UWL Professor of Composition is radio station’s featured artist on his birthday
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The station, whose output is fully dedicated to organ music, played works including ‘Word’ – a half-hour meditative sequence for choir and organ which considers the meaning and the message of the gospels in the postmodern age, and ‘Christus’, a Passion Symphony for organ solo which was described in the national press in 1992 as ‘clearly one of the most important organ works in our century’.
Professor Francis Pott is an internationally renowned composer whose work has been performed in over 40 countries. He originally joined LCM in 2001 as Head of School before being appointed Professor of Composition in 2007.
In 2021, he won the Medal of the Royal College of Organists (RCO) - the highest honour awarded by this influential membership organisation. Each year, the medal is presented to three distinguished musicians working in areas of choral and organ music such as performance, teaching or composition. Francis was nominated for the medal along with Gareth Malone OBE and Prof. Jon Laukvik. As the initial award ceremony was postponed owing to the pandemic, he and his fellow honorands received their medals at this year’s ceremony at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday 12 March 2022.
Francis’ remarkable contribution to choral music was also recently recognised by the inclusion of his ‘My Song is Love Unknown’ as part of the opening concert of the 25th Riga International Sacred Music Festival on 13 August. It was performed in Riga Cathedral by the Latvian State Choir under the baton of guest UK conductor Jeremy Backhouse, and Francis was fortunate enough to be in the audience for the performance.
‘My Song is Love Unknown’ is an anthem for soloists, double chorus and organ. It was originally composed for the 2002 Southern Cathedrals Festival in the UK. This event alternates between Winchester, Chichester and Salisbury Cathedrals and features all three choirs singing together.
The 18-minute piece sets the Samuel Crossman hymn’s verses to music.
’My Song is Love Unknown’ is a highly dramatic work, slowly expanding over a large scale,” Francis explains. “It makes the fullest use of the choral resources available and includes a very challenging organ part.”
Happy Birthday Francis!
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