Scored for 4 trumpets • 1 horn • 4 trombones • 1 tuba & Percussion
The Virgin Mary is here greeted in three pieces which play continuously and with a degree of eccentricity that may surprise but I hope also please her. The music elaborates on three English Marian medieval motets. The first, originally a rare four-part polytextual piece, 'Virgo Maria' is shot through with wild fanfares and a touch of jazz. The second and third motets are found in the Worcester Fragments: 'Dulciflua' is sensuous and sustained, while the transformation of 'Beata Viscera' evokes Brazilian Carnival.
The music was commissioned by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and first performed by students of the College on 23 November 2004, directed by Christopher Mowat. The music last about 11 minutes.
