Continuing their pioneering series of discs devoted to new music by young British composers, the Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, under the direction of Sarah MacDonald, Introduce an exciting new and distinctive voice in the world of choral compostion.

Ben Ponniah began composing in 2007 during a postpostgraduate gap year. At the core of his music is his own personal journey with faith, his love of the natural world, and his training as a singer and a jazz pianist. He has a voice of great interest and attractiveness; his music combines the harmonic richness and colour of Poulenc and early Messiaen, with elements of Latin American and jazz to produce a heady mixture of sensual and exotic choral textures, but all with a natural flair for writing for voices. The text is paramount, and words are vividly painted. This is definitely a voice to watch!

This disc features a selection of recent a cappella sacred pieces, including anthems and motets, and Requiem in Blue Ponniah’s largest-scale work to date.