Magnificat first performance

On 26th May 1990, Rutter Magnificat was first performed in Carnegie Hall, New York. John Rutter’s Magnificat is a joyous celebration of the Virgin Mary, inspired by feast-day festivities in countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.  Following the example set by Bach, the Magnificat text is extended, incorporating the fifteenth-century English poem Of a Rose, the prayers Sancta Maria and the Sanctus (set to the Gregorian chant of the Missa cum jubilo).

Here, John talks about composing his Magnificat:

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