With Holy Week and Easter—and all the work that goes into the music then—safely behind us, Thomas and Richard are able to get together for another episode of Staved Off. They discuss the concert Bach, Sorrow and Joy with The Song Company in the Crypt and Anthony Pitts’s new Agnus Dei from his forthcoming Mass. Holy Week and Easter always require a huge amount of work from Saint Mary’s Cathedral Choir, and this year was no exception. The addition of brass and timpani for Easter adds a layer of complexity, and Thomas was even required to sing at one point!

We were able to address the questions that were sent in for this episode, about Responsorial Psalms and Mass preferences. Videos of some of the Easter performances have been posted online, which has led some Internet commenters to question Thomas’s conducting style.

Music in this episode

Felice Anerio (c. 1560–1614), Christus factus est (extract) [0:00]
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594), Sicut cervus [30:12]
Martin Baker (arr.), O filii et filiae [50:23]