We were delighted to take part in Radio 4’s Sunday Worship programme this morning, broadcast live from the historic St John the Baptist Church in central Cardiff.
Exploring the theme of ‘hope’ and the authority of God, the service – led by Rev Dyfrig Lloyd, with a sermon from the Rev Canon Doctor Sarah Rowland Jones – paid tribute to the influential evangelist preacher Billy Graham, who passed away last week, whilst adding a suitably Welsh flavour in honour of St David’s Day this coming Thursday.
Final preparations before going on air
With these themes in mind, it seemed fitting for us to perform “Amazing Grace” and the American spiritual “Steal Away”, as well as Welsh composer Paul Mealor’s popular “Ubi Caritas”, composed for the wedding for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Coupled with English choral favourites – Herbert Howells haunting setting of Psalm 23 and Edward Bairstow’s elegant introit “Jesu, the Very Thought of Thee” – it made for a hugely enjoyable morning’s singing, despite the somewhat antisocial rehearsal call time of 7am. However, a beautiful crisp sunny morning and a hearty brunch afterwards were more than adequate compensation!
Early daffodils at St John’s Church (photo: Emma Watkins)
A huge thanks to the BBC, all at St John the Baptist Church, to our organist, Peter King, and of course to Huw for conducting us with his usual aplomb. We hope Radio 4’s 1.5 million listeners enjoyed the experience as much as we did. And for those of you who didn’t catch the programme this morning, you can listen to it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09smnh8
Comments