extract) King's Singers and Concordia SIGNUM SIGCD 061, track 4 Sachidao (Georgian wrestling song) Mtiebi Private tapes BINGHAM, Judith: Gleams of a remoter world BBC Singers conducted by David Hill SIGNUM forthcoming CD release (due for release in December 2008) WIDOR, Charles-Marie: Mass for double choir and 2 organs (Op.36) Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei Choir of Westminster Cathedral, Andrew Reid and Joseph Cullen on organ, and ‘Hyperion’ Chorus of Baritones, conducted by James O’Donnell HYPERION CDA 66898, tracks 12, 14 & 16