‘Antoni Gaudí’s monumental temple La Sagrada Família is a universe within a building. Its mass of stone and metal is bathed in coloured light diffused from dazzling stained glass windows. The colossal structure is supported by great pillars inspired by the shapes of tree trunks that re-inforce the impression of a spiritual forest. Around the main access points to the basilica are three great facades; Nativity, Passion and Glory. Each is a visual world unto itself, stylistically apart yet united by Gaudí’s grandiose vision. These three facades are the inspiration of my three-movement La Sagrada Família Symphony. The visual journey, from the representational to the abstract, is something I also tried to mirror in the music. When I visited La Sagrada Família in October 2019 there was still scaffolding to support the work on the remaining towers. Whereas my symphony is inspired by that monumental building, I hope that my musical structure can stand alone as an homage to Gaudí in its own right.

‘Until The Camden Choir approached me to write a choral work for its 50th anniversary I had only been familiar with the Babel story from its short description in The Bible. After reading Flavius Josephus’ The Antiquities of the Jews and The Book Of Jubilees, I became fascinated with the connection between Noah’s Flood and Babel. It seemed that the reason mankind disobeyed God to “send colonies abroad to people the earth” was not out of hubris, but for fear of being divided and vulnerable to another purge by a vengeful God. According to the myth, and with encouragement from the warrior Nimrod, they decided to: “Make a name for ourselves, lest we be divided and scattered abroad.” The portrayal of the Old Testament God has preoccupied painters and composers for centuries. Vaughan Williams’ Job, and Britten’s Noye’s Fludde were pieces I grew up with and admired as a schoolboy. Who could not be moved by God’s promise to Noah to “never destroy all living things, as I have done,” and to create a rainbow to remind mankind of the covenant He had made.

‘Babel uses the chorus extensively to narrate both stories, as well as to evoke the terror of the flood and the exuberance of the construction of the tower. In addition to set pieces, such as the Nimrod baritone aria, and the soprano aria, “Do not fear the largeness of the showers,” the three soloists often sing together in close harmony as the other-worldly voice of God. The instrumental forces are relatively modest, with the piano duet supported by the sustaining power of the organ, backed by two percussionists. This sound world is redolent of those Britten masterpieces for amateur choirs, ensembles and audiences, which have inspired many composers since, and to which I too am gratefully indebted.’

Richard Blackford’s music, which includes three operas, two ballets and many works for orchestra, chorus and chamber ensembles, has been performed and broadcast all over the world and has been recorded on Sony Classical, Warner Classics, Decca, Signum, Nimbus and Lyrita labels. He has composed over 200 film and television scores, including over 140 feature dramas for ZDF Germany, the award-winning Song for a Raggy Boy, and Fingersmith for BBC. His three critically acclaimed choral works Mirror of Perfection, Voices of Exile and Not in Our Time were all subjects of television documentaries and have been frequently broadcast and performed around the world.

Pietà, a joint commission from The Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and St Alban’s Choral Society, won the Ivor Novello Composer Award in 2020 in the Choral Category. In 2022 he conducted his second symphony La Sagrada Família with BBC National Orchestra of Wales for Lyrita Records and has directed a film to accompany live performances. In 2023 his song cycle Songs of Nadia Anjuman, a Britten Sinfonia commission, with soloist Elizabeth Watts received 5-star reviews from The Times and The Guardian. He was awarded Best Creator at the 2023 National Federation For Music Societies Awards for his cantata Babel. His cello concerto, commissioned by the Czech Philharmonic, will be premiered in The Rudolfinum, Prague, by Alisa Weilerstein in 2024. Richard Blackford is a Trustee of The Bach Choir, a Trustee of Lyrita Nimbus Arts and is President of the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus. He is published by Novello and Nimbus Publishing.

‘This new recording of Babel is as gorgeous to absorb as it is to perform - a stunning orchestral and choral performance that lingers in the soul long after it ends.’ – Jon Snow, broadcaster