< World Premiere > ALFRED SCHNITTKE : Pœnitential Verses (for unaccompanied SSAATTBB div. choir) Monday 26 December, 1988 - Moscow USSR Ministry Culture Chamber Choir, cond. Valery Polyanski Compozitor Saint Petersburg, 2017 (No. 6993) “The importance of the theme of repentance to Schnittke is shown in his 1987 work 'Penitential Verses', a large scale composition for unaccompanied choir which, at around 40 minutes duration, is comparable in scale to his 'Concerto for Mixed Choir' (1984-1985). The work, written for the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Russia, was inspired by a collection of early Russian literature which includes these spiritual lines or poems by anonymous monks. Although thematically these texts might seem to offer much less variety than those of St. Gregory of Narek (whose words Schnittke used in his 'Choir Concerto'), the music employs essentially the same techiques and is characterized by the same degree of technical virtuosity. In both pieces there are very strong echos of the Russian sacred repertoire of the 19th and early 20th centuries; this imparts a sense of belonging to a tradition which, in turn, provides much of the music's strength.” — Ivan Moody

< World Premiere > COLIN MATTHEWS : A Rose at Christmas (for unaccompanied SATB choir) Friday 21 December, 1990 – St. Albans Church, Birmingham BBC Singers, cond. Simon Joly Text: from Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour's Lost', Act 1, Scene 2 Faber Music Ltd., London, 1990

< World Premiere > KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI : Toccata No. 1, KSS46 Tuesday 18 December, 2001 British Music Information Centre, London, England Jonathan Powell, Piano solo

< World Premiere > KAIKHOSRU SORABJI : Toccata Seconda per pianoforte, KSS57 Wednesday 16 December, 1936 Stevenson Hall, Glasgow, Scotland Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, Piano solo

< World Premiere > ERNST PEPPING : Die Weihnachtsgeschichte des Lukas (for unaccompanied SATB div. choir) Sunday 13 December, 1959 – Göttingen, Germany Göttinger Stadtkantorei, dir. Ludwig Doormann Bärenreiter Verlag, 1959 (BA3947)

< World Premiere > MAX REGER : Geistliche Gesänge, Op. 110, Nr. 2 – Motette „Ach, Herr, strafe mich nicht“ Thursday 11 December, 1913 Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Städtischer Gesangverein, dir. Fritz Busch Text: Psalm 6,2-3; 4,2.9; 6,7a; 7,11; 18,2; 16,11 Edition Bote & G. Bock, Berlin, 1911 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2RPbJKinHs

< World Premiere > CHRISTOPHER BROWN : Hodie Salvator Apparuit, Op. 28 - A Sequence for Christmas (for unaccompanied SSAATTBB choir & soli) Wednesday 9 December, 1970 St. Andrew's Church, London Salterello Choir, cond. Christopher Seaman J. & W. Chester, Ltd., 1976 (CH55008)

< World Premiere > KAIKHOSRU SORABJI : Le Jardin Parfumé, KSS35 Tuesday 7 December, 1976 Wigmore Hall, London, England Yonty Solomon, Piano solo J. Curwen and Sons Ltd., 1927

< World Premiere > RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS : Mass in G minor (for unaccompanied SATB-SATB choir & SATB soli) Wednesday 6 December, 1922 – Town Hall, Birmingham City of Birmingham Choir, cond. Joseph Lewis J. Curwen & Sons, Ltd., 1922

< World Premiere > KAIKHOSRU SORABJI : Symphonic Nocturne, KSS97 Thursday 3 December, 2015 Miryzaal, School of Arts, Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent, Belgium Lukas Huisman, Piano solo